Vale Michael Callaghan

 

It is with great regret we note the passing away of the Australian artist Michael Callaghan (1952-2012). We were very proud to have been associated with Michael, staging his exhibition, The Torture Memo, in 2010. The gallery was looking forward to presenting his second solo exhibition in November this year, 2012.

It was an honour to work with Michael; a searing intelligence who applied his life to the creative arts in Australia, pushing the cultural envelope into political action.

Many will know Michael fought with illness and pain for the last 20 years, yet it was still a shock to learn of his death.

It was a privilege to attend his wake in the small Southern Highlands town of Exeter where amazing creative Australians gathered from as far as Darwin, Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney to honour his life. Born in Wollongong, Michael, when a young teenager, discovered with his school friend Philip Batty the interventionist possibilities of Dada. Together they explored the underground art/film/political scene of Sydney and even did an art performance at the launch of the seminal book on Australian artists: ‘In the Making’.

From being a student at the National Art School, Darlinghurst in the early seventies through to his involvement with the Tin Sheds at Sydney University, Michael is remembered as having a sharp sense of design and style and just as sharp sense of literature and politics.

His political posters and campaigns for the Earthworks Poster Collective and Redback Graphix are now firmly placed in the collections of Australian cultural institutions.

In 2010, after a fellowship at the ANU, we staged the exhibition The Torture Memo: Recent Works, which was both beautiful in its style, finish and attention to detail as well as being confronting with its raw exposé of the Iraqi War.

I will remember it as one of the highlights of this gallery’s history.

The gallery’s association with Michael was to continue this November, 2012 with another solo exhibition of new work.  This time more three dimensional sculptural work was envisaged with the overall theme relating to the huge multinational armaments industry. Like all his work, Michael was researching in minute detail the labyrinth-like and brutal world of arms trading; guns and money.

The gallery, with the imprimatur of his wife Bronwyn Barwell, has decided to proceed with the exhibition, but now we will ask a number of Australian artists to contribute work based around the themes Michael was developing.

The opening will be Tuesday night November 13, 2012 - see you then. 

Damien Minton

Michael Callaghan in 2010 at Redfern

Ross Laurie in Not the Way Home

Ross Laurie is in the group exhibition NOT THE WAY HOME at the S.H. Ervin Gallery until 1st July. The show was forged through a two week residency in Fowlers Gap, an outback research station. Read the feature in last Sunday's Telegraph.

Click to enlarge

Carment, Laurie and Gardiner get the thumbs up from John McDonald in the Salon des Refuses

In last weekend's SMH Spectrum, John McDonald called this year's Archibald a "generally acknowledged [...] dud show". He at least has some kind words for Tom Carment, Ross Laurie and Peter Gardiner in his review of the Salon des Refuses, the "breakaway" exhibition curated from the unselected entrants in the Art Gallery of New South Wales' Wynne and Archibald prizes.

Tax laywer and poet Geoffrey Lehmann by Tom Carment

“If I had to choose a favourite portrait, I’d fall back on stalwart performer Tom Carment, who has given us a typically sensitive depiction of Geoffrey Lehmann…” – John McDonald, Spectrum, SMH, 28 April, 2012

Peter Gardiner, Swamp I (Burrumbeet), 2012

One of two “... original, confident works [...is] Peter Gardiner’s hypnotic Swamp I (Burrumbeet)” John McDonald, Spectrum review: Salon des Refuses, SMH, 28 April, 2012

Ross Laurie, Ridge and Creek - Fowlers Gap, 2011, oil on canvas, 1200 x 1500 mm

 

“The two most impressive Wynne rejects are Ross Laurie’s Ridge and Creek – Fowlers Gap and Gladdy Kemarre’s Anwekety (Bush Plum). One wonders what Laurie has to do to be selected for the Wynne, as he is arguably one of Australia’s most dynamic landscape painters, albeit in a semi-abstract idiom. Although it is no easy matter to identify the specific features if a landscape in Laurie’s work – let alone swaggies, jumbucks and other standard bush items – he conveys a powerful sense of the heat and light of the Australian environment – in this instance, the arid regions near Broken Hill. – John McDonald, Spectrum review: Salon des Refuses, SMH, 28 April, 2012

Considered prestigous in its own right, we heartilty congratulate Tom, Peter and Ross for being selected into the Salon des Refuses, at the S.H. Ervin Gallery until May 20. 

