From Sharne Wolff…
Struggling under the weight of competition from an explosion of different art forms, painters have become accustomed to defending themselves against the ‘painting is dead’ slogan that has circled them for decades. There’s no doubt that painting has seen trouble before, but as history shows it’s the lean times, not to mention the dark days of gallery closures, unsold exhibitions and strange political moments, that offer artists an opportunity to seize the moment, or carpe diem if you prefer.
Sydney Painting Now is a demonstration of resilience – both of painting as an art form, and of this group of artists who choose paint as their weapon. Fortunately, circumstances are not quite as gloomy as the bad old days, when artists had to go it alone – this time the combined forces of MOP Projects and Galerie Pompom are there to assist. Displaying the work of twenty-two artists in total, the exhibition takes place across the two neighbouring galleries, exposing the energy and vitality of contemporary Sydney painting across a range of styles from established and emerging practitioners. To quote from Rachel Ingham’s catalogue essay, the exhibition, “aims to present a cross-section of current practice; cultivating a fluid, critical dialogue about the future of the forever resurrecting medium”. Or, to put it another way, it’s a fine example of why we’re still painting after all these years.
Artists exhibiting at Galerie Pompom: Ron Adams, Kylie Banyard, Lynne Barwick, Monika Behrens, Leo Coyte, Christine Dean, Hayley Megan French, Rochelle Haley, Mason Kimber, Nana Ohnesorge, Samuel Quinteros, Nicola Smith, Phil Aston Williams.
At Mop Projects: Jess Bradford, Matthew Busteed, Dale Frank, Belem Lett, Genevieve Felix Reynolds, Katie Williams, Paul Williams, Meng-Yu Yan, Louise Zhang.
Until December 21
Galarie pompom and MOP Projects, Chippendale
Pic: Monika Behrens, It Seemed the Taste was not so Sweet 2014. Oil on polyester 84 x 101 cm. Courtesy the artist and Galerie pompom.
