Hulda Guzman - A Unique Self-portrait

For me, one of the highlights of the recent Triennial at the National Gallery of Victoria was the painting “Daily Ceremony, 2022” produced by Hulda Guzman, an artist of the Dominican Republic.  It’s one of the most inventive self portraits I’ve seen in recent times and includes her pet rooster and prancing cats.  In the NGV magazine, she describes the work as an autobiographical narrative, depicting a ritualistic summoning of creative energy.   

The setting is a new studio she designed with her father in a very remote area in the Dominican Republic where her nearest neighbour is at least 2 kilometres away.  She claims to have been inspired by the themes and ideas of the surrealists, but she does not reference dreams and other states of consciousness in her work.  Instead, she is more interested in the “hidden parts of ourselves - all those energies that come into play, the things that are not perceivable to our senses, such as our fears and demons that we try to repress.”

Daily Ceremony 2022, Hulda Guzman, synthetic polymer paint and gouche on cedar & mahogany, 140.6 x 122 cm

The triangles of light, the prancing cats and the symmetry are intended to invoke the cheerfulness, buoyancy, high vibration and celebration of creative energy and the uplifting energies of nature and consciousness. 

Guzman tells us that the dance session becomes a meditative practice to seek peace and to channel the inspiring Taino spirit, which appears as an outline in the triangle of light.  This spirit is a central concept in art and ritual to the Caribbean peoples, and was thought to inhabit trees, stones and other aspects of the landscape.

She also explains the importance of being in the right headspace when producing her work.  “When I’m painting and experiencing positive vibrations, I believe these vibrations transfer into the painting and the viewer afterwards.”  The feedback she gets from viewers of her work correspond to how she feels when painting.  “It’s a beautiful thing, and it makes me relate to people that way.  I would never want to transfer any negative emotions, so I always make sure I’m in the right headspace when I paint.” 

When I think of the headspace I often find myself in when painting, it’s a wonder I can produce anything at all, let alone being able to mount exhibitions and sell my work.  But this article and Guzman’s work gives me cause for thought and to perhaps be more appreciative of the creative spirit that, I believe, lurks within all of us. 

Hulda Guzman’s paintings  often depict tropical settings and naturalistic motifs.  She has two sisters, one a sculptor and the other a filmmaker.  “Daily Ceremony 2022” has been purchased by the NGV. 

                                                                --------------------------------------- 

The year 2024 is fast becoming the year of the female artist, judging by what I’ve seen so far.  At Geelong Gallery there is an enormous print exhibition staged by Dianne Fogwell.  It consists of 56 hand printed panels featuring linocuts, woodcuts, burn drawings and pigmented ink on paper. It runs until 28th July.

Dianne Fogwell at Geelong Gallery

At Niagara Gallery in Melbourne recently, there was the exhibition “Lifting The Veil” consisting of paintings by Julia Ciccarone, one of my favourite local artists. 

Julia Ciccarone, "We Are All Stories In The End" 2023, oil on linen, 122 x 183 cm

And recently at Australian Galleries in Collingwood there was an exhibition of paintings, drawings and ceramics by Mary Tonkin titled “Both Sides Now”.

Mary Tonkin, "Coprosma Madonna, Kalorama", 2021-22, oil on linen, 320 x 610 cm (Australian Galleries)

References;

NGV Magazine

Tripping Around The Triennial

Finally, during the third iteration of the NGV Triennial, I’ve realized that the appreciation of this exhibition is a matter of mindset.  If you go in with an open mind, keen to see what people are getting up to these days then you may be pleasantly surprised.  But be warned - we are living through troubling times so expect to see some troubling work.   The NGV magazine tells us that the Triennial is anchored in three themes; Matter, Magic and Memory.  Nearly 100 works from over 30 countries have been assembled in this exhibition with overtones encompassing race relations, climate crisis, AI and war.

