I paid Tolarno Gallery in Melbourne a visit to view the work of an Australian artist who (we are told) has garnered international acclaim. His paintings are in the collections of the Art Gallery of NSW, the Australian National Gallery and the University Of Queensland Gallery Of Art among others. The only problem is, it’s Ben Quilty.
My latest encounter with his work has me convinced that as an artist, he would make a very good earth moving contractor. If you are the type of person who gets almost violently passionate about contemporary issues, and you look to an artist who can vent his spleen by moving vast quantities of paint around a canvas with the dexterity of a one punch attack, then Ben’s your man.
150 Year, Rorschach
An artist who supposedly has the ability to invoke passion and drama in his work doesn’t necessarily produce work that is aesthetically pleasing. He seems to have no idea of surface, no idea of colour harmony. Subtlety is Quilty’s enemy.
Are we meant to admire Quilty’s process of constructing, deconstructing and then reconstructing an image again rather than the final product? In other words, is this a form of conceptualism where the means to an end is more important than the end? I don’t know, all I know was the feeling of disillusionment as I walked around the gallery space. If this is where Australian art is today, then we are in a dark period of our creative history.
Exhibition notes by Milena Stojanovska tells us that each work invites us to participate in a critical discussion. It sure does, but not in the way she intended. Quilty’s Santa series is meant to reference the crass commercialism of the festive season, and as a satire of a children’s fictional character it’s meant to be funny. Really? All I see is an ugly painting. Reference is made to the tension in his brushstrokes, but that tension is created by a guy who doesn’t know how to handle paint.
The Big Fellow
If there is a narrative element to Quilty’s work, then for me, that narrative is lost in the execution. Perhaps he sees himself as another of those heroic, belligerent artists in the vein of the American sculptor Richard Serra who go out of their way to challenge the art market.
There are many artists throughout history who have expressed their despair with the world around them, but they did it in a way that engages their audience. Quilty’s work is likely to have many viewers rushing for the exits.
The Desert
If I wanted to view the work of an Australian artist who really knew how to handle paint, who understood colour harmonies, composition and texture whilst conveying a sense of drama, I would look at James Gleeson. His retrospective exhibition at the NGV in Melbourne during the summer of 2004/5 still resonates. There was nothing he couldn’t do with oil paint.
I think it’s time for Mr Quilty to drive off into the sunset in his fabled Holden Torana, and perhaps throw in some burnouts along the way. The case against Ben Quilty – pretty overwhelming, I would have thought.
Ben Quilty’s exhibition “150 Years” finishes at Tolarno Gallery on 29th February.