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NEWS

UOW Art Collection Curator conducting major Sydney exhibition

Oct 20, 2006

Curator of the University of Wollongong's Art Collection, Mr Glenn Barkley, is currently the curator of an exhibition of prints and multiples at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) in Sydney.

The exhibition, Multiplicity, explores the development of prints and multiples from the 1960s to the current day, tracking the rise of an art form that lies at the core of contemporary art practice. The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wollongong, Professor Gerard Sutton, was among guests at the recent launch of Multiplicity.

Drawing on the permanent collections of the MCA and University of Wollongong, Multiplicity offers visitors the chance to see the evolution of this influential medium across four decades, from its emergence out of the pop art and conceptual art movements of the 1950s and 1960s.

"Until the 1960s prints and multiples had primarily been viewed as an adjunct activity to the more 'important' mediums such as painting and sculpture. However, following the development of conceptual art in the 1960s - and the experimentation with process and institutional critique that came with it - there was a major shift in this hierarchy," Mr Barkley said.

The diversity of approaches to prints and multiples is evident in the range of works on display including Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein prints, 'ready-mades' by Joseph Beuys, limited editions by Ed Ruscha and Jenny Holzer, politically charged prints by Redback Graphix, works by International collectives Fluxus and General Idea, and more recent work by Australian artists David Noonan, Deborah Kelly and Ricky Swallow.

Multiplicity is divided into three distinct areas, corresponding to different periods in time -- 1960s to 1970s and the reinvigoration of the print medium; 1970s to 1980s and the move to work outside gallery or art making systems and the rise of printmaking collectives; and 1990s to the present day which has seen new reproduction technologies allow a plethora of approaches to prints and multiples.

"Other themes include the notion of the unique work of art; the incorporation of the vernacular into artistic production, the individual and the collective production of art work, the role of 'political' or activist art and the concept of mass-production," Mr Barkley said.

Multiplicity is the second exhibition to be sponsored by MCA supporter National Australia Bank. After showing at the MCA, Multiplicity will tour to regional galleries in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia throughout 2007 and 2008.

Mr Barkley, teamed up with another guest curator, Aaron Seeto, to present a curatorial discussion at the MCA. Both Glenn and Aaron are graduates of the University of Wollongong. They discussed differences in curatorial practice and explored how work is exhibited and collected within the contemporary museum. Aaron is guest curator of Primavera 2006: Exhibition by Young Australian Artists now running at the MCA until 19 November 2006.

Article and image from UoW Media Unit

University Art Collection receives gift of 300 prints

May 10, 2006

The University of Wollongong Art Collection has announced a major gift of 300 prints by a Melbourne donor, Dr Douglas Kagi, representing the most significant donation ever made to the Collection.

It follows from an earlier gift in 2004 consisting of 70 limited edition prints by artists from the United Kingdom. The latest gift consists of prints by a variety of artists from Europe, America and Australia.

The gift includes works by many of the artists in the first gift such as Graham Sutherland, John Piper, Eduaurdo Paollozzi and Peter Blake but it also includes works by notable international figures such as Ed Ruscha, Antonio Tapies, Robert Motherwell, Larry Rivers and William Wegman.

"It is the most significant gift of artwork the University of Wollongong Art Collection has ever received," said Collection Curator Glenn Barkley.

"This second generous gift of international printmaking produced over the past 40 years really adds an amazing depth to the collection. The gift also includes an important group of Australian works including prints by Colin Lanceley, Alan Mitelman, and Indigenous artist Treahna Hamm, which are significant additions to our existing collections of Australian printmaking. We are extremely grateful to Dr Kagi and his continuing generosity. It is an unprecedented and astonishing gift."

The prints cover a whole and diverse range of mediums and styles with many of the artists being central players in the pop art movement and modern abstraction. Technically, the prints include etching, screenprinting and lithography and many were produced by some of the most important print and publishing studios operating in Europe and the US.

It continues a very successful year for donations to the University of Wollongong Art Collection. Some other works already donated this year include an important series of Aboriginal prints by donors Bill Nuttall and Annette Reeves, a series of monoprints by former Art Collection Director Dr Guy Warren and a significant large painting by Australian artist, Fred Cress, donated by Mrs Anne Sullivan whose ongoing support of the collection over the past 10 years has led to a number of important paintings being given to the Art Collection.

Article and image from UoW Media Unit

whattawewant

April 2005

New acquisitions - University of Wollongong Art Collection.
On display from 7th - 29th April 2005 in the FCA Gallery, Building 25.

The FCA Gallery’s latest exhibition whattawewant brings together prints, posters and other ephemera recently acquired by the University of Wollongong Art Collection either through donation or purchase.

Focusing on multiples - or artworks created in reproducible media - the exhibition is a rare survey of works produced over the last 20 years, both in the region and nationally.

Sometimes tongue-in-cheek, the exhibition has a political theme, examining either on the politics of the art world, social politics or cultural commentary.

From activism to pop, whattawewant is also a celebration of the diversity of practice. While some works are from labour-intensive, limited releases, others are from mass-produced editions.

Included are a number of Redback Graphix posters which the UoW Art
Collection is actively collecting. Active in Wollongong during the 1980s Redback was a radical, studio collective which utilised print media for political comment and action.

The exhibition provides an intriguing insight into one of Australia’s largest and most dynamic university art collections.

Established in 1985, the UoW Art Collection comprises over 1,100 individual paintings, prints, ceramics, textiles and sculptures by eminent Australian artists such as Lloyd Rees, Arthur Boyd, Judy Watson and Emily Kngwarreye.

Many of the works are located throughout the campus, offering students, staff and visitors the opportunity to interact, enjoy and appreciate artwork placed in their social and working environments.