Art On The Page grants a rare opportunity to view significant works of European and Australian lineage, that more often spend their time hidden amongst the Rare Book Collection housed by University Of Melbourne. You stumble across the exhibition tucked away in a second floor annex, soft jazz plays in the background, at odds with the frenetic energy of campus just outside. These pieces trace from our European forefathers, through to artists and illustrators of a contemporary Australian genre. The influence and similarity between past and present provide continuity and a tangible through line. Curator Susan Millard spoke with TAGG.
Susan introduce us to the exhibition and the idea that led to it’s presentation?
We have had this collection for more than 20 years and we knew we had to do something with book arts, and it morphed a bit and it also changed. So this exhibition is essentially about book making and about artist, who have used the book form as their medium. We are looking at the 20th century, looking at artists such as Matisse and Picasso a whole lot of those people who were working together and collaborating. It’s about that tradition and then how that has influenced the Australian artists, and how their book works are very influenced by those European artists.
So, where to begin? Is there are a work here you could describe as being the genesis for this exhibition?
The first thing to talk about is Petr Herel, He’s Czechoslovakian; his work is just really delicate and beautiful. He came out to Australia in about 1973, and then took over the Graphic Investigation Workshop in 1979. He inspired others through his teaching of all of these book making and print making techniques, and got them all inspired and off they went. This is sort of where it all starts.
The next sort of big step is the Melbourne scene, and it really mirrors I think I found as I researched, we’ve had for ages, and known about them and talked to them about it for ages. The one thing I found is that they were all of European background and they all know each other and they all sort of collaborate together, and they are not just artists but writers as well.
Let’s also talk about Bruno Leti, who does a lot of work. He does painting, print work a bit of digital photography stuff, and it’s quite stunning.
And what would you put forward as an explanation for the link between these two sets of artists and the European influence we are discussing?
I think its actually because they are European or their background is European, although not entirely. David Fraser does these beautiful woodcuts, and has done some work with Paul Kelly. He’s been doing a lot of that collaboration too. But he I don’t think is European. His work is still beautiful, so he gets the guernsey in terms of the scene.
But Theo Strasser who is Dutch Bruno Leti, George Matoulas. I know from talking to people, that when they go overseas and they go into galleries, these are the people they are looking at.
I like the idea of the artists getting together and collaborating, and thats what they do and that’s where this beautiful work comes from. Because they do all get together and collaborate. But the other side of this exhibition is the Classic and people taken that and responding to it. But the main thing about this whole exhibition is that its abstract. Australia has been hopeless with abstract art. We don’t love it; we are really cringey towards it and I really don’t know why.
Are there any perhaps more unusual works in the exhibition that are of particular interest?
I don’t know about unusual. I want to talk about Sonia Delaunay. For a start, its a bit of a head call to get woman, but a lot is more of the male thing. Its just extraordinary. She did abstract art but she did fashion. She made things, she had a boutique and did a lot of fashion stuff but when she did drawing it was really abstract and I just loved it. Her work here is quite late – from around 69. But she did a lot of early work, she was from pre-war England, but she’s Russian and had problems during the war.
Delaunay and artists like Alberto Agnelli and Sophie Taeuber-Ap – they were all hanging out together in a commune in Southern France during the war. They were very lucky to escape some of them, really. They just did these works together and they are just magnificent.
Finishing off, what do you think is the greatest power art holds in terms of the global community?
Its about that creativity, and if you don’t have that creativity somewhere you are in trouble. I think that is a problem with the world today. It’s been taken over by the bean counters. A lot of management is determined by the bottom line. Creativity is almost frowned upon now, its a bit depressing. You can imagine a dystopian future where art is completely repressed or banned, and that’s never a good thing for the community.
Art On The Page is on show at The Noel Shaw Gallery, University of Melbourne now until January 14th, for more info click here
