EDITOR’S LETTER
WINTER 102
The National Gallery of Australia acknowledges and pays its respect to the Traditional Custodians of the Canberra region, the Ngunnawal and Ngambri peoples and their Elders past and present.
Artonview may contain names and images of deceased Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Editor Sophie Tedmanson Designer Kirsty Morrison Rights and permissions Ellie Misios
My first day at the National Gallery was the day
To be up close with this masterpiece was an
we closed because of the coronavirus lockdown.
extraordinary experience and I hope you enjoy
To start this exciting new role during a global
our exclusive behind the scenes insight.
pandemic was surreal to say the least, and after
to take the helm of this esteemed publication.
colleagues in person.
While editing this, my first issue, I tried to stay connected during lockdown by taking
lounge rooms of myself and designer Kirsty
regular runs past the Gallery and getting to
Morrison, the pair of us sending files back
know different works in the Sculpture Garden.
and forth daily and having endless production
I celebrated the end of my first week by visiting
conferences over Skype. Despite the challenges
one of my favourites, Bert Flugelman’s Cones,
of working remotely we forged ahead because
1982. The setting sun was sparkling on the
we wanted to continue to share the national
stainless steel and, combined with the chorus of
collection with you, to bring you hope, inspire
birdsong and breeze swaying through the gum
ideas and a way to escape through art during
trees, it was a completely captivating scene.
this difficult period.
It literally took my breath away and for that
We also wanted to support our industry
moment I was totally immersed in art, nature
which has been hit hard by this pandemic.
and memory. Flugelman has had a presence
We commissioned artist Angelica Mesiti, in
throughout my life – I grew up in Adelaide
lockdown in Paris, to write an essay about
where his sculptures dominated the main
connection; poet Evelyn Araluen responds to
shopping mall and the Festival Centre,
Pixy Liao’s work from The Body Electric about
key playgrounds to my childhood in the 80s.
the physical embrace; and Bill Henson discusses two new works – hauntingly beautiful images of a pre-pandemic Rome – that he released during isolation. We talked with several artists about how lockdown affected their creativity, and curator Kelli Cole provides an insight into the impact it had on Indigenous communities and their arts centres. We have also introduced two new regular columns: Studio Spotlight and Director’s Choice, which I hope you will enjoy. I was lucky enough to have a first-hand experience of watching the Blue poles conservation project, visiting conservator David Wise every week to capture our cover story.
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For me personally it is an absolute honour
eight weeks I have still not met many of my This issue was produced entirely from the
nga.gov.au
Contributors Celeste Aldahn, Jaklyn Babington, Jennifer Barrett, Tina Baum, Alanna Bishop, Roger Butler, Kelli Cole, Sam Cooper, Deborah Hart, Samantha Jones, Shaune Lakin, Keren Nicholson, Sarina Noordhuis-Fairfax, Elspeth Pitt, Maryanne Voyazis, Lucina Ward
That’s what I love about art; it can stop you
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Published quarterly. Copyright of works of art is held by the artists or their estates. Every effort has been made to identify copyright holders but omissions may occur. Views expressed by writers are not necessarily those of the National Gallery of Australia. ISSN 1323-4552 ISSN 2208-6218 (Online) Printed by Adams Print, on FSC certified paper using vegetable-based inks, FSC-C110099 * Copyright Agency, 2020
in your tracks, evoke a feeling or a memory, and make you see the world in a different light. For those of you who have suffered during this difficult time we send you our heartfelt best wishes. I hope we all emerge from this with the ability to reset our thinking and make positive changes in the world, especially through art. Sophie Tedmanson Artonview.Editor@nga.gov.au @sophieted Photo by Sam Cooper. Editor’s photo features Bert Flugelman, Cones 1982, polished stainless steel, commissioned 1976, purchased 1982 *© Bert Flugelman