In the Annex: Megan Garrett-Jones performance 'Advice to Park Users'

Thanks to all those who braved the rain on Wednesday 18th April, to attend the performance and pop-up exhibition opening, Megan Garrett-Jones' Advice to Park Users.

The event marked the end of a year-long commitment by Megan to 'walk in the park' every day, and create subsequent writing and documentation. The performance was a story-teller style durational outpouring in which Megan read the entirity of her year-of-park diaries, clocking in at a hefty 6-hours. The recorded sound became an installation for the remainder of the exhibition.

Megan has now launched stage two of her park project, a blog that offers a year of weekly "advice", performance demonstrations, and writings drawn from her year of parks.

Advice to Park Users blog here.

week TWO: metaphor from Megan Garrett-Jones on Vimeo.
Beware of metaphor. (How) everyday to be at a crossroad.

A profound opening of Red Gate in Redfern, by Dr John Yu, AC

Red Gate in Redfern, at the Damien Minton Gallery

It was a special occasion to have Dr John Yu, AC open the exhibition Red Gate in Redfern on Tuesday 13th March, 2012. You could hear a pin drop as the appreciative audience listened to his reflections on Chinese art and its relationship to Australia. John has kindly given us a transcript of his speech.

'I have been reading a book by Bruce Carpenter on “The Tribal Jewellery of Indonesia”, the subtitle is continuity and evolution. I would like to borrow those words as a theme for my remarks this evening.

To me, ‘continuity’ provides a sound cultural basis for looking forward, it is not or should not be a limitation on creativity or ingenuity but it does provide a legitimacy if contemporary art in China is to be regarded as Chinese art rather than global art by Chinese artists as valid as that may be to Chinese artists or artist from any other cultural background.

Perhaps that is an arrogant presumption .

But as I grow older, I recognize how my Chinese values have indeed contributed to the person I am. I see contemporary art in China as being based on a long cultural history and resulting from evolution rather than revolution though it cannot be denied that the Cultural Revolution has greatly influenced the Chinese artists who immediately followed that terrible event, as they fought to express themselves.

Most of the artists from Red Gate tonight reflect something of China, its culture and its history. But the experiences of Tianamen did rob many of the artists affected by Tianamen of the exuberance and joy seen in artists of other cultures when artists were emerging and breaking with the constraints of their past and seeking the newness of some future promise.

But before I make some comments on tonight’s show, may I briefly return to the concept of Chinese thought and sensitivity. The traditions of Chinese scholarship valued above all else painting, calligraphy and poetry.

Recently I was listening to some music played by Chinese musicians in a Western style orchestra and the music was undeniably Chinese but what made it sound Chinese to me ? I looked at the English notes provided but that didn’t help me until I read the opening words to the introduction words ( with some editing) –

“We think that we should no longer be moved, no longer be sentimental and weep for a poem, a picture, a song or a breath.

In fact we are…

One day you l hear a song from the wind and are not conscious of the tear on your cheek. As the tears flows into your mouth, you say with a smile “what a cold wind” and wipe the tear as you turn.

The wind is cold while the heart washed by tears is full of warmth and happiness.

Let’s thank the years which gives us such sweet age.”

Those words Ladies and Gentlemen expresses Chinese values and sensitivities better than many words from me. I hope you will be able to view tonight’s art keeping these values in mind , I think it will modify if not change the way you see things.

SONG YING’s ‘Girl No 3’ is what we have come to expect from Revolutionary art but this picture shows reserve if not restraint in the young Red Guard , a restraint not seen in the earlier revolutionary paintings which glorified the energy of youth and conviction.

But go to XIE FUJIN and ‘Youth- where is the road’ and we see the exuberance return thanks to the freedom conferred by Deng Xiao Ping and his Commercial Revolution. This freedom is also seen in HE ZUBIN sensitive painting ‘Food’ where the humour underscores the social comment.

I was going to say that GUAN WEI’s “fragments of history No 8’ continues to express humour together with profoundness that so marks his work but I guess it would be more accurate to describe it as Guan Wei being his own marvelous best. Exuberant ? No but certainly joyful.

References to classical Chinese painting is seen in WANG LIFENG’s ‘Qing mountain’ but Wang Lifeng has captured the greatness of Chinese landscape painting in a thoroughly modern way yet retaining the Chinese reverence for mountains and indeed for rocks..

