AGWA ART GALLERY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA 2016 PROGRAM
ART PROVIDES MANY WINDOWS INTO THE WORLD THE WORLD YOU KNOW AND THE WORLD YOU’VE YET TO EXPLORE
ARTISTS REFRACT, REFRAME AND REFLECT THEMSELVES AND THE WORLD, IMPARTING A NEW WAY OF UNDERSTANDING, VIEWING AND EXPERIENCING LIFE. From moving portraits revealing Indigenous Australians' views on contemporary life... the personal musings of comic artists... the exploration of landscapes and portraits... through to the frenetic visual poetry of Ryan Trecartin’s video works, 2016 at AGWA allows you to see the world through the lenses of others and to see things differently.
We acknowledge that the Art Gallery of Western Australia is situated on the traditional lands of the Whadjuk Noongar people and we wish to pay our respects to the traditional custodians of this Country. We also acknowledge the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and communities we work with across Australia.
STEFANO CARBONI
DIRECTOR | ART GALLERY OF WA Reimagining the Gallery experience is our goal in 2016 with an eclectic program of exhibitions and experiences including dance, video and cross-media work. And a new work, Blue Sky with Rainbow, which brings light from the roof and winds it through the Gallery. We’re proudly putting visionary artists centre stage with international, Australian and Western Australian works on display and in dialogue with each other. One example of this is our exciting partnership with the University of Western Australia and the Terra Foundation for American Art, which brings us the exhibition Continental Shift. In 2016, we spotlight the Collection bringing new spaces to fruition and offer explorative encounters through guided tours, artist talks and immersive installations such as Rebecca Baumann’s new work being created for WA Focus. We offer fresh ways of enjoying the Collection with the introduction of contemporary dance in the Gallery, created by Co3 in an exciting new residency, in response to our spaces and works on view. We have also developed exhibitions highlighting the depth of our Collection, such as Dissenting Voices and Unknown Land. Popular favourites return to AGWA: the Tom Malone Prize and Year 12 Perspectives are back to engage you in the beauty of glass, and the world of our young people. I am pleased to add to the mix of events an excursion into portraiture which will be undertaken in partnership with ARTrinsic Inc., presenting the Black Swan Prize for Portraiture in the Gallery. Together these exhibitions tell the stories of our world, present arresting ideas and offer new perspectives, and no doubt will generate lively debate and engaging provocations. Ultimately, AGWA’s 2016 program is designed for you – our visitors and collaborators, established supporters, families, and interstate and international visitors to WA. 2016 at AGWA is a year filled with opportunities to see things differently.
WELCOME TO 2016
NICHOLAS HASLUCK
JOHN DAY
AGWA 2016 invites you to see the world differently. This notion of seeing the world anew has underpinned the Art Gallery of WA’s strategic vision.
The Art Gallery of Western Australia’s 2016 program features an exciting and diverse mix of exhibitions from international, Australian and Western Australian artists.
AM QC | BOARD CHAIR
AGWA Director Stefano Carboni and his team have crafted a finely nuanced program that takes the strengths of AGWA and multiplies them for new audiences. In 2016, we will present large exhibitions curated by AGWA’s talented curators, which feature works by a mix of international, Australian and local artists. I am pleased to see the Gallery moving forward with content developed exclusively for WA. Along with these major exhibitions, I look forward to the introduction of new Gallery spaces that will allow AGWA to display more of the incredible State Art Collection. As Board Chair, I extend thanks to the entire Gallery team, my fellow AGWA Board Members, and our many sponsors and supporters. In particular, I would like to acknowledge Ernst & Young (EY), Singapore Airlines, Audi, 303LOWE, Alex Hotel and Gage Roads Brewing Co. I extend a sincere thank you to Principal Partner Wesfarmers Arts, which has substantially increased its support of AGWA in 2016.
MINISTER FOR CULTURE AND THE ARTS
Alongside major exhibitions such as Comic Tragics and Unknown Land, the Gallery will be collaborating with a range of Western Australian organisations including the Perth International Arts Festival, the new Co3 dance company, and for the first time will be presenting the Black Swan Prize for Portraiture. This engagement with local artists is exemplified by the WA Focus series, which will continue to highlight the skill and diversity of the State’s most exciting artists. The Gallery’s rich and dynamic 2016 exhibition program is sure to offer many different experiences for Western Australians and visitors to our State. I encourage you to make the most of this incredible asset.
On behalf of the Art Gallery of WA Board, I welcome you to 2016 at the Gallery and invite you to experience what promises to be a bold, inspiring and rewarding year.
