If you’re looking for some contemporary art, there’s no better place to start than the galleries of South Australia, typically Sydney and New South Wales. The galleries feature works by some of the country’s most prominent artists, giving you an intimate experience of what’s happening in the nation’s art world. Here are five things these pieces of contemporary art in Australia have in common.
You won’t see many colours.
Colour is used in a minimal way to highlight the subject, create a mood or atmosphere, and develop a sense of place and time.
Some artists use colour as an integral part of their work; others keep it simple. Some leave their paintings in monochrome, and others add colour as an afterthought.
But overall, the use of colour is quite optimal across different artworks, and the abstractness is sometimes uncanny. As they say, true beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.
They’re not all figurative.
While many of these works are figurative such as those from Sandro Nocentini, they’re not all representational. Representational art is an artistic style in which objects or people are depicted in the way they look (like the still life depictions from Jacqueline Fowler) and may be more accurate than abstract depictions. In contrast, abstract art does not include recognisable figures but instead focuses on using shapes and colours to create an image. And patterns are in great popularity in modern times.
There’s a mix of old and new.
There’s a mix of old and new in the latest exhibitions and collections.
You have David Hinchliffe, who began his career in the late 1960s and early ‘70s, represented by his paintings from this period. You also have Kris Ancog, who has been working since the 1980s, characterised by her more recent works.
On the other hand, you also have Colin Passmore, who has been working since 2018; Fiona Craig, who began her practice around 2012; and JP Jones, who started exhibiting his sculptural works in 2017.
Artists are responding to the history of the place and its future.
The works of art respond to both the history and future of the places in focus. Some artists are looking at how they got where they were, some at where they’re heading, and others at where they are now. So much thought and introspection can be sensed in the art pieces of the current times.
Each artist has a unique perspective on the present moment in time. Still, there are also similarities between their works that speak to the shared humanity and make everyone question what it means to be human today.
The intimate experience of contemporary Australian art.
You are bound to get an intimate experience of contemporary Australian art if you know where to look. You’ll see some of the latest works by some of the best artists in Australia, and you’ll get to see how they are responding to the history of the place and its future. Not only that, you will get some insight into their notions about so many things in life that inspired them somehow.
Conclusion
Hope that you’ve enjoyed learning about contemporary art in Australia and the most revered artists in Australia. If you’re interested in seeing some more, look into the websites of the art galleries and check them out for yourself!
