ONE AND THE SAME
Curatorial Mentorship / 02 An Art et al. publication Curated by John McNaught and Nicole Durling Cover: Ben Quilty Tribulation 2021 (detail) Oil on linen 142.5 × 188 cm Courtesy of the artist and Tolarno Galleries, Melbourne
ONE AND THE SAME
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Anthony Romagnano, Snakes Head 2021 (detail), Courtesy the artist and Arts Project Australia, Melbourne
JENNIFER GILBERT / Art et al. Co-Founder
In early 2022, Craft Victoria Director Nicole Durling spent several enjoyable weeks chatting with Glasgow based Project Ability artist John McNaught over Zoom. They discussed John’s love of always trying out new styles, never wanting to get bored or labelled as working in a particular way, and his interest in famous historical artists like Francis Bacon and Pablo Picasso. Nicole also noticed John’s attentiveness to detail and his passion for learning. Nicole shared her knowledge of being a curator in several Australian institutions, and what drives her passion for bringing together different groups of artists thematically. She spoke of going off her instincts and feelings, and what she is often drawn to emotionally. With John having visited Australia many years ago, shared conversations were also had about the Australian landscape, as well as memories John has of places before and after his brain injury. This collection of work has developed from John’s diverse interests, and how he sees stories in artworks, which he often relates to his own work or personal life. Each section is linked thematically, but overall it is a collection of works that both John and Nicole felt an affinity with –be it a bright colour, pattern, subject, or just an interesting conversation that developed from it. Both liked the idea of this collection being something that made viewers think, and works that may remind them of something in their life at a particular point. Nicole helped John to pull the collection together in a way that audiences will be able to navigate through it, absorb a memory or idea, and take from it their own perspective or reflection. We hope you enjoy looking through this collection and reading both of their thoughts throughout.
Introduction
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Contents 07 Reflections / Curatorial Process 11 Curatorial Mentorship / A Conversation 13 Curating a Collection 24 Biographies 26 Acknowledgements SAMETHEANDONE5
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I was amazed at how John looked at artworks, what he saw in them. He looked deeply into them, beyond the obvious, he was highly visually articulate. This is something he probably always had but may not have had a reason to apply it. Maybe it was unlocked in the recovery process from his stroke, forced for a period to observe the world, now John spends every day utilising this gift through his painting. / Curatorial Process
NICOLE DURLING: I’m an intuitive curator, informal in my approach. When I was invited to participate in this project, I felt nervous if I could contribute something useful, something that would be of interest to John.
Jennifer Gilbert from Art et al., and Valerie O’Regan, who has worked with John for 12 years at Project Ability, joined us both through this whole journey. John’s wife, Patricia (Tricia), joined the conversation occasionally too. Val facilitated the technical glitches and encouraged John to express his thoughts and Jen guided us through any uncertainty. I asked John to explain what he liked about his selected artworks. He spoke of technique, of layout, colours, patterns, subject (mostly portraiture) and how he loved oil paint, thick impasto oils.
In our first conversation, we started to get to know each other by sharing mutual experiences, his of Australia and mine of Scotland. Looking to connect as humans, to find commonality.
When we met via Zoom in January 2022, John’s humour and intelligence was easily identifiable through his thick Glaswegian accent.
I decided that uncertainty was the best place to start, as I often do with most projects of worth that I have worked on – starting from a place of openness, to listen and to learn. I needed to just let the process happen.
Reflections
My first introduction to John was via a series of artworks that he had selected, by artists who inspire him and whose work he learns from, mimicking their style in his own studio. Rembrandt, Bacon and Picasso were amongst this first group of artists. Big, serious painters.
Ken WhissonThinking Back 2017–18 (detail) Courtesy of the artist’s estate and Niagara Galleries, Melbourne.
Next, I needed to figure out with John how we could make an exhibition together. I spoke to John that my job as a curator is to look for a theme or a link that ties an exhibition together, it could be an idea, or a particular artwork, a colour, or a feeling. My initial thought was that this project was going to be about painting, focusing on his love for oils. However, interestingly, the final selection is more diverse than that.
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Every fortnight for a few months, Monday evening for me in Melbourne, Monday morning for John in Glasgow, we would meet on the screen again, joined by Jen and Val. I would have spent the time in-between selecting artworks to share in a presentation that I thought might be of interest to John. Often, I’d include works that reminded me of something we had spoken about the week prior, not always to include in the final project, but just to chat about. John reminded me of the pleasure of looking at and talking about art. He would tell stories about his father’s cat, Rattus Norvegicus, about his beloved family, places he had visited, and skipping school to go and visit Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum when he was younger. The artworks we shared and spoke about all triggered certain memories for John. Over time, the project was anchored by the four artworks John selected from Submit to Love Studios. I selected Australian artists whose work I felt had a connection to John’s chosen four. I was always curious to hear if he responded to these works, and what he would see in them –nervous if they didn’t pass John’s visual filter. Val would also send through images of new artworks John had completed recently. As a painter, John is unrelenting and prolific. His backyard studio packed with his work, all in
John— was supported throughout by Project Ability artist practitioner Valerie O’Regan, who reflects on the project: This curated collection has become a visual journey of John’s life in the present. John is an adventurous and generous artist. The selected paintings reflect John’s curiosity, humour, eclectic love of art, his family, every day, and personal memories. For John, some of the artworks were an intuitive connection, while others over the duration of the project were discovered, revealed, and responded to. These intuitive moments of observing, reflecting, and engaging are echoed in John’s selected artworks from UK and Australian artists.
various stages of completion. I knew we needed to include his paintings into this project. And I also knew we needed to include one of John’s favourite serious painters, being Francis Bacon.