Julian Charriere, And beneath it all flows liquid fire  (NGV)

Australian Design Review tells us that the theme of ‘magic’ represents the influence of spirituality on constructing an understanding of the world around us, whereas ‘matter’ symbolises how nature and materials shape human culture. The exhibition’s theme of ‘memory’ will illuminate how the histories of people, places and objects continue to impact our contemporary world.  

As with the Melbourne Now exhibition several months earlier, part of the Triennial has its own dedicated spaces whilst other parts are inserted into the permanent collection. 

For some reason, the thoughts of the late Robert Hughes came to my mind when viewing this exhibition.  “The Age of Anxiety” was the title Hughes gave to the final episode of his 1996 TV series “American Visions”.  We are still living with this anxiety today although the focus has shifted from the aftermath of the disastrous Vietnam War to climate change, the loss of habitat and species and the realization that our natural resources are not infinite.  Apparently it’s the intention of many artists participating in the Triennial to address these issues.

Ashley Jameson Eriksmoen, ‘Fell’,  timber salvaged from furniture (Geoff Harrison)

The work “Fell” clearly has environmental and sustainability overtones, but visually it’s stunning.  Eriksmoen is a designer/artist who has won a number of awards including for furniture design.

Tracey Emin,  'Love Poem For CF', 2007  (NGV)

Robert Hughes had real issues with what he regarded as preachy, single issue ‘art’ where “victim credentials can account for more than aesthetic achievement”.  So true, and this came to my mind whilst viewing this work my Tracey Emin - and it’s a recent NGV acquisition.

Agnieszka Pilat, 'Hetrobota 2023' (Geoff Harrison)

Pilat trained these Boston Dynamics robot dogs to behave in distinctly different ways.  Basia is the oldest, the most serious and the introvert; Bunny is the narcissist and the artist while Vanya is the protector, monitoring what’s going on. What freaks me out is the thought that in a few years time we will look back at this work and think how primitive it was, given the relentless advances in technology towards - who knows where?

SMACK, 'Speculum'  (Youtube)

This is meant to be a digital remake of Hieronymus Bosch’s renaissance masterpiece “Garden of Earthly Delights” where ‘the banal temptations of modernity, consumerism and the obsession with technology take the place of the Devil’s apple offered to Adam and Eve, which led to their downfall.’  As a friend pointed out, there is no sex and gore in this remake - I wonder why?

Franziska Furter, 'Liquid Skies/Gywrynt' & 'Haku', climate carpet and glass beads (Artshub)

The carpet depicts multiple satellite images of storms with a shower of glass beads overhead.  This installation is cleverly juxtaposed against wild seascapes painted by J W M Turner and others.  Furter draws constant inspiration from the weather for her work.  “It forces me to become aware of what is now.  As a recurring theme, the weather constantly shapes and changes my work as it constantly shapes and changes the world.”  She is a great fan of the BBC’s Shipping Forecast which has been regularly broadcast since 1861.

Flora Yukhnovich, ‘A Taste Of A Poison Paradise’, oil on canvas, 160 x 275 cm (Hauser & Worth)

This work takes its name from the 2003 Brittany Spears hit song “Toxic”.  Spears was arguably at the peak of her career back then, but shortly afterwards her life imploded with mental health issues engulfing her.  So are we looking at the aftermath of an explosion destroying a beautiful still life in the tradition of the Dutch masters?

Osamu Mori " 3MMM-Rivalry", Camphor laurel, (Geoff Harrison)

The human figure has been carved into a 120 year old camphor tree.  Traditionally, camphor has been employed for its aromatic scent as an embalming fluid, and thus this work could be seen as representing the healing powers of nature.

Jessica Murtagh, "Modern Relic IV, All In This Together, Apart", sandblasted & engraved glass (Geoff Harrison)

The NGV tells us that Murtagh draws inspiration from ancient Athenian ceramic amphoras known for their depiction of scenes from everyday life.  Here we see individuals wearing face masks queuing at a Centrelink office.

Glenn Brown "After Greuze"," After Rembrandt", "After De Gheyn II/Greuze", etching  (NGV)

The ancient art of printmaking as not been overlooked in this exhibition either.  Brown appropriates historical art in his paintings and sculptures and in recent years has extended his conceptual concerns to drawing and printmaking. 

