Contempora (844.8 KB PDF) - National Gallery of Victoria

In 1996 the Victorian Governmentestablished the Contempora5program with the aim of fosteringand promoting contemporaryart practice in Australia. TheContempora5 exhibitions weredeveloped from an invitationalprize in which five participatingartists were selected and a winnernominated. In the first of theseexhibitions held in 1997, Fiona Hallreceived the award. The winner ofthe second Contempora5 awardin 1999 was Ricky Swallow. Thethird Contempora event – theinaugural Contempora Fellowship– incorporates the NGV’s strategicvision: to bring art and peopletogether. This vision establishesthe contexts through whichthe NGV works to broaden itsaudiences and outreach programs.The Contempora Fellowshipcomprises an intellectual residencyof two years and a touringexhibition of new work producedby the Fellow during this time.In July 2002, Victorian artist AleksDanko was announced as therecipient of the first ContemporaFellowship. Danko’s two-yearresidency with the NGV culminatesin the exhibition SONGS OFAUSTRALIA VOLUME 16 –SHHH, GO BACK TO SLEEP (anun–Australian dob-in mix) whichbuilds on his Songs of Australiaseries. The exhibition openedat The Ian Potter Centre:NGV Australia and tours toBendigo Art Gallery and SwanHill Regional Art Gallery.This resource gives a briefbackground to the two formerContempora winners Fiona Halland Ricky Swallow and profiles thecurrent Contempora Fellow AleksDanko. It also raises issues andtopics for discussion which arerelevant to studies of Art, Englishand Politics and to dialoguesconcerning the nature of artcompetitions.IMAGES L-RFiona Hallborn Australia 1953Dead in the water1999 (detail)polyvinyl chloride, glass beads,silver wire, glass, wood andtransparent syntheticpolymer resin106.2 x 129.1 x 129.2 cm(installation)Purchased, 1999.National Gallery of Victoria© Courtesy of the artistRicky Swallowborn Australia 1974Model for a sunken monument1999 (detail)synthetic polymer paint oncomposition board108.2 x 222.0 x 242.2 cm(overall)Purchased through The ArtFoundation of Victoria withthe assistance of the JoanClemenger Endowment,Governor, 1999.National Gallery of Victoria© Courtesy of the artist andDarren Knight Gallery, Sydney.Aleks Dankoborn Australia 1954SONGS OF AUSTRALIAVOLUME 16: SHHH,GO BACK TO SLEEP(an un-Australian dob-in mix)2003 (detail)ink and pencil on paper, stainedplywood, sound recording,lighting, acrylic, vinyl(installation, dimensions variable)

Fiona Hall makes works whichare enticing, desirable andprovocative, encouraging theviewer to unravel layers of beauty,wit, political innuendo and seriousagendas. She was born in Sydneyin 1953 and studied painting atthe National Art School in Sydneybetween 1972 and 1975. In 1982,she was awarded a Master of FineArts Photography from the VisualStudies Workshop in Rochester,New York. During her careerHall has worked as a practisingartist and lecturer, and for shortperiods as an Artist in Residenceat the Tasmanian School of Artin 1981 and the Phillip Instituteof Technology, Preston, Victoriain 1990. Hall has had numerousindividual exhibitions and her workhas been included in significantgroup exhibitions both in Australiaand overseas. Her work is widelyrepresented in major state andregional galleries across Australia.Fiona Hall believes that winningthe inaugural Contempora5art prize in 1997 with her workGive a dog a bone provided herwith the impetus to abandon thefinancial security of her teachingposition and take off on her ownas a full-time artist. Whilst sherealised this was a gamble due tothe unpredictable nature of salesin the art world, she has sinceappreciated the freedom bothto focus exclusively on her artpractice and to travel.Hall concedes that the difficultaspect of competitions for an artistis that they involve putting one’sego on the line, but she entersthem if they have the potential tomake a difference to what shecan achieve as an artist. She isrealistic about art competitions,emphasising the elements ofluck and the subjective natureof judging, whilst acknowledgingthat what’s great today mightnot be considered so greatin 50 years’ time.Hall, like many creative people, hasa wide spectrum of interests whichinform her work. The influences onher art practice have changed asher life has unfolded and revealedthe world as more complex thanshe had imagined. Literature andaspects of science were keyinfluences in her early career andshe has an endless fascination fornatural history, particularly botany.Ideas reflecting various forms offriction in the world, and social andenvironmental politics, now play anincreasingly important role.Hall possesses extraordinary artmaking skills and has masteredmultiple practices includingphotography, beading, installation,painting, collage and ceramics.Unlike some other contemporaryartists including Aleks Danko, whocollaborate with specialists, shemakes all of her own works. Thisallows her to make spontaneousdecisions as the project evolvesfrom her initial idea and chosenmaterial. An exception to this was