SEE THINGS DIFFERENTLY
INTERNATIONAL
TREASURE SHIPS: ART IN THE AGE OF SPICES "…may be the most fascinating exhibition to be seen at an Australian public gallery this year..." John McDonald, Sydney Morning Herald
In this innovative partnership between the Art Gallery of South Australia and the Art Gallery of Western Australia, we celebrate the art and artefacts from a vibrant period of trade between the East and the West. Treasure Ships includes over 250 outstanding and rarelyseen examples of ceramics, decorative arts, furniture, maps, metalware, paintings, prints and textiles from public and private collections in Australia, India, Portugal, Singapore and the United States. A highlight of the exhibition is the shipwreck artefacts retrieved from the Batavia and the Gilt Dragon, which sank off the Western Australian coast in the seventeenth century. Also featured is a large-scale 16th century portrait of Francisco de Almeida, the first Portuguese viceroy of the state of India, on loan from the National Museum of Ancient Art (Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga), Lisbon. Although historical in its presentation, the exhibition’s themes of global trade and rich artistic exchange have never been more relevant as Australia enters the Asian century. Until 31 January 2016 | Ticketed Australian collaboration between the Art Gallery of SA and the Art Gallery of WA Explore the cultural exchange between Asia and Europe during the height of the spice trade Curated by James Bennett and Russell Kelty, AGSA
Ichiryusai (Utagawa) Yoshitoyo Japan, 1830–1866, On display in West Ryogoku [Nishi ryogoku ni oite kogyo]: Leopard July 1860, Tokyo. Colour woodblock print on paper (nishiki-e), 34.0 x 24.0 cm. d’Auvergne Boxall Bequest Fund 2014, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide.
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Coordinating curator Melissa Harpley, AGWA Supported by Ernst & Young, Gordon Darling Foundation, Singapore Airlines, Alex Hotel & The Sunday Times
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AMERICAN DREAM, AMERICAN NIGHTMARE
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Brett Whiteley The American Dream 1968-69. Oil, tempera, collage, photography and objects on eighteen wooden panels, 244 x 2196 cm. State Art Collection, Art Gallery of Western Australia. Purchased 1978. © State Art Collection, Art Gallery of Western Australia.
Back on display after conservation treatment, Brett Whiteley’s The American Dream 1968-69 is one of AGWA’s most revered and requested works. Whiteley’s work is a dynamic 18-part visual summation of his experiences in America that charts his initial passion for the place, his intense responses to the politics and culture, and his powerful desire to leave it all behind.
Until 21 February 2016 | FREE Challenging perspectives on American values and culture Curated by Robert Cook American Dream Jenepher Duncan American Nightmare
In American Nightmare works dealing with socio-political issues hang alongside Whiteley’s iconic work, interrogating the dark underside of chasing the American dream.
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AUSTRALIAN
RESISTANCE Resistance is a subtle, yet powerful presentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander worldviews on contemporary Indigenous life. Works in the exhibition explore Indigenous knowledge systems and provide insightful comment on Indigenous experiences, histories, cultures and people. Striking portraits and people emerge as recurring figures as Australian Indigenous artists share their life stories, histories, and heroes, quietly ensuring that Indigenous culture is positioned as a valued part of everyday Australian life. The art on display mirrors the artists’ daily acts of resistance to combat unspoken social norms that often insist Indigenous people stay silent, and subsequently voiceless. Through art, the artists continue to counter these norms, offering a rich narrative about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art and life. Until 21 February 2016 | FREE Provocative and timely perspectives from Australia’s First peoples Curated by Carly Lane
Lin Onus John Bulun Bulun 1989. Synthetic polymer paint on canvas, 182.5 x 182.3 cm. State Art Collection, Art Gallery of Western Australia. Purchased 1990. AGWA see things differently
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RYAN TRECARTIN SIX MOVIES Ryan Trecartin is widely considered to be the artist of our moment. Calvin Tompkins of the New Yorker recently dubbed him ‘a video art visionary’ whose work is full of ‘breaking news about the future.’ In this Perth debut of Trecartin’s work, AGWA’s major new acquisitions Sibling Topics (section a) 2009 and CENTER JENNY 2013, are presented alongside four more movies: K-CorealNC.K (section a) 2009, P.opular S.ky (section ish) 2009, Items Falls 2013, and Junior War 2013. Prepare to be immersed in the ecstatic poetics of Trecartin’s practice.
30 Jan – 8 May 2016 | FREE A highlight of the Perth International Arts Festival 2016 Video art visionary Ryan Trecartin fashions insightful, frenetic, layered works about identity in today’s digital world Curated by Robert Cook
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Ryan Trecartin CENTER JENNY 2013 (still). HD video, duration: 53 minutes, 15 seconds. State Art Collection, Art Gallery of Western Australia. Purchased through the TomorrowFund, Art Gallery of Western Australia Foundation, 2014. Š Ryan Trecartin. Image courtesy Andrea Rosen Gallery, New York.
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LUMINOUS: TOM MALONE PRIZE 2016 Glass is one of the most exciting and dynamic art forms in this country. It is a uniquely captivating medium, capable of almost endless transformation. Glass provides a perfect vehicle for the exploration of a range of themes, from the personal to the observational. The Tom Malone Prize was established in 2003 as an annual prize for Australian glass artists. As an acquisitive prize, each year’s winning entry becomes a part of the State Art Collection. 13 Feb – 2 May 2016 | FREE Artists working with glass explore diverse themes in this most striking of contemporary media. Curated by Robert Cook
Tom Moore Buff Sandy 2012. Blown and solid glass, 69 x 30 x 17 cm. State Art Collection, Art Gallery of Western Australia. Purchased through the Tom Malone Prize, Art Gallery of Western Australia Foundation, 2013. Photographer: Grant Hancock.
