Utopian Australia Exhibition: Curator Request Essay

Artists interact with the events and issues of their time and place and this is shown with Australian artist Brett Whiteley’s artwork series called “the Christie series”. Some of Whiteley’s artworks include “Head of Christie”, “Christie and Hectoria McLennan”, “10 Rillington Place” and “Christie and Kathleen Maloney”.

Australia is filled with many different aspects in which makes it the country it is today. I believe it is important to study texts that explore aspects of Australia by studying texts such as ‘The Club’, by David Williamson, a play written in 1977 about an Australian football club and movies such as “The Castle”, directed by Rob Stitch in 1997, about the daily life of an Australian family when their happiness is threatened when developers attempt to buy their house to expand the neighboring airport. Both these texts show us what Australian life was like in the past. By us looking at themes such as language, tradition and the mateship shown we are able to explore different aspects of Australia that make it what it is today.

The piece is classified as Aboriginal Australian literature. It was published in the 1960’s. The purpose of the text is to give hope in a new beginning after the events involving the racial tension between the Aboriginals and the white settlers. The poem is directed to the Aboriginal people of Australia who suffered from these events

Through the use of poetic devices, the author has successfully encouraged the audience to explore their thoughts on Australian identity and to reflect on our nation’s history.

The notion of the contemporary indigenous identity and the impact of these notions are both explored in texts that have been studied. Ivan Sen’s 2002 film ‘Beneath Clouds’ focuses on the stereotypical behaviours of Indigenous Australians highlighting Lina and Vaughn’s journey. This also signifies the status and place of the Australian identity today. Through the use of visual techniques and stereotypes the ideas that the Indigenous are uneducated, involved in crime and the stereotypical portrayal of white people are all explored. Similarly the notion of urban and rural life is represented in Kennith Slessor’s ‘William Street’ and ‘Country Towns’.

The poet Oodgeroo Noonuccal, draws the realistic image of the confronting realities of alienation and displacement of Indigenous Australians. It is because of such experiences that has empowered Noonuccal to express and advocate learning from experiences by positioning the audience to view the horrors that occurred, creating a platform for her poetry. Through the emphasis of identity, it allows the audience to deeply connect with the past, determining and illustrating a profound link between the ancient past and contemporary present. Oodgeroo’s deep connectivity with art and poetry highlights the importance of learning from experiences, for not only the Aboriginal culture but, for all cultures, and that colonisation does not destroy self-identity. Through the poems The Past and China…Woman, it has allowed the individual to promote change, encouraging the survival of cultures through learning from past experiences

“Utopia” has a section entitled The Travels [And Trade] of the Utopians and within this section, there are some ideas that have to be present within these past few months. First off, “anyone who wants to visit friends in another city, or simply to see the place itself, can easily obtain

The Sun Baker created in 1973 By Max Dupain is a photograph that is considered the most widely recognized photo through out all of Australian pictures that have been taken. In this photo we can see a man lying on the beach. Sunbaker’ is Max Dupain’s most famous artwork but it is not just an artwork, it is an Australian icon because of the way it represents what Australia is - In a way this photo is depicting the Australian way of life through being portrayed as a relaxed and care free community, Max him self stated that this image is depicting the “Australian way of life”.

Through a melange of performance elements including a symbolic set, era-specific costumes, cinematic and theatrical lighting, riveting monologues and actor’s performance, Drummond’s immersive piece ultimately commemorates those who sacrificed their lives for the survival of Australia.

Australia’s Aboriginal Peoples form the longest living culture in the world, they have experienced massive conflicts and suffered many losses. Tjukurpa Kunpa, means ‘Strong Law & Culture,’ and forms part of a collection of paintings that concentrate on political and cultural issues that have resulted from colonisation. The painting outlines the shape of Australia and is decorated with symbols and writings that hold significant meaning to Aboriginal cultures.

Good artists copy, great artists steal. By borrowing key visual features of Colin McCahon’s work “Victory Over Death II” (1970) Gordon Bennett recontextualises the work in his piece “Self Portrait (but I always wanted to be one of the good guys)” (1990) to create an alternative perspective on Indigenous Australian identity. Through appropriation, Bennett also emphasises Born in Timaru, New Zealand 1919, Colin McCahon is regarded as one of New Zealand’s most prominent and celebrated artists.

In the article How Do Kangaroos Communicate, the author describes the competitiveness of attracting a female kangaroo as “the hustle of the muscles” since these animals often a time do have to fight and win—the prize being a new mating partner (Writer). This clever depiction and personification of the battle of success attracts a reader’s attention and engages the audience in a pleasurable way compared to how this same detail is depicted in the scholarly article Field Observation: Mating of the Eastern Grey Kangaroo, Macropus Giganteus. This article delivers the same message by simply stating that kangaroos “are quick to engage in combat” (Diago). While this statement is dry and straight to the point, the other statement appeals to the readers’ humorous side and illustrates and succeeds in an attempt to

The AGO exhibition for the Super Real: Pop Art from the AGO collection runs from September 2016 until the end of the year. Former curator Mario Amaya leads this exhibition and displays the artwork in the Edmund G. Odette Gallery of the AGO. The exhibition presents a diverse array of artwork from large silkscreen images to a cardboard burger sculpture sitting in the middle of the space. The exhibition has a small collection but has iconic pieces that are central to the story of the Pop Art movement of the 1960s. For instance, one of the crucial works shown in the gallery is Andy Warhol’s 1963 Elvis I and II silkscreen painting. As there was two Elvis’ on one side with colour, then another two Elvis’ on one side featured in black and white.

My choice of artwork for this essay is titled Kiwi Series # 1. This painting is made by Dennis Wojtkiewicz in 2005. The size of this painting is 36 by 66 inches. The medium used in this painting is the oil on canvas. I chose this painting because it appeals to my sense of aesthetics and also it has the most interesting use of texture. This painting is an excellent example of our sight being able to activate other senses. The presentation of the translucent fruit and fuzzy skin is so convincing that we have a visual and a tactile reaction and for some, a sensation of taste. The painter has used actual texture in this painting. In this essay, I will talk about the subject matter and then the content. I will also be

The aims of the Biennale of Sydney is to allow inventive and creative experimentation to be explored and to challenge the norms of predictable artmaking practices. The Biennale advocates a real cultural experience through combining the many different artworks created by many different artists instigating a global conversation about art. The Biennale occurs every two years in Sydney and brings such a cultural experience to the Sydney.