Fernando Laposse, "Avocado Leather Cabinet", avocado skin & walnut (Geoff Harrison)

This is part of Laposse’s Conflict  Avocado series where he exposes the devastating impact the corrupt and violent avocado industry is having on forest ecosystems in Mexico, and on the lives of those who depend on it.

The Community of Maningrida, Arnhem Land, "Maningrida Fish Fence", Pandanus & natural dyes (Geoff Harrison)

The tradition of weaving goes back a long time in the community of Maningrida.  The Burarra women of Maningrida use natural materials such as pandanus leaves, kurrajong and various bark fibres to produce their work.

Azuma Makoto, "Block Flowers", flowers in resin, (Geoff Harrison)

130 of these boxes have been mounted around a digital video piece titled “Drop Time” depicting the life cycle of flowers in hyper speed.  “A mark of celebration and sorrow, flowers have historically been used to acknowledge life, death and the passing of time”.

"Megacities Project", 10 photographers’ images across 19 suspended screens (Geoff Harrison)

This work was commissioned by the NGV where leading photographers were engaged to capture the environment of 10 mega cities - defined as having more than 10 million inhabitants.  In the 1950’s there were only 2 of them, by 2022 there were more than 30 - with half of them to be found in Asia. 

Any gripes?  A few including the paintings of Prudence Flint which leave me cold; the Yoko Ono installation “My Mommy Is Beautiful” has taken well over a decade to get here and we’ve definitely been short-changed on the work of artist/prankster Maurizio Cattelan.  His banana taped to a wall is hardly the highlight of his career.  I would have much preferred his fully-functioning 18 karat gold toilet titled “America”. 

Many of the works in this exhibition were commissioned by the NGV and will join the gallery’s permanent collection.  Overall, I’m inclined to give this exhibition the thumbs up - as per the sculpture outside the gallery entrance.

References;

National Gallery of Victoria

Artshub

Hauser & Worth

Australian Design Review

My Latest Exhibition At Tacit Galleries

Interiors can include passageways to light, avenues for escape and architecture  to inspire.  Sigmund Freud had plenty to say about the significance of interiors and doorways in his book “The Interpretation of Dreams”.  If buildings are meant to shelter us from the world as Freud suggests, then what kind of shelter is being provided.  If buildings are our little kingdom, then what kind of kingdom are we rulers of?

My latest exhibition “Chambers Of The Mind” is based on paintings of fantasy church interiors and architectural capriccios produced by a number of artists in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. These works gave the artists an opportunity to show off their technical skill, and in order to enhance the grandeur of the scenes, they employed the rather dubious tactic of populated them with figures that were far too small.  And yet there is a coldness, a clinical quality to some of these paintings that appealed to me.

Late For The Wedding, oil on canvas, 71 cm x 101 cm

The settings for these classical paintings may have been imaginary, but in my re imaginings of them I have removed the figures in order to draw the viewer into the scene and explore it.  These interiors can be contemplative, exploratory and perhaps not entirely sane.

Banqueting Hall, oil on canvas, 66 cm x 86 cm

There are no religious overtones to this series.  I’m not a religious person but I do acknowledge the wonderful contribution religion has made to architecture.  It’s a matter of separating the corporeal  from the spiritual and it probably helps to be super sensitive to atmospheres.

The Cloister, oil on canvas, 71 cm x 101 cm

My art practice often includes taking the backward step of producing a drawing from an image I’ve encountered on the Net or elsewhere, so I can develop a relationship with the scene.  Occasionally I alter the composition and colours to achieve the desired effect.  The images in this series include claustrophobic spaces and vast empty ones to present different states of mind.

Searching For The Exit, oil on canvas, 51 cm x 46 cm

Inside the brain there is a storehouse of impressions, memory and experiences that can surface at different moments and it’s a matter of capturing those moments when creating.  External events impinge on our mental processes and they can spill out onto the canvas.

