Exhibition dates: 16th October 2009 – 28th February 2010
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Hot off the press straight to you here at Art Blart!
Photographs of the exhibition ‘Ricky Swallow: The Bricoleur’ at the National Gallery of Victoria Australia, Federation Square. The photographs are in the chronological order that I took them, walking through the three spaces of the exhibition. A spare, visually minimalist aesthetic to the show, where every vanitas, every mark (in)forms the work as transcendent momenti mori. Review to follow.
Many thankx to Sue, Alison, Jemma and the team for the usual excellent job and for allowing me to document the exhibition.
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“I’ve always been interested in how an object can be remembered and how that memory can be sustained and directed sculpturally, pulling things in and out of time, passing objects through the studio as a kind of filter returning them as new forms.”
Ricky Swallow
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Media crowd at the Ricky Swallow exhibition ‘The Bricoleur’ at NGV Australia with Alex Baker, Senior Curator, Contemporary Art, NGV fourth from left with clasped hands.
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Ricky Swallow
‘The Bricoleur’
2006
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Ricky Swallow
‘One Nation Underground’
2007
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Ricky Swallow
‘One Nation Underground’ (detail)
2007
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Ricky Swallow
‘Tusk’
patinated bronze, brass
2007
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Ricky Swallow
‘Tusk’ (detail)
patinated bronze, brass
2007
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Ricky Swallow
‘Bowman’s record’ (detail)
bronze
2008
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Ricky Swallow
‘Bowman’s record’ (detail)
bronze
2008
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Installation views of ‘Ricky Swallow: The Bricoleur’ second space at NGV Australia
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Ricky Swallow
‘Caravan’ (detail)
bronze
2008
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Ricky Swallow
‘Salad days’
c.2005
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Ricky Swallow
‘Killing time’
2003 – 04
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Ricky Swallow
‘Killing time’ (detail)
2003 – 04
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Ricky Swallow
‘Killing time’
2003 – 04
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Ricky Swallow
‘Killing time’ (detail)
2003 – 04
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Ricky Swallow facing the media behind his work ‘Killing time’ (2003 – 04)
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“A new exhibition featuring the work of internationally renowned Australian artist Ricky Swallow will open at The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia on 16 October 2009.
Ricky Swallow: The Bricoleur is the artist’s first major exhibition in Australia since 2006. This exhibition will feature several of the artist’s well‐known intricately detailed, carved wooden sculptures as well as a range of new sculptural works in wood, bronze and plaster. The exhibition will also showcase two large groups of watercolours, an aspect of Swallow’s practice that is not as well known as his trademark works.
Salad days (2005) and Killing time (2003-04), which were featured in the 2005 Venice Biennale and are considered Swallow icons, will strike a familiar chord with Melbourne audiences.
Sculptures completed over the past year include bronze balloons on which bronze barnacles seamlessly cling (Caravan, 2008); a series of cast bronze archery targets (Bowman’s Record, 2008) that look like desecrated minimalist paintings; and carved wooden sculpture of a human skull inside what looks like a paper bag (Fig 1, 2008).
A highlight of the show will be Swallow’s watercolour, One Nation Underground (2007), recently acquired by the NGV. The work presents a collection of images based on 1960s musicians including Tim Buckley, Denny Doherty, Brian Jones and John Phillips.
Alex Baker, Senior Curator, Contemporary Art, NGV said the works in this exhibition explore the themes of life and death, time and its passing, mortality and immortality.
“Swallow’s art investigates how memory is distilled within the objects of daily life. His work addresses the fundamental issues that lie at the core of who we are, reminding us of our deep symbiotic relationship to the stuff of everyday life.”
“The exhibition’s title The Bricoleur refers to the kind of activities performed by a handyman or tinkerer, someone who makes creative use of whatever might be at hand. The Bricoleur is also the title of one of the sculptures in the exhibition, which depicts a forlorn houseplant with a sneaker wedged between its branches,” said Mr Baker.
Gerard Vaughan, Director, NGV, said this exhibition reinforces the NGV’s commitment to exhibiting and collecting world‐class contemporary art.
“The NGV has enjoyed a long and successful relationship with Ricky Swallow, exhibiting and acquiring a number of his works over the years. His detailed and exquisitely crafted replicas of commonplace objects never fail to inspire visitors to the Gallery.”
Ricky Swallow was born in Victoria in 1974 and currently lives and works in Los Angeles, California. His career has enjoyed a meteoric rise since winning the NGV’s prestigious Contempora5 art prize in 1999. Since then, Swallow has exhibited in the UK, Europe and the United States, and represented Australia at the 2005 Venice Biennale.”
Press release from the NGV website
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The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia Federation Square
Corner of Russell and
Flinders Streets, Melbourne.
National Gallery of Victoria website
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am very interested in emailing Ricky about his work and wondered if you could forward his email address? Unfortunately I was not able to see the exhibition last year.
Many thanks,
Deb Power.
Hi Deb
Thankx for your message
Unfortunately I have no contact with Ricky Swallow. I would suggest contacting the media department at the National Gallery of Victoria (through their website under press). They may be able to help
Marcus