her design for The fern garden,1998, at the National Gallery ofAustralia, which involved workingwith expert engineers and ablacksmith, an experience sheenjoyed immensely. Apart from thisfreedom to alter the work duringproduction, Hall finds it intenselysatisfying to become totallyproficient in a skill before movingon to the next project.A defining element of Hall’s workis her imaginative transformationof everyday, often dispensableobjects, such as sardine cans,bank notes and video tapes, intometaphors for agendas in life,whereby the material and theconceptual aspect of the workare melded. Whilst these materialobjects often metamorphose intoitems of exquisite beauty, theyremain utilitarian and yet transcendtheir function by becomingsignifiers, offering different ways oflooking at the world.Hall feels fortunate that her workis shown at the National Gallery ofVictoria and the National Galleryof Australia, but tries hard to bringher work to a wider audiencethrough a diverse range of outlets.She believes that displaying herwork in contexts outside the artgallery is desirable – a naturalhistory museum or supermarket,for example, could be interestingvenues providing they madeappropriate connectionswith the work.Hall argues that althoughcontemporary art can’t changethe face of the planet enormously,it should be challenging andencourage the viewer to thinkabout issues they haven’tconsidered before, sometimesresulting in a change of attitude.TEXTSusie May in discussionwith Fiona HallIMAGESMiwulngini (Ngan’gikurunggurr) /Nelumbo nucifera / lotusaluminium & tin24.6 x 12.1 x 3.6 cmVuyu wiri (Adna-mat-na) /Craspedia uniflora /billy’s buttonsaluminium & tin24.5 x 14.8 x 5.0 cmWuuloitch (Tjapwurong) /Themeda australis /kangaroo grassaluminium & tin24.8 x 16.1 x 4.2 cmfrom the seriesParadisus Terrestris Entitled1996Purchased through The ArtFoundation of Victoria with theassistance of the Rudy KomonFund, Governor, 1997.National Gallery of Victoria© Courtesy of the artistDead in the water1999polyvinyl chloride, glass beads,silver wire, glass, wood andtransparent synthetic polymerresin106.2 x 129.1 x 129.2 cm(installation)Purchased, 1999.National Gallery of Victoria© Courtesy of the artist

Ricky Swallow’s finely craftedmodels blend images of popularculture, fantasy and scientificwonder, trapped in time andcaught in a quiet stillness. Amelting mask of Darth Vaderfrozen in motion, an isolated anderoded miniature monument of SirRoy Ground’s National Gallery ofVictoria, and tables spread withspecimens of manufactured marinelife, all have a place in Swallow’ssurreal world.Ricky Swallow was born in 1974in San Remo, Victoria. As a child,he recalls frequently drawing andmaking things. This led him toMelbourne to undertake tertiarystudies in drawing at the VictorianCollege of the Arts (VCA) between1994 and 1997. He was the 1999recipient of the Contempora5award, and now lives and works inLos Angeles.Swallow maintains that his trainingin drawing at the VCA has hadlittle influence on his sculpturalwork. Instead, his drawingpractice remains separate fromhis sculptural work. For Swallow,drawing provides a place ofescape at the completion of asculpture, or a way to capturethings of interest whilst travellingand visiting museums.Swallow’s replicas of everydayobjects use a variety of mediaincluding cardboard, resins,plumbing pipes and rubber. Greattechnical skill, craftsmanshipand lengthy periods of timeare required for his art-makingprocess. Swallow believes it isimportant to craft his own work,rather than allowing technicians toproduce his ideas. He considersthat the process of crafting orreplicating something requires aresponsibility to continually retreator re-consider original formsagain and again. Swallow assertsthat making is a way to remainoccupied, to mark timeand maintain a sense of artistrybehind the works.Swallow is fascinated by the wayin which museums and galleriespresent knowledge. In preparinghis own work for exhibition, thecontext in which it is displayedis carefully considered. Therelationship between his workand the exhibition space aidsinterpretation and contributes tothe mood. His latest exhibitionKilling time, at Darren KnightGallery in Sydney (24 February– 20 March 2004), presents astill-life carving of all the fish andmarine creatures he has caught.It has been presented in isolation,spot lit against salon-style paintedwalls like a museum setting. Hehas designed this setting to allowthe viewer the kind of meditationthe piece commands.

Winning the Contempora5 prizehas had positive and negativeoutcomes for Swallow. It hasallowed him to travel and continuemaking ambitious works withoutthe financial pressure of having todo other jobs. However, he findsthat his high profile and reputationas a significant Australiancontemporary artist can at timesbe frustratingly indelible.TEXTHeather Whitelyin discussion with Ricky SwallowIMAGEKilling time2003–2004Laminated jelutong, maple108 x 184 x 118 cm (irregular)© Courtesy of the artist andDarren Knight Gallery, SydneySwallow believes that the idea ofprizes and competitions seemsa little foreign to the art industry;however he suggests that artistsare secretly quite competitive.He argues that art prizes andcompetitions are important asthey create a form of hype thatbrings art to the general public.This promotes awareness andencourages opportunities forsociety to engage with the issuesand concerns of contemporarylife, reflected in the practice of theartists of our time.

