May 1, 2016

NGV Australia: Heads Up




Any regular reader of this blog will know that I have quite a soft spot for sculpture coexisting with architecture, many of my own exhibitions have concentrated on this, like, The Temple of the Southern Cross, Museum and most recently Walking Women - Standing Monash - they will also know that I'm prone to criticising the habit of creating art museums in which the "exciting" architecture puts individual artworks under what I usually think of as unnecessary pressure.  My usual opinion about The National Gallery of Victoria Australia, The Ian Potter Centre is just that, so you can imagine my surprise, and apprehension, when I heard that I was in 2 non-White Cube exhibitions there.

I was particularly worried about how this work, The Alfred Felton Memorial Sculpture, would fare in a new style place - I shouldn't have. When I was commissioned by the Felton Bequest to create this work there were 2 rather daunting conditions, he would be on constant display and could be displayed anywhere inside or outside the NGV International or Australia. For those that don't know Alfred Felton's massive bequest is the reason that the NGV has Australia's most significant art collection.



Here he is glimpsed from one of the "White Cube" style spaces looking very happy that he's surrounded by other people in Heads Up: Sculptural Portraiture and Representations of the Human Face. I love the fact that real sunlight finds it's way into this delightful architectural oasis.



and again from inside the more formal "gallery" space. Followed by some views of the show.














Me and Mr Felton in architecture

Given that it costs a small fortune to move this work, I'm guessing he'll be here for quite sometime, maybe they'll put some of the sculptural works that his bequest has funded in there with him next time, or little cameo shows of ceramics or sculpture, or even single short and sharp single artist surveys - who knows, but I did enjoy this outing for Mr Felton.