11 January 2013

Asia Pacific Triennial 2013, Brisbane

The other day I made a trip to the Asia Pacific triennial of Contemporary Art in Brisbane. I had seen the last two and looked forward to this outing with friend Dieter Neumann. Almost immediately, I sensed that it would be an underwhelming experience. Alas, yes,... but with one big exception in the work of Lorraine Connelly-Northey whose renditions of Aboriginal women's handbags hang on the long large wall of the top floor. They are fashioned out of old metal materials found in dumps everywhere; barbed wire, thin wire mesh, plumbing pipes, old wired bed frames and other bits and pieces. I am rarely spellbound by 'Contemporary' Sculpture but I find these simply beautiful; transcendental even, in that way that great things always are. To see just this work by her is worth the 2 hour drive from Byron Bay. To be fair, I am not seduced by so much 'Contemporary' work. (What does it mean to call something Contemporary anyway?) To me, its pretentious and invented for the masses by Dealers and otherwise ambitious young museum curators who graduated from University in the past 20 or so years. (sigh.. I won't go on with my obvious contempt for this academic drivel.) However, these kinds of shows are geared to our most infantile need to be entertained. (They are, by the way, a big hit with children under the age of 17) 

If we are not being entertained, we seem to be  banged over the head with social or economic issues which, I feel, are often better treated in a documentary film format, or Photographic journalism then under the banner of 'Art'. (Why the Art tag anyway?) There is a persistent didactical condescension which seems to ooze out of so much work these days that it gives me a headache. I believe it must have something to do with the Post-Modernist education to which many of these graduates adhere. 

But, if in Brisbane, do go see this show. There are things which will get your mind moving which I know is a good thing but, wouldn't it be nice to simply be moved by a work of art than entertained by it?

Go see the work of this very gifted artist Lorraine Connelly-Northey. 







































4 comments:

  1. Beautiful elegance of line, color, mass and space. Art in its fullest is a unity of line (drawing), color (painting), mass (sculpture), and volume (architecture). It seems that each medium works best when its form engages these qualities. Brings to mind Martin Puryear. Thanks Chris.

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