Aleks Danko was born in Adelaidein 1950 and studied at the SouthAustralian School of Art between1967 and 1970. Since then he hashad 35 solo exhibitions and beenincluded in numerous exhibitions inAustralia and overseas. His work isrepresented in all major state andregional galleries in Australia.When approaching Aleks Danko’slatest installation SONGS OFAUSTRALIA VOLUME 16 –SHHH, GO BACK TO SLEEP (anun-Australian dob-in mix), 2004,we are immediately confrontedby a range of challenging sightsand sounds. As we enter aprotected inner courtyard, we finda black constructed house withsix windows on each side, sittingcomfortably between four highwalls. The walls are covered withmore than a hundred paintingsof small red houses, with handpaintedslogan-like texts on each.The paintings resemble a crossbetween newspaper headlines andpolitical posters. From inside theblack house, light flashes on andoff and the pre-recorded voice ofAustralia’s voiceover ‘king’ RobbieMcGregor reads each visual text ina smooth, comforting voice.SONGS OF AUSTRALIAVOLUME 16 is the culminationof a cycle of work completed byAleks Danko between 1996 and2004, and is also the culminationof his two-year ContemporaFellowship at the NationalGallery of Victoria. The work isunashamedly political and, likethe Volumes which preceded it,draws our attention to some ofthe most important political, socialand cultural issues of our times,including immigration, terrorism,reconciliation and environmentalconcerns. Each issue is presentedthrough a variety of everydaysymbols (the suburban house inparticular) and with a healthy doseof irony, wit, satire and pun.Danko’s previous work in thisseries has included installations,site-specific projects, live artinterventions, public commissionsand collaborative art. The presentexhibit embodies the disciplinesof sculpture, architecture,painting, drawing and theatre.Danko is involved in the designand construction of all of theseaspects and yet respects thegreater technical knowledge ofcertain experts needed to finalisethe project, such as carpenters,electricians and curators. Heenjoys the politics of collaborativework, and was thus a perfectchoice for the ContemporaFellowship, which requires aworking dialogue to exist betweenthe artist and other Gallery experts.

Danko believes that the presentContempora Fellowship is moredemocratic than the former systemof one cash prize, and is alsomore productive for all partiesconcerned. Ideally he would like tosee a system of art awards whichgive artists a choice of engagingin a variety of work-relatedplacements like industrial settingsand university faculties.Installation art became popular inthe early 1970s in Australia withthe influence of such Americanartists as Jim Dine and ClaesOldenburg and via the spirit ofKurt Schwitters (a greatmanipulator of texts), MarcelDuchamp and the Dadaists ofthe Cabaret Voltaire. Danko talksof being inspired by these artistsin particular, and by a similaranarchistic trend in British comedywhich included such televisionshows as The Frost Report andMonty Python’s Flying Circus.Finally, it is important to rememberthat Danko was born of migrantparents who came to Australia asrefugees from war-torn Europein 1948. In many ways he grewup in two cultures from the verybeginning of his life. References tohis childhood in suburban Adelaideare found in much of his work,reflecting some of the similaritiesand differences between thesocial and political landscapeof Australia then and now. Hisbackground could also be seenas a major reason for his ongoingcommitment to a questioning formof political art.TEXTGraham Parkerin discussion with Aleks DankoIMAGESONGS OF AUSTRALIAVOLUME 16: SHHH,GO BACK TO SLEEP(an un-Australian dob-in mix)2003ink and pencil on paper, stainedplywood, sound recording,lighting, acrylic, vinylinstallation, dimensions variable

The recent works of Danko,Hall and Swallow are inspiredby social, political and culturalissues of our time. Discuss howart can be a potent medium forexpressing these issues.Do you think the works of theseContempora artists are onlyrelevant to Australian society in alocal context, or do they addressinternational concerns?What are the advantages ofartists presenting their ideasthrough a broad range of mediaand techniques?Do you think all aspects of theart-making process shouldbe carried out by the artist,or is it acceptable for themto collaborate with experttechnicians?How have artists in the pastcollaborated with others tocomplete their works?In what ways can artcompetitions benefit both theartist and the viewing public?Discuss the possible negativeaspects of art competitions.Choose a work by one of theContempora artists. Visuallyanalyse the work from oneof the following interpretiveframeworks:• Culture• Gender• Historical context• Politics• Postmodernism• Psychoanalysis• SymbolismACKNOWLEDGMENTSThis education resource hasbeen prepared by GrahamParker, Susie May, MichaelNichols and Heather Whitely,Education Officers, with theassistance of Paula Lindley,Senior Education Officer,National Gallery of Victoria.Special thanks to Aleks Danko,Fiona Hall and Ricky Swallow fortheir contribution, and toDarren Knight Gallery fortheir helpful assistance.DESIGNNGV Graphic DesignPHOTOGRAPHYNGV Photographic Services(except Killing time)