Quilty
4 Mar - 2 Jun 2019
Simply titled Quilty, the forthcoming survey exhibition curated by Lisa Slade traces the arc of Quilty’s career-to-date. It extends from his early reflections on the initiation rituals performed by young Australian men, including an early painting of his beloved LJ Torana, through to the most recent body of work where the figure of Santa Claus stands as an emblem of flawed masculinity.
Quilty describes this series as marking his return to the studio and to a focus on the act of painting. But for Quilty the personal is always political and what emerges from the exhibition is a portrait of a socially engaged contemporary artist who is committed to art’s capacity to make change.
My work is about working out how to live in this world, it’s about compassion and empathy but also anger and resistance. Through it I hope to push compassion to the front of national debate.
After seeing Quilty with your students visit The Studio!
In collaboration with the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art’s Children’s Art Centre, AGSA invites young visitors to engage with the ideas and works of art of Ben Quilty. In this interactive space, Quilty and his son Joe encourage children and families to explore the process of making a re-mix portrait.
The Studio is free and open weekdays during school term. Facilitator and all materials supplied.