WESTERN AUSTRALIAN
Liam Strickland Hale School Portrait of the Artist as a Year 12 2014. Oil and acrylic on canvas, 153 x 121.5 cm.
YEAR 12 PERSPECTIVES 2015 Year 12 Perspectives is your yearly taste of art by some of the best, brightest and most talented graduating high school artists in the State. A Gallery favourite, the exhibition is an annual barometer of what our youth are thinking and feeling, as well as a rich celebration of the role the arts play in the development of individual identities. 12 Mar – 13 Jun 2016 | FREE What are our youth thinking and feeling? This WA exhibition for young artists takes the pulse. Curated by Dunja Rmandić Supported by Department of Education, Schools Curriculum & Standards Authority and Catholic Education WA AGWA see things differently
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INTERNATIONAL
BLUE SKY WITH RAINBOW Julianne Swartz
Artist's Impression Julianne Swartz Blue Sky with Rainbow, 2015. Fiberoptic, sunlight, plastic tubing, prism, hardware, dimensions variable. Courtesy the artist. Š the artist.
This major new sculpture transforms light from the Gallery roof into an enveloping Gallery installation. It refracts light creating a new visual view. It reflects AGWA’s 2016 aim of throwing new light on to art, ourselves and the world we’re part of.
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COMIC TRAGICS: THE EXPLODING LANGUAGE OF CONTEMPORARY COMIC ART An international multi-media exploration of the inner life of the comic artist and their incredibly intense, personal and affecting comic works that connect with audiences in unexpected and powerful ways. The show presents some of the best comic artists at work in the world today: Anders Nilsen (US), Emma Talbot (UK), Stephen Collins (UK), Aisha Franz (Ger), Dash Shaw (US), Ron Rege Jr (US), John Porcellino (US), Gabrielle Bell (US), Tommi Parrish (Aus). These artists are pushing the medium of printed comics in new and challenging directions. Works are presented in various stages of completion from rough sketch to fully inked, through sketchbooks, finished comic pages, paintings and video, allowing an intimate understanding of their artistic processes. 9 Apr – 25 Jul 2016 | Ticketed Exploring the inner lives of the great comic artists of today Curated by Robert Cook
Emma Talbot Holes and Stains and Marks 2013. Acrylic on canvas, 195 × 155 cm. © Emma Talbot. Courtesy Domo Baal and Petra Rinck. Anders Nilsen Don't Go Where I Can't Follow (page 79) 2006. Ink on Paper, 27.9 x 35.6 cm. © Anders Nilsen. Courtesy the artist.
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SACRED AND PROFANE This majestic display of three international large-scale works sees Public Notice 2 2007 by Jitish Kallat installed along the entire length of a gallery wall. For Kallat, this 58 metre version of Ghandi’s famous 1930s speech is a resurrection of Ghandi’s words in anticipation of finding new meaning within them, for our current troubled times. Alongside Kallat’s work is Chinese Bible 2009 by Chinese artist Yang Zhichao. Over 3,000 diaries and notebooks created during the first five decades of communism tell the personal stories of day-to-day life under an oppressive regime. These works are also partnered with AGWA’s significant acquisition, The sacred and the profane 1998 by Indian artist Nalini Malani. The three international works weave together the detailed and personal, the sacred and profane, into breathtaking pieces that inspire immediate awe through their sheer scale. 7 May – 22 Aug 2016 | FREE Three large-scale works by renowned international artists Coordinating curator Robert Cook
Nalini Malani The sacred and the profane 1998. Synthetic polymer paint on Mylar, steel, nylon cord, electric motors, lights and hardware, 300 x 500 x 1100 cm (overall installation). State Art Collection, Art Gallery of Western Australia. Purchased 2001.
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INDIGENOUS OBJECTS FOCUS GALLERY This new Gallery space will become a permanent display space for AGWA’s growing collection of objects. Throughout the year, the space will highlight barks and sculpture from the prized Louis Allen Collection, ilmas (dance boards) from the Kimberley, as well as recent acquisitions such as Torres Strait Islander artist Ricardo Idagi’s intricate headdress. Opens 2 July 2016 | FREE State Art Collection New Gallery Space Explore how objects are used by Indigenous artists to inform or embody cultural and community expression Curated by Carly Lane
Ricardo Idagi Baizam Tirig (sharks teeth) 2008. Feathers, mussel shell, goa nuts, tooth, bamboo, cane, raffia, 85.8 x 51.0 x 39.0 cm. State Art Collection, Art Gallery of Western Australia. Gift of the Artist, 2010. Image © Ricardo Idagi, 2009.
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CRAFT & DESIGN FOCUS GALLERY Showcasing works across a range of mediums, this newly introduced space allows for AGWA to express the many ways that craft and design practitioners use their materials to engage with the world. Charles and Ray Eames make our lives more playful and easier with their furniture. Pip Drysdale makes vessels that speak of the larger natural environment we live in. While ceramicists Gwyn Hanssen Pigott and Lucie Rie made exquisite poetic forms that carve out moments of deep and rich stillness. With works drawn from historical, modern and contemporary areas of the Collection, this space will provide a place to learn more about the significance of the handmade and the material world. Opens 2 July 2016 | FREE State Art Collection New Gallery Space Highlighting how craft and design practitioners use their materials to engage with the world Curated by Robert Cook
DANIEL.EMMA Cherry on the bottom 2013. 3m opal acrylic (diffuser), powder coated spun aluminium (shade), polished, cherry red lacquered, machined aluminium (ball), 40.0 x 30.0 x 30.0 cm. State Art Collection, Art Gallery of Western Australia. Purchased through the TomorrowFund, Art Gallery of Western Australia Foundation, 2014.
