Ten Years of Things

An exhibition showcasing the diverse, quirky and often surprising nature of contemporary art opens at The University of Queensland Art Museum on Friday, 7 December.

UQ Art Museum Director Dr Campbell Gray says Ten Years of Things looks at the open-ended approach artists are taking to medium, signifying a general shift away from classifications, towards hybrid forms.

“There is a long history of artists, philosophers and critics grappling, or playing, with definitions of art, and never more so than now, when artists have access to an increasingly broad range of materials, including new technologies,” Dr Gray said.

Ten Years of Things pushes at the edges of the contemporary art object, exploring the practice of artists who work in three-dimensions and/or stretch boundaries between two- and three-dimensional forms.

Exhibition co-curator Samantha Littley says artistic practice has shifted progressively in recent years with artists working across mediums and sometimes in formats that cannot be categorised.

“For example, how do you define Amanda Marburg’s Mouth to the tattoo, he sucked once more 2007, a work of art that is a painting of a photograph of plasticine models that the artist has made and arranged in a cinematic sequence, based on a literary source?” Ms Littley said.

Exhibition co-curator Gordon Craig says the exhibition is a response to the ever-expanding field of creative practice.

“We want it to provoke inquiry, and stimulate thought,” Mr Craig said.

Ten Years of Things includes works of art made over the past decade, drawn predominantly from The University of Queensland Art Collection. Images can be downloaded here.

Artists: Paul Adair, Benjamin Armstrong, Lincoln Austin, Marion Borgelt, Gareth Donnelly, Mikala Dwyer, Nicholas Folland, Melinda Harper, Brendan Huntley, Laresa Kosloff, Gabriella Mangano and Silvana Mangano, Amanda Marburg, Donna Marcus, John Nicholson, Shaun O’Connor, Jacky Redgate, Koji Ryui, Tim Silver, Gemma Smith, Martin Smith, Arryn Snowball, Christian Thompson and Judith Wright. Curators: Samantha Littley and Gordon Craig.

The UQ Art Museum is at University Drive, St Lucia Campus, and is open daily from 10am-4pm.

Closed during summer recess, 22 December 2012 – 6 January 2013.

PUBLIC PROGRAM: Children’s workshop: ‘Pocket-sized sculpture’
Exhibiting artist Gareth Donnelly leads a hands-on workshop for children aged 7 – 11. Numbers limited. When:Wednesday, 16 January (two sessions: 11am – 12pm and 2pm – 3pm). Venue: UQ Art Museum, University Drive, St Lucia campus Enquiries: 07 3365 3046; artmuseum@uq.edu.au

Media Enquiries: Samantha Littley, Curator, and Gordon Craig, Exhibitions Coordinator, 07 3346 8762 g.craig@uq.edu.au