John Nixon To Reveal
His True Colours At ACCA
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The gallery space at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA) will be illuminated by orange and silver monochromes when the Experimental Painting Workshop 2004 (EPW:2004) exhibition opens on Friday, May 28.
Continuing its adventurous artistic program, ACCA goes orange, orange, orange with John Nixon's Experimental Painting Workshop (EPW). One of Australia's foremost abstract and conceptual artists, John Nixon will continue to explore the epic grandeur of minimalism in a new commission for ACCA's main hall.
EPW is one of the most consistent utopian projects ever undertaken in Australian art. EPW:2004 will catalogue Nixon's work from 1996 to the present day, culminating in a six metre-long wall of orange which will dominate ACCA's space.
The works will be drawn from Nixon's EPW: Orange, with scattered hints of silver on Hessian and burlap sacking, breaking up Nixon's consistent orange dialogue. The exhibition is a continuation of Nixon's investigation into constructivist and monochromatic painting, a practice pursuit, commenced by Nixon in the early 1970's, which has made Nixon an important, prominent artistic mentor and huge influence for aspiring young artists.
EPW: 2004 reflects Nixon's concept of art and life in its straight-forward and minimalist approach and meticulous manner of documenting and cataloguing. The exhibition will also highlight Nixon's use of a variety of materials to complement his paintings, including wood, metal, cardboard, chip board and woven sacking.
ACCA Artistic Director, Juliana Engberg says, "The current reassessment of minimalism which is taking place around the world, and is highlighted in major surveys such as MOCA LA's current exhibition A Minimal Future? gives us impetus to come to grips with Nixon's awesome and considered practice. His work has at its heart, a sense of honesty and truth to material while it positioning itself on the trajectory of romantic modern utopianism."
John Nixon is the latest artist to be commissioned to create new works for ACCA's main commission hall, an ongoing practice which commenced at ACCA's new Southbank premises with Undertow by Susan Norrie in association with the Melbourne Festival in 2002, followed by Greg Creek's, The Allegorical Imperative.
EPW:2004 will be presented in association with Swoon, an exhibition of sexy, saturated, sumptuous works by leading contemporary artists.
Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, 111 Sturt Street, Southbank. EPW: 2004 and Swoon are open from Friday, May 28 until Sunday, July 25. Gallery Hours: Tuesday-Sunday 11am - 6pm By appointment Mondays 10am – 5pm
ACCA is open on public holidays with the exception of Christmas Day and Good Friday Admission: Free
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