Ben Quilty: after Afghanistan

Archibald Prize-winner Ben Quilty is one of Australia’s most talented and respected artists. In 2011 Quilty travelled to Afghanistan as the Australian War Memorial’s official war artist. His task was to record and interpret the experiences of Australians deployed as part of Operation Slipper in Kabul, Kandahar, and Tarin Kot in Afghanistan and at Al Minhad Airbase in the United Arab Emirates.

After spending over three weeks talking to Australian servicemen and women in Afghanistan, Ben Quilty felt an overwhelming need to tell their stories. This exhibition features work made from this experience and the close relationship he formed with his subjects. For his official war artist commission, Quilty has created large-scale portraits that focus on the intense physicality of these soldiers and on the emotional and psychological consequences of their service.

Trooper Luke Korman, after Afghanistan (detail) 2012 aerosol and oil on linen, 190 x 140 cm

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