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CONTINENTAL SHIFT An exciting partnership between the Art Gallery of WA, Chicago‑based Terra Foundation for American Art and the University of Western Australia sees fifteen American landscape paintings shown in the context of their Australian counterparts. Continents apart, yet influenced by the same global artistic trends, this exhibition highlights the cross-pollination of ideas and influences, exploring the referential artistic practices intrinsic to the development of art movements across the centuries. Accompanied by an undergraduate course at the University of Western Autralia and symposium at AGWA, this display strikes up new conversations between the US and Australia, and takes the longstanding partnership between UWA and AGWA in a new and exciting direction. Jul – Nov 2016 | FREE Landmark partnership between WA and the US 19th-century landscapes by Australian and American artists re-examined Curated by Melissa Harpley
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Eugene Von Guèrard Mt William from Mt Dryden, Victoria 1857. Oil on canvas, 61.5 x 91.5 cm (sight), 76.2 x 106 cm (framed). State Art Collection, Art Gallery of Western Australia. Purchased 1971.
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DISSENTING VOICES This significant Collection-based exhibition examines the relationship between visual art and politics, and how artists respond with issuesbased art. Featuring many works on display for the first time, the exhibition offers a fresh, insightful look at socio-political engagement, identity politics and acts of aggression. A key feature of the exhibition is the presentation of four large canvas works by Tom Nicholson, and a large banner work by Peter Kennedy that records a notorious moment in Australian political life in the 1970s. 20 Aug 2016 – Jan 2017 | FREE State Art Collection A timely exploration of the role art plays in pushing agendas, making political statements and reacting to world events Curated by Jenepher Duncan
Tom Nicholson Fragments from Melancholia (Documents after five actions, Berlin) 2001-2002, Berlin, Germany, Melancholia (Banner 4) 2002. Oil on linen, with sewn Hessian loops, 307 x 270 cm (irregular). State Art Collection, Art Gallery of Western Australia. Gift of John McBride, 2010.
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WESTERN AUSTRALIAN
UNKNOWN LAND: MAPPING AND IMAGINING WESTERN AUSTRALIA The first documented visual record of European contact with Terra Australis Incognita (‘the unknown land of the South’) occurred along the western coast of Australia in the seventeenth century. Over the next three hundred years a vast array of images of the new land were made, including coastal views, landscapes, and detailed pictures of the flora and fauna, all of which feature in this exhibition. Through centuries of visually rich content, this exhibition charts the many ways in which Western Australia was documented and recorded, offering different perspectives on how Europeans mapped space and converted it into place. Its focus is on the fragmentary nature of documentation, showing how artists (illustrators, surveyors, explorers, amateur artists) strove to ‘fill in the blanks’ on the map.
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Frederick Garling View across the coastal plain 1827. Watercolour and pencil, 13.2 x 37.5 cm. State Art Collection, Art Gallery of Western Australia. Purchased 1978.
Frederick Garling View of Swan River, taken at the commencement of fresh waters 1827. Watercolour, ink and pencil, 22.5 x 32.8 cm (sheet). State Art Collection, Art Gallery of Western Australia. Purchased 1957.
17 Sep 2016 – 30 Jan 2017 | Ticketed Traversing the west coast of Australia, this exhibition maps our story of discovery through important State Art Collection and loan works. How did early artists and explorers see Western Australia? And what does it tell us about them and ourselves? Curated by Melissa Harpley
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WA FOCUS Fresh from the success of its inaugural year, AGWA’s annual program dedicated to promoting the work of Western Australian artists gathers momentum, presenting new work by practicing WA artists. We also take the time to look back at one of WA’s respected female artists, Helen Grey-Smith, in the year of the centenary celebration of her birth.
Now on at the Art Gallery of Western Australia
Graham Miller Josephine 2010. Pigment print, 80 x 100 cm. © Graham Miller, 2010. Courtesy Graham Miller and Turner Galleries.
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GRAHAM MILLER Graham Miller is one of Western Australia’s most important photographers. He is known for his atmospheric images that combine cinematic vision with the eye-for-subtle-detail of a short story writer. Presenting works spanning more than fifteen years of Miller’s output, the display comes together around two distinct threads: a body of landscape works and a group of portraits. Generous in spirit and outlook, Miller’s works are emotionally rich and often moving portraits of people and places. Each portrait invites curiosity about the possible events that have brought his subjects to this point in their lives, and each landscape evokes the sensation of being fully within the urban and natural environments presented. Until 29 February 2016 | FREE Fifteen-year review of richly atmospheric works, landscapes and portraits Curated by Robert Cook
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TR + AS + JW: TREVOR RICHARDS, ALEX SPREMBERG AND JUREK WYBRANIEC Trevor Richards, Alex Spremberg and Jurek Wybraniec are Perth-based artists with a long-standing interest in abstract forms with found interventions. All three are creating new bodies of work for this project show, including sculpture and paintings; alongside works on paper using found record covers.