The final selection of artworks, the online exhibition presentation, is comprised of five rooms, or five expressions of John’s personal and artistic interests. Spanning diversity of material, technique and subject matter, and all layered with John’s refined ability to observe the nuances of human emotion.
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JOHN MCNAUGHT: I was nervous about being part of the project because I thought I wasn’t good enough, but now I think well it’s okay for you to like something or you don’t. You are always learning, I liked seeing the artists in Australia and England, I’m going to miss it – the people, the inspiration. It’s cracking how you get to know a painting.
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I love everything, to see how other people use paint and get their ideas. I’m happy with the work, everything I’ve said. It’s interesting to know what’s in the background of the painting, what’s the story.
The paintings take you over with their stories, the colours, lines and all, the angles and things like that.
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Curatorial Mentorship / A Conversation
What does the artworks, the choices of artworks say about you? Why are you drawn to the artworks? Is your choice of artworks motivated by your experiences, by curiosity? Do the artworks reflect your life? What do you want the artworks to communicate to other people? What do the artworks have in common?
Valerie O’Regan John McNaught Ken Done Beach painting I 1999 (detail) Courtesy of the artist and The Ken Done Gallery, Sydney
I like that you can think about what they are thinking.
I think so aye, especially Tony Brooks’ dog, I keep looking at it. Just one wee eye just looking down, but it says so much. John Barry’s painting reminds me of Tricia (John’s wife). It reminds me of when we were at Penguin Island in Australia, walking on the beach. This was before my stroke. The Stephen Staunton painting reminds me of being paralysed in bed, in the hospital, life going on around you. That they are different, but they are same. People see them (the artworks), and they might think it’s just one artist but it’s lots of us. Everyone is the same. We are from Scotland, from England, from Australia.
A bit of both, I want to improve my colours, my oil techniques, you know yourself at first you think you are feared to make a mess, and after a while you just wipe it and start again. I was working on the cubist style. At first, I thought it was terrible, but I kept with it, and now I think it’s great.
The portraits, I just love them. What I love about the paintings is seeing them together because they are looking at each other, they are different but the same.
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The following pages illustrate a selection of works John and Nicole have chosen to pair together while exploring their own curatorial process. In each group, John notes his considerations behind bringing the works and artists together.
Curating a Collection
14CURATORIALMENTORING TonyOPPOSITEBrooks Wrong n.d. Ink on paper 30 × 20 cm Courtesy of Submit to Love Studios NoelBELOWMcKenna Harry Melbourne 2015 (from the series Animals I have known), 2015–16 Pencil, pen and ink, wash on paper 30 × 40 cm approx Courtesy of the artist and Darren Knight Gallery, Sydney
They do work together. I love them, you just look at them and they tell a story. I keep looking at the dogs’ faces. They are great drawings, simple but lots to think about, they remind me of my dog. I love looking at them.
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T o n y B r o o k s
16CURATORIALMENTORING Ken Done Beach painting I 1999 Acrylic on canvas 122 × 152 cm Courtesy of the artist and The Ken Done Gallery, Sydney John McNaught After Jolomo II 2019 Oil on board 32 × 25 cm Courtesy of Project Ability LEFT TO RIGHT Jon Barry Elise Acrylic2015paint on paper 50 × 50 cm Courtesy of Submit to Love Studios
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The first two work very well together, you can see the sun and sea. That is definitely Tricia (my wife) on the beach with her sunglasses.
Lochgoilhead is quiet, you can wander about, and nobody annoys you, it gives you freedom.
I think I can see birds in that (Ken Done) painting, birds swooping around, reminds me of seagulls near the shore waiting for chips. I get the feeling of heat off them, lying on the beach, I like the details, the umbrellas, the beach mats.
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Anthony Romagnano Snakes Head 2021 Prisma colour and greylead pencil on paper 35 × 50 cm Courtesy the artist and Arts Project Australia, Melbourne Tom Polo Strangers used for scale 2019 Acrylic and Flashe on canvas 213 × 213 cm Courtesy of the artist and Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney LEFT TO RIGHT Stephen Staunton The Family n.d. Acrylic paint on paper 60 × 42 cm Courtesy of Submit to Love Studios
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The colours go well, the backgrounds too. The first painting looks like people going asleep in bed in hospital. I like the angles, I like his style, cubist style. The second looks like the snakes are going wild. If you look at the background first then you can really see the snakes, they are really good. I wonder what the yellow one is, maybe the big snake. The third is just happy. I like his style, even though it’s abstract you can still see the hands and face. The face is like a mask.
