Daniel Thomas : Newspaper writings

"TELEGRAPH.' Sydney, N.S.W. THESE STOOD OUT IN '68 THERE were two ob% iously outstanding exhibitions in Sydney in 1968 - Marcel Duchamp and "The Field." lhichamp must be the only artist of world-wide influence to have been seen In a one-man show in Australia during his life- time. (We only Just made It; he died later in the year.) One had always thought Dut.oamp was so intellec- tual an artist that It didn't matter whether one saw his original., or not. One guessed ',net reading a book on him and look- ing at the reproductions would be enough. But the concentrated summary of his life's work In one room did in fact work far more powerfully than reading a book. And although he would insist that his ideas about visual art were more beautiful than the objects he actu- ally produced, and that the spectator contributes as much to the object as the artist does, yet the objects did act as the best possible Intermediary be- tween artist and spectator, and besides had a distinct flavor of their own. They had 'ante, splen- did bareness which must be the source of real mini- mal art. The followers of Duchamp are more often exuberantly enjoying his Instruction that anything at all is art if the artist says it is. Two Duchamp followers produced exhibitions of in- terest in Sydney: Bill Gre- gory of Adelaide showed the year's most enjoyable pottery. (The other pot show to remember was the New Zealander Barry Bricknell.) And Ti Parks of Melbourne showed more typical Dada pictures com- bining woollen clothes and painted geometry. Dick Watkins also had a touch of Duchamp, in his sur- prised ability to find art anywhere in many dispar- ate forms. "The Field" was a show put together by the Na- tional Gallery of Victoria to define and encourage a. recent direction in Aus- tralian art which had been distinctly discouraged by established dealers and critics. It was the first time a museum had done this in Australia. Once they had seen their work in a museum setting the (mostly young) partici- oants said, at a Sydney seminar, that it showed up their shortcomings. Many of them did suddenly start showing better work in the next few months, but the best was pretty good any- way. The movement defined in "The Field" was more widespread than a move- ment usually becomes In Australia. It produced more antagonism too. But blanket disapproval of any movement is always dan- gerous; always someone will emerge with quality too high to be ignored. And by the end of 1968 Michael Johnson, Ron Robertson- Swann and John Peart seemed to have reached a considerable public. ART with Daniel Thomas mal," bard -edge, etc. Only Garry Shead continues consistently to produce such splendidly outrageous objects of dirty fur, wire and furniture as his piece In the Arts Vietnam ex- hibition. Other impure works of some beauty were Janet Dawson's painting "Wall," and Tony Coleing's plant - life sculitures. (He was the year's . ompletely new name.) Quite outside any move- ment or mainstream or aNNO WHAT'S ON Art Gallery of New South Wales: Gaudier- Brzeska ; Permanent collection. Newcastle City Art Gallery: Eric Thake; CAS-Kolotex exhibition David Jones': Fine and Decorative Arts. Rudy Komori: Mixed show. ,".WP The movement has been loosely and quite I -accur- ately called "minimal art," but In New York where the term originates It means something much more bare and plain and colorless than the often romantic abstraction of "The Field." McGillick's deadpan repet- itions come close to real minimal art but nobody much else. Along with sculpture, often made by painters, there was some other ex- periment in media -in light, movement, film-but the intermedla revolution Is hardly upon us yet. Nor is there much funk art to oppose the purity of "mini - anti -mainstream were two very independent exhibi- tions that gave Immense pleasure. Both were rather simple and emessive, Helen Ogilvie whit small lovely buildings, Donald Laycock with large flamboyant fruits. Both were technical- ly very assured. What should have been major events but weren't quite, were the loan of a marvellous Anthony Caro sculpture to the CAS, and the first purchases for the Power Bequest. How can a major event last only a couple of weeks? And how can they be given less than best possible display and histallat Ion? At leist the Power Be- quest show gave us some- thing more up to date from Prance than the official French agencies have sup- plied (AubuTonn tapestries mostly) and guely's and others' kinetics were re- freshing to see. The paint- ings, except for Roger Cook's padded canvases, were less so. Outside Sydney there was one major event, the Sicked one-man show at the Adelaide Festival. The Festival's fall -out also gave Sydney some beautiful old - master drawings, and an intelligent show of con- temporary German paint- ing with Oraubner as its revelation. Outside Sydney also there could have been a most worthwhile journey to Newcastle for Rupert Bunny, just to learn about his decorative mythologies, praising the temptations of fruit, flowers and flesh. Half this exhibition cam% to the Manly Art Gall9ty. On the whole a mixed-up year. J c