12 Mar – 16 May 2016 | FREE New work by Perth artists featuring abstract forms and found works Coordinating curator Jenepher Duncan
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Alex Spremberg Hullabaloo 2012. Enamel on wood, diptych, 120 x 180 cm (overall). Courtesy the artist and Art Collective WA.
Jurek Wybraniec An Arrangement (Scene 1) 2014. An edition in four scenes, enamel paint on acrylic, 25.5 x 5 x 60 cm. Courtesy the artist and Art Collective WA. Photo:Acorn Photo.
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Trevor Richards Concertina 2008. Synthetic polymer paint on canvas over plywood, 162 x 156 cm. State Art Collection, Art Gallery of Western Australia. Purchased through the TomorrowFund, Art Gallery of Western Australia Foundation, 2009.
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REBECCA BAUMANN Rebecca Baumann’s work spans sculpture, installation and performance. Her practice is driven by a formal and conceptual exploration of materials, through which she interrogates ideas about colour and emotion. For WA Focus, she will present a site specific installation, creating an immersive experience which explores colour, light and time.
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28 May – 22 Aug 2016 | FREE Immersive installation work informed by colour and time
Rebecca Baumann and Brendan Van Hek, Untitled, 2015. Mirrored acrylic, aluminium, dimensions variable. Photography by Simon Hewson. Commissioned by Campbelltown Arts Centre for ‘Colour Restraint’.
Coordinating curator Jenepher Duncan
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FINLANDISATION – JUHA TOLONEN Finlandisation is a series of landscape photographs, shot on medium and large format film, during the autumn hunting season in northern Finland contrasted with images of the Swan River and its surrounds. Juha Tolonen’s parents fled with many other emigrants in the post-war period, and now Finland is encouraging the children of emigrants to return. In this moving photographic series of his ancestral homeland, Juha Tolonen asks, ‘Is return possible when the country no longer resembles the land of our forebears?’ 3 Sep – 21 Nov 2016 | FREE Powerful landscape photographs from northern Finland, the artist’s ancestral homeland Coordinating curator Jenepher Duncan
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Juha Tolonen Home and away 2014. Pigment print, 120 x 120 cm. © Juha Tolonen. Courtesy the artist. AGWA see things differently
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HELEN GREY-SMITH Helen Grey-Smith had a long career in Western Australia as a textile designer, painter and maker of collages. Ceaselessly inspired by the physical world around her, Grey-Smith’s subject matter reflected her deep engagement with the landscape and flora of WA, and her fascination with the Asian culture of our region.
3 Dec 2016 – 6 Mar 2017 | FREE Centenary celebration of a remarkable mid-century textile designer Curated by Melissa Harpley
Helen Grey-Smith Set of curtains, designed for "Meerilinga" c 1962 (detail). Silkscreen print on cotton, backing and lining. State Art Collection, Art Gallery of Western Australia. Gift of Meerilinga Young Children's Foundation Inc., Perth, 1990. AGWA see things differently
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SCREEN SPACE A different work is screened every two months in this dedicated space for AGWA’s growing filmic acquisitions.
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BROKEN DANCE (BEATBOXED) - SHAUN GLADWELL Gladwell’s dual-channel video installation Broken Dance (Beatboxed) continues his engagement with urban sub-cultures. This energetic video work synchronises the vocal percussions of a beat-boxer with the freestyle moves of dancers merging the genres of break-dancing, krumping and whacking.
Until 10 January 2016 | FREE A compelling look at urban subcultures by one of Australia’s most renowned contemporary artists Coordinating curator Jenepher Duncan
The synchronisation works to set up a dialogue between the two expressions, as though the sound in one is generating the movement in the other, emphasising the powerful effect of sound on the body.
Shaun Gladwell Broken Dance (Beatboxed) 2012 (still). Two-channel synchronised High Definition video, 16:9, colour, sound, duration: 85 minutes, 41 seconds, edition 3 of 3 with artist proof. State Art Collection, Art Gallery of Western Australia. Purchased through the TomorrowFund, Art Gallery of Western Australia Foundation, 2015. © Courtesy the artist and Anna Schwartz Gallery. AGWA see things differently
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INTERNATIONAL
PRIAPUS AGONISTES - MARY REID KELLEY One of a group of works made by young American artist Mary Reid Kelley that re-examine aspects of Greek mythology. Combining humour and tragedy, the film focuses on a minotaur roaming a labyrinth beneath a gymnasium, waiting for members of the losing team to be sent down as food, and the posturing of one of the players, Priapus who, at the film’s end, will descend to destroy the creature. As in all mythology nothing is black and white, and plot and sub plot weave over each other in this playful and inventive work. 4 Jun – 25 Sep 2016 | FREE Coordinating curator Robert Cook
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Christian Thompson HEAT 2010 (still). DVD projection (hard drive master and 4 x photographs in presentation box), 28.9 x 20.6 x 3.5 cm duration: 5:52 min. State Art Collection, Art Gallery of Western Australia. Purchased through the TomorrowFund, Art Gallery of Western Australia Foundation, 2011. © Christian Thompson.