20CURATORIALMENTORING Ken Whisson Thinking Back 2017–18 Oil on marine plywood 62 × 35 cm Courtesy of the artist’s estate and Niagara Galleries, Melbourne. Photographer, Mark Ashkanasy, Melbourne LEFT TO RIGHT Jason Ferry A Face in the Red 2018 Acrylic paint and posca pens on paper 20.5 × 29 cm Courtesy of Submit to Love Studios
These look great, I think they all are different characters. I think the first is happy, the second is not happy. I like the way he (Whisson) has drawn the nose. I don’t know if I’m happy with this one. I’m not sure about Michael’s because you can see two sides, two faces and teeth. It’s cracking, it’s hard to know if it’s a man, woman or animal. I like the figure; it looks like it has scales or horns on its head. It is like something from outer space. The background has symbols and a flower.
Courtesy of Project Ability Michael Camakaris Not titled 2014 Acrylic, Prisma colour and greylead pencil on paper 25 × 35 cm Courtesy the artist and Arts Project Australia, Melbourne
John McNaught Self Portrait 2022 Oil on board 30 × 30 cm
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22CURATORIALMENTORING OPPOSITEFrancisBacon Self Portrait 1975 Oil and dry transfer lettering on 30.5canvas×35.5 cm © The Estate of Francis Bacon. All rights reserved, DACS/ Artimage 2022. Photo by Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd BenBELOWQuilty Tribulation 2021 Oil on linen 142.5 × 188 cm Courtesy of the artist and Tolarno Galleries, Melbourne
They are a double – same colours, same angles, I get the same feeling of anger. I wonder if he (Ben Quility) has heard of Bacon? I like him (Bacon) because he is unusual. I like his portraits, the faces are real but not real. You need to spend the time looking at the face to know who it is. I painted several portraits in his style.
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With a background as a practising ceramicist and lecturer in the medium, Nicole Durling was appointed in June 2021 as Executive Director of Craft Victoria in Melbourne, Australia. Prior to this Nicole was Director of Collections and Exhibitions at the Museum of Old and New Art (Mona) in Hobart, including serving as Senior Curator for 15 years, where she was responsible for leading the Curatorial and Collections teams. Selected as one of Mona’s foundation team, she was a key collaborator in the building design, curatorial direction, brand establishment, design and exhibition installation of the Mona collection prior to its opening in 2011. Nicole has curated and developed projects including solo exhibitions, sound art performances, ephemeral interventions and permanent commissions. From 2009 – 2017 she was one of the Artistic Curators for MONA FOMA festival and curated several projects for the Dark Mofo festival from 2013 to 2017. Nicole also holds a non-executive Board position for Melbourne’s, RISING festival.
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John McNaught is a versatile and prolific artist working in the Aspire studios within Project Ability in Glasgow. In 2006, John suffered a massive stroke, which inhibited his speech and movement. John has been attending Project Ability since 2010, igniting his passion for painting and building his confidence with his Johnpractice.has a wonderful intuitive response to colour, shape and composition that breathes life and emotion into his work. His eclectic paintings of landscape and portraiture have been exhibited nationally and internationally.
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ART ET AL. Art et al. is an inclusive, curated international art platform that commissions and presents collaborations between artists from supported studios, artist peers, and arts professionals. We elevate diverse voices and creative practices.
Art et al. was conceived and developed by Sim Luttin and Arts Project Australia, Slominski Projects and Jennifer Lauren Gallery in partnership with the Australia Council for the Arts. The project and platform are funded through arts funding from the Australia Council, DFAT through their Australian Cultural Diplomacy Grants Program (ACDGP) and the Aesop Foundation.
Acknowledgements
Art et al. X 2021–22 is presented as part of the UK/ Australia Season 2021–22, a major programme of cultural exchange taking place across the two nations. The UK/Australia Season is a joint initiative by the British Council and the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Art et al. would like to thank Curatorial Mentorship / 02 contributors John McNaught and Nicole Durling, as well as Valerie O’Regan from Project Ability, and John’s family, who have provided extra support throughout. Thanks also to our project and funding partners.
© Art et al. 2022 Curatorial Mentorship / 02 Produced by the Art et al. founding partners.
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SUPPORTED BY One of the many zoom meetings – from top left clockwise: John, Jennifer, Valerie and Nicole
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Curatorial Mentorship / 02 Design: Liz Cox, studiomono.co
Copyediting & proofreading: Jennifer Gilbert and Lisa Slominski First published: Digital open edition Images © the artists and estate 2022. Text © the authors, Art et al., and founding partners. The views and opinions expressed here are those of the authors. No material, whether written or photographic, may be reproduced without the permission of the artists, authors, Art et al. and the founding partners. Every effort has been made to ensure that any text and images in this publication have been reproduced with the permission of the artists or the appropriate authorities, wherever it is possible
28CURATORIALMENTORING Curatorial Mentorship / 02 John McNaught, Project Ability Nicole Durling, Craft Victoria artetal.org