The Door Is Always Open, oil on canvas, 76 cm x 91 cm

The exhibition is being held at Tacit Galleries, level 1/189 Johnston Street Collingwood and runs until 29th July.

Melbourne Now

I made the mistake of reading some of the guff in the NGV Magazine prior to attending the ‘Melbourne Now’ exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria, Federation Square and was thus a little wary - but not for long.  This enormous (and free) exhibition spreads across all three levels of the gallery and showcases the work of over 200 Victorian-based artists, designers, studios and firms. 

It’s the first time since 2012 that such an exhibition had been held and it encompasses all the arts; painting, printmaking, sound, installation, video, fashion, photography, sculpture and design.  Without wanting to denigrate the exhibition, I felt like a school kid roaming around a fairground with something new to discover around every corner.

The highlight is arguably “Temple”, an installation piece by Melbourne based artist Rel Pham.  The NGV magazine describes this work as ‘an installation exploring, recontextualising, and evaluating the contemporary digital experience using Caodaist, Buddhist and Taoist concepts and structures’.  Yes, well……all I suggest is that you wander around it and absorb the experience.  But the magazine makes the good point that like much digital technology, “Temple” is difficult to synthesize in a handful of words.  It’s an intersection of technology and ancient culture.  To some degree, it is a reference to excessive consumption, social media and climate change. 

Another installation piece called “DataBaes” by Georgia Banks is a blending of reality TV dating shows and AI.  It’s disturbing in its content, but only because of the reality of ego in modern technology and our dependence on it.

“Vessels” is a collaboration between the NGV and Craft Victoria and presents the work of fifteen artists, craftspeople and designers.  The exhibit ‘expands the parameters of that useful, enduring and familiar object’.

If, by contrast, you are looking for some nostalgia, I recommend the glazed earthenware work of Lisa Reid.  Here, she presents a variety of objects from the 1950s in a form of gaudy realism.

“Fashion Now” presents the work of emerging as well as established practitioners in the realm of fashion, and it’s meant to reflect the way we feel about ourselves and the times we live in.  Walking around this exhibit had me feeling uncomfortably under-dressed.

From Taree Mackenzie comes the work “Pepper’s Ghost Effect, Circles, 4 Variations”.  According to the accompanying label, Mackenzie explores and expands on the ‘Peppers Ghost’ effect, a technique originating in 19th Century theatre which employs light and colour to create the illusion of a ghostly figure.

Hey look, a painting!!  This large scale acrylic is titled “Massa Pecatti: The 7 Deadly Sins” by the enduring Vivienne Shark Lewitt.

This is “Sky Whispers” by Meagen Streader and consists of light tape, another work commissioned by the NGV.  It’s interesting how reading the accompanying literature does nothing to enhance the  appreciation of some of these works - for me anyhow.

During the pandemic, artist Martin Bell produced this enormous work “Worthless priceless, Priceless worthless, Everything nothing, Nothing everything, No thing a thing, A thing no thing”  It’s pencil and ink on 75 sheets of Arches paper and it’s worth studying this work closely to appreciate its humour and playfulness, even nostalgia.

Martin Bell, “Worthless Priceless….” detail

For some reason, the NGV aims to acquire this work from Troy Emery called “Mountain Climber” and is seeking donations from the public to assist.  Emery’s work references taxidermy animals in museums and their removal from the context of nature which often signals their demise.  This may be the case, but I believe the gallery needs to be a little careful in its acquisition program, as work such as this is bordering on kitsch.   

I have just scratched the surface of the this exhibition with this blog, but I left it mightily impressed with the depth of talent we have in this state, and that can’t be a bad thing.

Hello, my name is Geoff. You may be interested to know that I’m a fulltime artist these days and regularly exhibit my work in Victoria, but particularly in Melbourne. You may wish to check out my work using the following link; https://geoffharrisonarts.com

Romancing The Streetscape

This is the title of a notable exhibition currently being held at the Town Hall Gallery in Hawthorn, Melbourne.  Seven local artists; Robert Clinch, Cathy Drummond, Dani Mackenzie, Andrew Browne, Rick Amor, William Breen and Mark Chu present their unique interpretations of the urban environment.