HEAT - CHRISTIAN THOMPSON HEAT is a captivating work and a personal recollection of contemporary Bidjara artist Christian Thompson, visiting the harsh Australian desert landscape with his father. Each component of this video triptych contains the face of a young Indigenous woman, representative of a sacred mother‑earth, and referencing the seductive and dangerous nature of the Australian landscape. 12 Nov 2016 – 19 Feb 2017 | FREE Coordinating curator Jenepher Duncan
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WESTERN AUSTRALIAN NEW PROGRAMS AND PARTNERSHIPS
REASON FOR BEING - CO3 In this partnership between AGWA and contemporary dance company Co3, Gallery visitors will experience a creative response to their State Art Collection and Gallery architecture re-interpreted through contemporary dance and collaborative performance. Over the course of one week every month, you can observe Co3 Artistic Director and choreographer, Raewyn Hill as she creates a new work Reason for Being with Co3 dancers in the Gallery’s spaces.
New Partnership Contemporary dance in the Gallery Concept and choreography by Raewyn Hill Coordinating curator Dunja Rmandić
Reason for Being provides a platform for innovation, collaboration and exchange, a site for some of Perth’s leading voices from across the creative industries to share ideas and involve themselves in responding to and defining a distinct contemporary choreographic language. From first conceptual conversations through to a showing of the week’s work, Hill reveals the process of creating contemporary dance in the unusual live studio environment of AGWA.
SUPPORTED BY WESFARMERS ARTS
MICRO GALLERIES AGWA opens two new micro galleries Sky and Garden. The concept of these spaces is giant art in micro spaces. We are proud to offer a window on the renowned Wesfarmers Arts Collection, featuring large-scale works not generally on view to the public.
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THE IMAGINATION ROOM Mid-year, AGWA opens a new place for activity including education, events, family activities, artist experiences, and digital adventure.
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Photo: Toni Wilkinson
Image of the 2015 Lester Group Prize winning portrait by artist Marcus Callum. Photograph by Mark de Cruz, Copyright ARTrinsic Inc 2015.
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ARTBAR
DRIVEN BY AUDI
AGWA PORTRAIT MONTH AND THE BLACK SWAN PRIZE FOR PORTRAITURE In an exciting new initiative for 2016, AGWA introduces Portraiture Month where we explore the many forms of portraiture across photography, painting, video and sculpture. Taking centre focus is the State’s premier portraiture prize, the 2016 Black Swan Prize for Portraiture, presented for the first time at the State Art Gallery.
Combining art and live entertainment, ARTBAR presents another exciting season of international and national acts at AGWA.
ROOFTOP AT AGWA
Established in 2007, the Black Swan Prize for Portraiture is one of Australia’s richest portraiture prizes, featuring the $50,000 Lester Group 1st Prize and a $7,500 People’s Choice Award. The Black Swan Prize is WA’s only portrait prize, attracting hundreds of entries from Australian artists each year. Subjects are people that artists respect and admire including high-profile sporting stars, business leaders, artists and performers to politicians and celebrities.
Rooftop at AGWA is back for an exclusive season in 2016. Following its sold out sessions in 2015, the bar with the view is back for six Fridays across January and February.
October 2016 | FREE
Rooftop at AGWA
New initiative exploring the medium of portraiture Coordinating curator Dunja Rmandić
Visitors to the rooftop bar can also experience the popular Treasure Ships exhibition and Ryan Trecartin’s mesmerising films.
4 – 9pm Every Friday from 22 Jan to 26 Feb 2016 Entry $10 + bf
Presented in partnership with ARTrinsic Inc.
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WESTERN AUSTRALIAN
Mary Puntji Clement working on a new painting at the Kira Kiro Art Centre Studio. Kalumburu Field Trip, July 2015. Š AGWA 2015.
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DESERT RIVER SEA Desert River Sea is an exciting and unique six year visual art project developed in close dialogue and consultation with Indigenous artists throughout the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Supported by Rio Tinto, its outcomes are threefold: the development of an online portal desertriversea.com.au, an exhibition and an emerging leaders program. In 2016, Desert River Sea enters its fourth year. Broome team members Geraldine Henrici and Philippa Jahn are building upon their strong relationships with the Kimberley art centres and artists, and have some exciting plans for the year ahead. Principal amongst these is the professional development planned for the Desert River Sea Visual Arts Leadership Program which will culminate in a Desert River Sea display in Kununurra timed to coincide with the Ord Valley Muster. This regional event will offer a rare opportunity to also display select Kimberley works from the State Art Collection.
Research and documentation continues with desertriversea.com.au growing rapidly. This online celebration of the Indigenous culture in the Kimberley now has over 800 artworks from the State Art Collection and art centres as well as a number of short films. In February, Desert River Sea will partner with the Mowanjum Art Centre in Derby to produce short videos, before shifting focus to the south central Kimberley region later in the year. In 2018, this unique visual arts project will be celebrated through a major exhibition of Kimberley Aboriginal art. Plans are gathering pace, with the Gallery scoping the potential for commissioning new collaborative works with art centres.
