From Carrie Miller…
Over the past few years there has been a resurgence of interest in drawing in contemporary art. A number of major public exhibitions have dealt exclusively with the possibilities of the medium and artists such as Laith McGregor have made it the basis of their practice. While traditionally seen as a marginal activity, the authenticity implied by the immediacy of raw mark-making and the hand-made qualities of drawing perhaps resonate in a contemporary era of digitally manipulated images that can be infinitely reproduced.
Todd Fuller, whose latest show Somewhere In Between consists of a series of films, describes himself as ‘addicted’ to the medium. Fuller uses drawing as both a starting point and a source of inspiration for the whimsical, philosophical narratives he creates in his animations. Combining sculpture, ceramics, painting, film, collage, as well as drawing, the artist’s hand drawn films tell stories through an everyman character – exploring enduring themes of love, loss and the absurdity of the human condition.
In the same way there has been a renewed desire for the ‘authentic’ in art-making, the idea of the possibility of a universal human condition in the face of global catastrophes and decades of ironic self-consciousness has been rehabilitated as an idea of late. Fuller’s practice combines the two in an unashamedly earnest quest for beauty and truth.
Until December 1
Brenda May Gallery, Waterloo
Pic: Todd Fuller, Untitled (adrift 8), chalk, charcoal, acrylic and ink on paper, 48 x 66 cm, 2012. Courtesy of the artist and Brenda May Gallery, Sydney