Clinch, Lot's Wife, Gouche, watercolour and dry brush on paper, 107 x 198 cm

The viewer is taken on a stroll through the streets of (mainly inner) Melbourne where a melting pot of cultures rub shoulders with one another.  The catalogue refers to a romanticism in these works that is usually associated with landscape painting.  The exhibition presents a vibrancy of colour and light in the works of some artists contrasting with the soft muted colours of Rick Amor’s work.

Clinch, Fanfare For The Common Man, 2003, egg tempera on panel, 107 cm x 105 cm

There is an absence of people from most of these paintings - as if the emphasis is on the environment that most of us spend our lives in.  At the exhibition opening,  the absence of people is noted and reference made to the recent pandemic, although most of the paintings in the show predate 2020.  But there is certainly an air of alienation in some of the works, even a nostalgia for bygone era.

Drummond, Opp Shop, 2014, oil on canvas, 102 cmx 137 cm

This nostalgia is particularly evident in the paintings of Cathy Drummond.  Her work includes garish shop fronts that have long disappeared in the rapid development and gentrification of inner Melbourne.  Her paintings are full of character where she displays no fear of colour and a great understanding of composition.  But as a poignant reminder of the reality of the human condition for many, her paintings include an image of a railway viaduct and evidence of human habitation underneath.

Clinch, Spartacus, 2013, egg tempera on panel, 107 cm x 105 cm

I have never seen an artist master the challenging medium of egg tempera the way Robert Clinch can.  The clarity of light and fine detail in his work is astonishing.  Whilst his works give the impression that they are based on photography, this is not the case.  His compositions are a collage of multiple locations to create a seemingly realistic scene which is entirely imaginary.  When speaking of his career, Clinch explains that his catholic upbringing influences the titling of his works.

Breen, Made With Love, 2012, oil on canvas, 107 cm x 214 cm

William Breen’s work is inspired by the architectural history and eclectic contemporary graffiti of the inner suburbs. In speaking of his work, Breen says “The images echo a state of suspended animation when everything slows down to a point where one can appreciate the contemplative nature of a world in balance, a world where everything is in its right place; an ideal vision.”

Mackenzie, That Little Italian Place On The Corner, 2022,  oil on canvas,107 cm x 152 cm

Dani Mackenzie is becoming a significant artist on the contemporary scene.  There is a soft focus to her quasi-photographic imagery, combining a dreamy atmospheric light with a sense of mystery, even a foreboding in some of her night time scenes.  She is credited with infusing a mystery into the banality of everyday scenes.  She spends many hours walking the streets where she lives and works, looking for images that reflect the shared experience of living in a city. 

The exhibition continues until 15th April.

Hello, my name is Geoff. You may be interested to know that I’m a fulltime artist these days and regularly exhibit my work in Victoria, but particularly in Melbourne. You may wish to check out my work using the following link; https://geoffharrisonarts.com

References;

Romancing The Streetscape, Boroondara Arts

Art Of The Suburbs - George Shaw

He has been described as the Constable of the council estate.  British artist George Shaw was born in 1966 and raised in Tile Hill, a suburb of Coventry.  A painter of the ordinary and the mundane, Shaw seems to imbue these scenes with a romantic longing, whilst enhancing their bleakness.  He  studied art at Sheffield Polytechnic followed by the Royal College of Art in the 1990s, but the post-war council estates where he grew up continued to inspire him.

Playtime

Memories of childhood and adolescence provided the inspiration for his work - a sentimental and nostalgic reverie (as he puts it), but he believes that now his work is a confrontation with reality rather than “relaxing back into a comfortable situation”.  In an interview, Shaw expressed frustration over the need to develop a special language in order to understand contemporary art, whereas for him it’s all about engaging directly with another human being.  He wanted to produce an image which a professor of fine art could discuss with his mother and neither of them being condescending towards the other.  A universal language perhaps?