If you are interested in finding out more about the project, visit desertriversea.com.au Supported by Rio Tinto Community Investment Fund
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YOUR COLLECTION 1800 – TODAY Our most important asset is the State Art Collection. Your Collection is the leading public art collection in the State, with many areas of acknowledged excellence including Western Australian art, Modern British art and Indigenous art. The many highlights of the inspiring art in the Your Collection displays are presented across all ground floor galleries in both the Centenary Galleries and the main Gallery building. The displays are chronologically arranged from the 1800s to today. Take a free guided tour with our knowledgeable Voluntary Gallery Guides at 11am and 1pm, Wednesday-Monday (except 11am Friday).
Ongoing | FREE State Art Collection Free Wesfarmers Arts Walk-in Tours of Your Collection run at 11am & 1pm, Wed–Mon (except 11am Friday)
William Kentridge Shadow quartet 2003-2004. Bronze, edition 1/4 (quartet 1) 271.0 x 127.0 x 156.0 cm; (quartet 2) 272.0 x 144.0 x 150.0 cm; (quartet 3) 292.0 x 121.0 x 127.0 cm; (quartet 4) 252.0 x 105.0 x 157.0 cm. State Art Collection, Art Gallery of Western Australia. Commissioned with funds from the Art Gallery of Western Australia Foundation, 2002. Principally supported by Wesfarmers Limited, the Friends of the Art Gallery and Janet Holmes à Court. 46
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Museum
STIRLING STREET
P Library
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HOW TO GET HERE AND PLAN YOUR VISIT PICA
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AGWA
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Blue CAT bus stop Perth train station Wellington Street bus station
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AGWA is located in the Perth Cultural Centre, Perth’sWellington cultural just Streetprecinct, bus station across from the Perth Train Station. P Parking HAY STREET
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the Cultural Centre In the Perth Cultural Centre you will also find the WAtoMuseum, State Library and the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA).
OPENING HOURS 10am – 5pm, Wednesday - Monday. Closed Tuesdays, Good Friday, Anzac Day and Christmas Day.
ENTRY TO THE GALLERY While the Gallery is free to visit, we do ask all visitors to make a voluntary donation as you enter.
JAMES STREET
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Museum
PICA Theatre
ROE STREET
STIRLING STREET
FRANCIS STREET
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AGWA LOCATION
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AGWA see things differently
PUBLIC TRANSPORT On foot Entry from the City is best taken via the Perth Train Station and Roe Street pedestrian overpass, or from Barrack Street via the James Street Mall. By train AGWA is easily accessed by the pedestrian overpass from the Perth Train Station. On alighting from your train, take the lift or the escalators to the top, proceed through the barriers and turn left. You will cross the bridge immediately before arriving at the Gallery to your right. For more information on routes, timetables and services contact Transperth’s InfoLine on +61 9 9428 1900 (overseas and interstate visitors) or 13 62 13, alternatively visit Transperth online at transperth.wa.gov.au
By bus and taxi Transperth’s Blue CAT buses provide the closest pick-up and drop-off points for the Gallery at the Museum Stop on Beaufort Street. Taxi and special group buses are temporarily permitted to drive into the Cultural Centre to within 30 metres of the main Gallery entrance for set-down and pick-up purposes only. Please inform your driver to enter James Street via Beaufort Street. By car General and ACROD car parking is available within the Perth Cultural Centre precinct. City of Perth Parking (CPP) provides convenient open and covered car parking facilities around the city – including three in close proximity to the Art Gallery – just look for the distinctive City of Perth Parking signs.
GALLERY SHOP Discover more about the world of art and literature through the Gallery Shop’s carefully selected range of books and prints, design products and ceramics. The shop also stocks craft and design by Western Australian artists, along with jewellery, glass, fashion wear, children’s gifts, and premium cards. All items are chosen for their educational or historic value or as quality products in keeping with the Gallery's objective of enhancing the
AGWA see things differently
appreciation of art. All revenue generated from retail merchandising activities helps support the Gallery's exhibition and public programs. The Shop is located in the main foyer and is open during Gallery opening hours from 10am–5pm Wednesday to Monday. Email | shop@artgallery.wa.gov.au Phone | +61 8 9492 6712 Every gift from the Gallery Shop is a gift to the Gallery
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EDUCATION Arts and education go hand in hand. Encouraging creativity and creative expression is core to developing passionate and bright young people who think laterally, view the world with open eyes and see beauty in the everyday. The Art Gallery of WA offers a unique and stimulating art experience for students from pre-primary through to tertiary level. School groups can participate in free guided tours with AGWA's Voluntary Gallery Guides. The educational experience can be enhanced by
participating in an art workshop with an experienced and engaging arts educator. Visits can be customised according to curriculum needs, ability and students' interests. The State Art Collection and AGWA’s special exhibitions link with curriculum learning areas in history, English, science and geography, as well as the visual arts. They also align with the cross-curriculum priorities of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures, Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia, and sustainability. The Gallery also produces comprehensive resources for many key exhibitions. Visit artgallery.wa.gov.au to find out more. Enquiries and bookings E-mail | educate@artgallery.wa.gov.au Phone | +61 8 9492 6644 (weekdays)
GET INVOLVED Art builds a vibrant, resilient and attractive State culture which comes to life with the involvement and commitment from the community, and for this we particularly thank our Foundation members. Foundation members’ contributions account for more than 80% of all acquisitions of works of art for your State Art Collection.* This is acquisitions made with funds from Foundation membership and works donated by Foundation members. Of the 95 new works of art that came into your State Art Collection last year, 82 were the result of cash and in-kind donations. Not only are Foundation members enabling the development of the State Art Collection, they are, together with members of Friends of the Gallery, and volunteers, providing opportunities to become more closely involved with your Collection and enjoy all that a close association with the Gallery offers.