I also really liked HANG CHUNHUI ‘Prophet No 2 ‘ where there is a masterful use of traditional watercolour on paper. A sensitive figure with that whimsical bird what also has references to classical painting.

I have a particular weakness for prints and what better printmaker in China today than TAN PING and his beautifully understated woodcut in black and white. I was sorry not to see a print from Su Xin Ping as he is the other great living Chinese print maker.

That leaves me with two photographs. CHEN CHEN’s “Gazing” . My good friend Liyu Yeo , the Gallery Manager at Red Gate, Beijing provided me with a quote by Chen Chen which speaks for itself, he said “ one can choose not to photograph but one cannot choose not to see”. You need to stop and think about that.

That brings me to the last work that I wanted to comment upon tonight ZHOU JUN and his marvelous image ‘Phoenix Ancient City’ which captures that sensitivity which defies definition. This of course is the image that Damien had chosen for his invitation.

I left the photographs till last as they represent something removed from Chinese traditional art and I think it says a lot for the art scene in China today that something new such as this can speak so strongly across a barrier of cultural heritage. A heritage that hopefully will always continue to inspire but never to limit or constrain China’s art and her artists.

The art tonight has captured the true elements of Chinese sensitivity and values, My compliment is to say it makes me proud to be Chinese. I am truly honoured to open ‘Red Gate in Redfern’.

Ross Laurie Artist Profile Feature

A Journey to desert country

Artist Profile invited 13 prominent Australian artists on an expedition to a research station at Fowlers Gap, Broken Hill. In this interview Ross Laurie reflects upon his experience of the 'Not The Way Home' prjoect and the relationship with landscape in his painting.

GET THE ARTICLE HERE

2012 will be a big year for Ross, with the 'Not The Way Home' exhibition on at the S.H. Ervin Gallery 25 May-21 July, and then touring nationally.

1-4 August, Ross Laurie's work will be on display at the Melbourne Art Fair.

4-29 September, Ross' first solo show in two years at the Damien Minton Gallery, Redfern.

Sydney's Original Art House?

Damien Minton Gallery has made arguably the first example of an art film in Sydney and even Australia available for viewing online. David Perry's Walking (circa 1955) depicts a young flâneur wandering Sydney, giving attention to the the abstract shapes and the movements of the city, and the moments and poses of contemplation.


Walking from Damien Minton Gallery on Vimeo.

Perry's Walking will be featured in the group exhibition 'Five Bells - A Visual Ode to Sydney' that runs from 1-18 February, 2012. See previous post for more information on the 'Five Bells' exhibition. Below, Perry describes how he came to make Walking.


My career since the early 1950’s encompassed all the visual arts, painting, drawing, photography and video and film making. [Once ] someone gave me an 8 mm camera, I began randomly recording events and images in all these media and have never stopped.


In the early sixties I encountered Albie Thoms and together with him, John Clark and Aggie Reid we founded Ubu films.  I was on camera and also directed my own experimental films and videos as well as doing a large number of graphics for posters and flyers advertising not only our films but also the light shows/dances which we organised and which were so popular at the time.

WALKING

During the early years I used to frequent the Roundhouse at the then East Sydney Technical College, Sydney’s only Art school at the time.  A man called Kaplan used to regularly show 1920’s and ‘30’s European art films.  I was deeply moved and entranced by these films, especially by the camera techniques used.  From then on my approach to filmmaking was strongly influenced by what I saw, and all my work comes from this artist’s perspective, rather than from the popular, narrative form of cinema.

Walking was the very first film I ever made on standard 8 mm film (there was no other way to make low budget films at the time).  I tried to capture the feel of the industrial landscape of Sydney of the ‘50’s particularly around the old Pyrmont Bridge, to express the working class grittiness of Sydney, the aspects of it that I knew and loved, and the art film techniques and sensibility were the best way I could see to do this.  

The original footage has been lost but when it was still available I made a copy on videotape.  That copy imported to my modern computer and edited to remove clunky transitions.  It remains the only record of Walking.

While Walking was my first exploration of these art film camera techniques, I continued to make films and subsequently videos, using these techniques and experimenting with them.   A number of my videos and films have been and continue to be shown at various exhibition s and festivals throughout the world.

David Perry

6/1/2012