From Shaw's 12 Short Walks series, etching 2005

The religious overtones in the titling of his work derives from Shaw being raised as a Catholic, thus his titles often refer to the Bible or the life of Christ.  Commentating on his home town, Shaw once said “I don't think it has ever left me, that sense of possibility and familiarity and possible danger lurking out there somewhere beyond. I haunted the place and now it haunts me.”

The Path On The Edge, 1997-98

Shaw has some interesting insights into the responses to his work, “It has been said my work is sentimental. I don’t know why sentimentality has to be a negative quality. What I look for in art are the qualities I admire or don’t admire in human beings.”  He seems to be able to intertwine different emotions into his work.  There is a sense of foreboding, isolation, nostalgia in his work where the viewer has been taken on a journey to something hidden, or perhaps to an escape from some unexplained drama.  “I fear death considerably and I fear the ending of things, so I am anxious about things coming to an end... I am very clear in a lot of the images to always paint ways out.”

From Scenes From the Passion series; Christmas Eve

In an interview with the art historian Andrew Graham Dixon, Shaw explained some of his motivations. “When I first went to an art gallery at age 14 (the Tate), I didn’t see my world in that gallery….where is my life, perhaps my life isn’t worth anything?  You stepped out of your world into a gallery.”  So he decided to open the window at home and draw what’s there.  “And if you don’t find it beautiful, that’s your fault.”  Perhaps ironically, his work is now on the walls of the Tate.  Graham-Dixon argues that Shaw’s work isn’t just an accurate depiction of an urban environment, they are descriptions of a mood - modern man alienated in a largely man-made landscape.

End Of Time 2008-09

He works from photographs taken with a humble camera, he works quickly, not needing to roam around looking for inspiration.  He already has the inspiration, he just needs to find images that support it.  He has painted in water colour but primarily uses enamel.  

Shaw’s work is a melancholic exploration of the passage of time, of a sense of loss.  He often recalls a pub in Tile Hill, once the social hub of the area, but then demolished with no record of its existence save for his drawings.  The Guardian sums up his work succinctly, “the passage of time, the roots of who we are and the melancholy of approaching middle age.”

Every Brushstroke is Torn Out of My Body, 2016, Enamel on canvas, 198 cm wide

Hello, my name is Geoff. You may be interested to know that I’m a fulltime artist these days and regularly exhibit my work in Victoria, but particularly in Melbourne. You may wish to check out my work using the following link; https://geoffharrisonarts.com

References;

Artuk.org

Artfund.org

The Secret of Drawing - BBC TV

Nan Goldin - Art And Addiction

It’s interesting the way some successful artists reflect upon their lives.  Internationally renowned artist Nan Goldin had long berated herself for years of addiction, especially to opiates. “Every morning I’d wake up in hell, waking up to self-condemnation.  And then I’m taking two hours to get up because it’s so awful.”  These comments were made during her session with celebrated physician and addiction therapist Dr Gabor Mate.

Buzz and Nan at the Afterhours, New York City, 1980

Reading of her sessions with Mate, you’d swear she’d never been a ‘creative dynamo’ who has produced a vast body of powerful and distinctive art, exhibiting internationally to great acclaim.  “I’ve missed years of my life, I don’t have many more years to go.  I’ve spent most of my life addicted to drugs and as a result, know nothing.  My knowledge is very limited, I didn’t look in the mirror and deal with myself.  So much has been lost.”  She went on to say that she feels worthless and defective.

Rise and Monty Kissing, New York City, 1980

She was born Nancy Goldin into a middle class Jewish family in Boston in 1953.  She is the youngest of four children and was particularly close to her sister, Barbara, who from an early age rebelled against middle class American life.  This, in a climate of silence and denial.  Barbara spent time in institutions before committing suicide at the age of 18, when Nan was 11.  Speaking of Barbara, Goldin argues that in the early sixties, women who were sexual and angry were considered dangerous and outside the range of acceptable behavior.  She described her sister as being born at the wrong time with no tribe, no other people like her.  It’s argued that the gritty realism of Goldin’s work, the desire to tell it as it is has its roots in these early childhood experiences.