Make a difference to your State Art Gallery If you’re not already part of the AGWA community you are warmly invited to be inspired, gain a deeper understanding, enjoy social events, invest in the future, get involved by: Joining the AGWA Foundation foundation@artgallery.wa.gov.au Joining the Friends friends@artgallery.wa.gov.au Volunteering volunteer@artgallery.wa.gov.au Subscribing artgallery.wa.gov.au/subscribe Sponsoring josie.tanham@artgallery.wa.gov.au Together we can build the State Art Collection and a vibrant arts community now and into the future. *during the past seven years
Niki de Saint Phalle Black Beauty (Nana Series) 1968. Resins with synthetic polymer paint, 237.4 x 145.0 x 60 cm. State Art Collection, Art Gallery of Western Australia, purchased 1982.
A BIG THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS Our sponsors do not simply give financial or in-kind support. They are much more than this. They are partners and friends who demonstrate their commitment and their belief of AGWA’s vision in many ways. Their support manifests in much more than tangible outcomes. It is an investment in the passion and drive required for AGWA to deliver our promise of excellence in the visual arts to the Western Australian community. We sincerely thank every one of our supporters for placing their continued trust in us. And we look forward to working beside you in the years to come to ensure that AGWA goes from strength to strength.
AGWA’s Annual Sponsors Principal Partner
Treasure Ships Sponsors
Principal Partner
GORDON DARLING FOUNDATION
Desert River Sea Sponsor
ARTBAR Sponsor Principal Partner
In partnership with Year 12 Perspectives 2015 Sponsors School Curriculum and Standards Authority
A SPECIAL NOTE OF THANKS TO WESFARMERS ARTS OUR PARTNERSHIP IN 2015 AND BEYOND Wesfarmers Arts has been supporting AGWA since 1989. It is both Gallery Foundation Patron and Principal Sponsorship Partner. In 2008, Wesfarmers led the way alongside other corporate leaders, BHP Billiton, Woodside and NAB each donating $1 million to launch the Gallery’s successful $25 million Tomorrowfund Campaign for the ongoing acquisition of contemporary art for the State Collection. AGWA’s Wesfarmers’ Gallery recognises this significant contribution. As our Principal Partner, Wesfarmers Arts is aligned with AGWA’s free daily guided tours and our annual exhibition program. Significantly, Wesfarmers regularly host breakfasts and Family Days at AGWA for hundreds of their employees. This demonstrates the importance it places in the vitality of arts and culture in WA by giving the broad Wesfarmers' community the opportunity to enjoy highlights in the AGWA calendar.
We are thrilled to announce that in 2015 Wesfarmers Arts has not only renewed its commitment to AGWA for a further three years but has substantially increased its sponsorship. This additional support will enable us to repurpose and refurbish two under-utilised link-way spaces on the ground and first floors, as well as a previously unused staircase connecting the two spaces. Revitalised to museum standards we will create the Wesfarmers Arts Micro Galleries showcasing a rotating display of large works on loan from the celebrated Wesfarmers Collection. In addition, 2016 will see the fit-out of a new dedicated public program and event space in the Gallery. The Imagination Room, will be a hub for talks, screenings, workshops, activities and events on an ongoing basis. It will also cater for unique stakeholder events and venue hire. We convey our heartfelt appreciation to Wesfarmers Arts for its increased commitment and continued support of the Gallery. We look forward to working together to enjoy a creative and evolving relationship for many years to come.
THANK YOU TO THE AGWA BOARD AND FOUNDATION COUNCIL Art Gallery of Western Australia Board Michael Anghie Stefano Carboni (AGWA Director) Helen Carroll Andrew Forrest Seva Frangos Nicholas Hasluck AM QC (Chair) Jason Ricketts Brian Roche
Art Gallery of Western Australia Foundation Council Prof Lyn Beazley AO John Bond Andrea Bux Stefano Carboni (AGWA Director) Adrian Fini OAM (Chair of the Foundation) Andrew Forrest Sandra Honey Nicholas Hasluck AM QC (Chair of the Board) Paul O’Connor
PO Box 8363 Perth Business Centre Perth WA 6849 Perth Cultural Centre, Perth, WA T: +61 8 9492 6600 INFO: +61 8 9492 6622 PO Box 8363 E: information@artgallery.wa.gov.au Perth Business Centre Perth WA 6849 artgallery.wa.gov.au Perth Cultural Centre, Perth, WA T: +61 8 9492 6600 @ArtGalleryWA INFO: +61 8 9492 6622 E: information@artgallery.wa.gov.au artgallery.wa.gov.au @ArtGalleryWA