Manly Art Gallery & Museum
Frameworks
Gary Steer: Lightwave
27 MAR - 30 AUG 2009
Frameworks
Gary Steer: Lightwave
27 MAR - 30 AUG 2009
Recent work has taken Gary Steer on a journey to capture impressionistic photographs of landscapes, and these are the subject of his eight photographs in the next round of Frameworks, Manly’s outdoor gallery.
Steer explains: A storm one afternoon convinced me I should be on the coast very early next morning to search for a good seascape because of wild waves and a good chance that sunlight would stream through the clouds as they broke up.
I went to Curl Curl beach and the conditions were perfect. But the first rays of the sun hitting the wave crests brought the first board riders of the day. One in particular was too good, catching wave after wave, the very ones I was trying to photograph. I tried to keep him out of frame but, try as I did, he was too fast and kept coming into my shots.
I thought I might rub him out in Photoshop but when I actually saw the results on computer I saw the potential for photographs of impressions of surfing. I thought there’s a whole other genre of photography here and, if it works with surfi ng, why couldn’t it work with other sports? This launched me into a project which became “The Spirit of Sport”.
Gary Steer, Surfskis race 2
Exhibition Images Michael Esson: Mixed metaphors (Now Closed)
Manly Art Gallery & Museum hosted and is touring a survey exhibition of works by Michael Esson whose highly original drawings and installations focus on the figure, and drawing practice as forensic investigation. The works are drawn from his 30 years of artistic practice. The exhibition presents as a dynamic installation across all three gallery spaces.
Michael Esson, When Mice Replace Flowers, 2007, charcoal, conte and coloured pencil, 115 x 135cm. Image courtesy of the artist.
Drawing is a primary tool of the artist as well as many other disciplines where there is a need to investigate, record on site and define ideas and concepts. The immediacy and availability of materials can make drawing the most interactive and useful skill as well as an exercise in fearless exploration.
Michael Esson, Teacher of Impermanence, 2007, charcoal, conte, coloured pencil and pen, 135 x 220cm. Image courtesy of the artist.
In this exhibition, the process of inspiration and experience of one of Australia’s most dedicated artists is drawn out and focused on contemporary drawing. Michael Esson is the Director of the International Drawing Research Institute at COFA UNSW, and has for many years taught the discipline of drawing as an investigative art.
Michael Esson, Don't Criticize the Flowers, Image Courtesy of the Artist
Michael’s practice explores the human figure and concepts of human mortality and is underpinned by a search for cultural and physical identity. His practice has encompassed a long term exploration of the body; its structure and vulnerability, through personal narrative, physiology, physiognomy, psychology, drawing upon science and pseudoscience as a catalyst for creating visual interpretations of the human figure.