Trixie on the Cot, New York City, 1979

Goldin decided at an early age she would record her life and experiences “that no one could rewrite or deny”.  One of her closest friends was the photographer David Wojnarowicz (see my blog dated 8 May, 2020), and like him, she used photography as an act of resistance.  She moved to New York in 1979 and began producing photographs of those in her immediate environment.  Her most celebrated body of work is “Ballad of Sexual Dependency”, a project which began in the early 1980’s.  

In her critique of an exhibition based around ‘Ballad’, held at MOMA in 2016, Tasya Kudryk argues that Goldin had an intense relationship with her subjects whom she described as her family.  “The artist’s work captures an essential element of humanity that is transcendent of all struggles: the need to connect.”  Goldin claims it’s impossible to capture the essence of a person in a single image, instead she aims to “capture the swirl of identities over time.”  Her images include relationships in transition, of couples drifting together and then apart.  She doesn’t shy away from depicting violence, such as her self portrait showing the aftermath of a battering she received from a boyfriend that almost blinded her.  The message seemed to be that while sex can be a cure for isolation, it can be a source of alienation.

Nan, One Month After Being Battered, 1984

Ballad of Sexual Dependency has been described as a deeply personal visual diary narrating the struggle for intimacy and understanding between her friends, family and lovers.  The setting is mainly the hard-drugs subculture of New York’s lower east side.  (Interestingly, some former inhabitants  lament the gentrification of the area that has taken place recently.)  Goldin wants her work not to be seen in the context of observer, but as participant.  “Ballad” is now regarded as a contemporary classic, raising awareness around issues such as homosexuality and AIDS.  “Goldin's open, frank style of narration and dense colour make the viewer go beyond the surface of the photograph to encounter a subterranean intensity “- Kudryk.  Yet permeating these images is a sense of loss.  "I used to think that I could never lose anyone if I photographed them enough. In fact, my pictures show me how much I’ve lost." - Goldin.

Nan and Dickie in the York Motel, New Jersey, 1980

Goldin acknowledges that her escape into substance use rescued her when she resorted to it at age 18, when going through a painful time in her life.  “Literally, addiction saved my life”, she told Mate.  Otherwise, she may have been driven to suicidal despair.  She wishes that the consequences weren’t so harsh - as other addicts do.  Mate argues that self-accusation is a relentless whip that spurs so many perfectionists to buckle down, do more, be better.  It needs to be seen for what it is - a callow voice that needs to be firmly, but quietly put in its place.

Nan and Brian in Bed, New York City, 1983

More recently, (in addition to dealing with her own addiction) Goldin has engaged in personal and collective activism against Purdue Pharma, manufacturers of the opioid OxyContin which has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.  Purdue marketed the product as being a less addictive opioid than other painkillers, whilst suppressing evidence to the contrary.  

Her particular targets in this campaign has been the Sackler family, who control Purdue, and her fame as an artist gave her a platform to raise the banner.  The Sacklers have promoted themselves as benevolent art philanthropists among other things, but Goldin was appalled at their callousness and inhumanity.  As a result of her campaigning, some of the world’s most prestigious galleries, including the Met in New York, no longer accept money from the Sacklers and have removed their logo from their buildings.

Tough Sharon

 When Mate asked her about her activism, Goldin responded “you need something bigger than yourself.”  In her case, it was the suffering of others, a situation she could rectify and which helps her to stay sober.  Mate believes that in standing up to a toxic culture, Goldin found herself. 

