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Review: Cold inspiration from the abyss

visual art

“Antarctica”

Works by Sidney Nolan; Chris Drury (UK); Bea Maddock; Anne Noble (NZ); Jan Senbergs; Philip Hughes (UK) and Jörg Schmeisser

At The Drill Hall Gallery, until July 1.

Reviewed by Johnny Milner

 

CELEBRATING the centenary of Douglas Mawson’s famous expedition into the cold abyss – the mystery of Antarctica continues to stimulate excitement amongst scientific and artistic fields.

Indeed, the Canberra arts community has reveled in such engagement. In 2011 the ANU Music School held an international symposium and a series of fascinating performances that musically explored the sonic dimensions of this vast remote continent.

Currently showing at the Drill Hall is “Antarctica”, an exhibit comprising a diverse array of work from seven international artists, all of whom have experienced the extreme climate, the remote isolation and the regulated routines entailed in living in this polar region.

Stand out pieces include “Mt Erebus” (1964), by Sidney Nolan, which strikingly captures, through wild strokes of blue and black, the scope of nature’s flux and flow, and the contours of a ambivalent ice desert terrain.

The etching “Diary and Icebergs” (1998), by local artist Jörg Schmeisser (who, sadly, recently passed away), contrasts greatly with Nolan’s work. Through an acute poetic sensibility Schmeisser combines writing, topographical drawings, and pictures of native fauna, to document his experience while staying there.

By contrast, Chris Drury’s video installation provides a series of immersive landscapes concerned with the ranging subtleties and nuances of ice and snow.

Although “Antarctica” contributes crucial scientific information regarding issues such as climate change, the sheer beauty of this world is also capable of inspiring some exciting artistic work.

As elder statesman Barry Jones suggested in his opening address, this exhibition allows one to break free from the normality of everyday life and experience. Furthermore, it enriches the deeply profound relationship Australia shares with this last epic frontier.

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Thank you,

Ian Meikle, editor

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