Forever and a day

Alex Seton in his studio. Photo credit: Mark Pokorny

Who can believe that we are almost at the end of this continually surprising year?! At the start of this year, Sullivan+Strumpf magazine didn’t even exist?

Closing out 2020, John McDonald takes us back in time, into Alex Seton’s childhood with his exhibition, Meet me under the dome. This poetic and heartfelt show traces personal histories and is very much a love letter to the area where Alex grew up – the Wombeyan Caves in the Southern Highlands of NSW. Childhood memories are brought to life through sculptures, made almost exclusively in Wombeyan marble and photographs of the old quarry, decommissioned and now reclaimed by nature. But most haunting is the major work in the exhibition, aptly named, The Ghost of Wombeyan (A History of Forgetting) – a life-sized figure of the artist, concealed under a gentle rumpled sheet.

Our state institutions are hitting home runs with some major projects. At Art Gallery of NSW we have the innovative Archie Plus program featuring Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran’s impressive installation Avatar Towers, and Angela Tiatia’s The Golden Hour. Both ambitious, enormous projects, Ramesh brings together over 70 works, most of which have been created this year, responding to the gallery’s Asian art collection and filling to the brim the traditional architecture of the Gallery’s vestibule. Angela’s engaging new work spans an epic 32 meters, responding to portraiture and a sense of being on the edge of transition. While it is a work that asks us for reflection, it also carries a strong message of optimism, and is nothing short of sublime. Both Ramesh and Angela are Sidney Myer Fellows, so its great to see them making these milestones. Angela, along with Tony Albert, also feature at the National Gallery of Victoria’s long awaited Triennale which opens later this year.

Moving on to Canberra, we explore the National Gallery of Australia’s ground-breaking exhibition Know My Name. This is more than an exhibition, it is a bold statement, a call to action and a celebration of the work of women artists in Australia. We were lucky enough to have a sneak preview last week, and is it unmissable. Some of the artists in the show (which will run in two separate exhibitions for almost a year) we have also profiled individually including Barbara Cleveland, on their survey exhibition at Goulburn Regional Gallery and new artists to the gallery Lynda Draper, and Maria Fernanda Cardoso.

And finally, staying in the nation’s capital, we give the final word to the fabulous Neil Hobbs and Karina Harris. Founders of Contour 556, Canberra’s public art biennial, passionate collectors and all-round good people. They give us their highlights of the last 6 years and tips on how to buy art as a couple (and stay together)!

So, relax and enjoy the summer (issue).

Jo and Urs xx