Hello, my name is Geoff. You may be interested to know that I’m a fulltime artist these days and regularly exhibit my work in Victoria, but particularly in Melbourne. You may wish to check out my work using the following link; https://geoffharrisonarts.com 

References; 

www.sleek-mag.com 

“The Myth of Normal”, Gabor Mate, 2022 

“The Lonely City”, Olivia Laing, 2016

Howard Arkley - The Artist Who Didn't Airbrush Suburbia

An artist whose career was tragically cut short, Howard Arkley (1951-1999) first became aware of the airbrush in 1969 in his first year at art school.   He realised early on that he was not going to be a physical painter and the attraction of the airbrush was in being able to create an image without touching the surface.  “I was never going to love paint and wallow around in it.”  He said he wanted to make an image without getting his hands dirty.

According to Arkley’s biographer Ashley Crawford, Arkley absorbed the booming arts, punk rock and fashion scene of late 1970’s Melbourne in his art.  The airbrush gave Arkley the opportunity to make marks quickly without using much paint and with little “physical involvement”.   He agreed that what he was doing was going against the grain of painterly art that flourished in the 1980’s, in that he found the idea of mixing paint with turps and having the stuff “running down his arms” off putting.

Family Home 1993

So why the suburbs as his choice of subject matter?  “They are my life, that’s where I grew up, my childhood, my formative years and this is what formed me both in my personal life and artistic life”.

Arkley was awarded the Alliance Francaise Art Fellowship, an artist’s residency in Paris in 1977 but he also visited New York and his experiences taught him that there could be a unique Australian urban art.  He decided to use the suburbs as a cultural motif that had not been used before, and the wrought iron door with its flywire screen was the catalyst.  The infinite variety of styles fascinated him and it gave him an avenue to explore an Australian artform divorced from traditional landscape art.

The repeated patterns in these doors formed the basis of later art including some abstract works, but more importantly in the depictions of the house itself where these patterns appear almost in abstract form, both in interiors and exteriors – he drew no distinction between the two.  He saw patterns in houses, even those that contain no art at all and he didn’t want his art to be perceived as satirical.

Deluxe Setting 1992

When he spoke of inspirations for his work, Arkley reminds me a little of Andy Warhol.  He often spent time in supermarkets buying products for no other reason than the design on the packaging, the dynamic use of colour and form.  He also was influenced by art in the age of mechanical reproduction and he insisted that he wanted his paintings to look like reproductions, not the original, as though they had appeared in a book.  Speaking of which, he also drew inspiration for his interiors from magazines such as House and Garden and from real estate advertisements.

He didn’t intellectualize about his art.  He was a great gatherer of imagery and if he saw something that appealed to him, he would include it in his art.

Arkley had a love/hate relationship with suburbia “this suburban thing is in danger of swallowing me up, it’s a problem, and perhaps I should head for the You Yangs and get some relief.”  It’s this love/hate relationship that kept fueling the fire “you can’t grab it and come to terms with it.”

Freeway 1999

He was chosen as Australia’s representative at the Venice Biennale in 1999 and it was thought that the significance of his art was in breaking the mould of European perceptions of Australian art, and it was a great success.  I saw the exhibition “Howard Arkley and Friends” at Tarrawarra Museum of Art a few years ago and it was a revelation with his bold use of colour and stensils that seemed to bridge the gap between abstraction and figuration.

Portrait of Nick Cave, a 1998 commission from the National Portrait Gallery

In his 1999 ABC interview, Arkley came across as a hard working, unpretentious person with a few surprises.  “You go where your art takes you – it sounds romantic but I’m a romantic person.”  But he also had his demons.  His chaotic lifestyle was a concern to many of his friends and his addiction to heroin was a source of shame - he did his best to hide it.  I can vaguely remember seeing an interview with him many years ago when he was clearly stoned and it was disturbing viewing.  Shortly after the Venice Biennale, he had a sellout show in Los Angeles and then returned to Melbourne with his new wife Alison Burton.  Just a few days later, he died of a heroin overdose aged 48.

Hello, my name is Geoff. You may be interested to know that I’m a fulltime artist these days and regularly exhibit my work in Victoria, but particularly in Melbourne. You may wish to check out my work using the following link; https://geoffharrisonarts.com

References;

Howard Arkley 1999 ABC TV

The Guardian

The Independent