Daniel Thomas : Newspaper writings

From "MORNING HERALD''/I0 itt.) Sydney, N.S.W. F B An Australian Asian 1ty DANIEL THOMAS AMONG the 13 artists in the Katachi lien group's exhibition of Japanese calligraphic paintings at the Wool- lahra Gallery there is one ring -in. The small portrait photograph shows him avoiding the camera's scrutiny, bit,. he has a beard, which is un-Japan- ese, and his name is Roy- ston Haring. It's our old mate Roy, from Birch - grove, Sydney. Another member of the group, Shotei !Nita, appar- ently its leader, has held exhibitions in Sydney, Melbourne and Wollon- gong over the past seven years. It's all part of the easy, relaxed interchange between Australia and Asia which has been possible among the young for some time - all the Katachi Izen people arc under 40. To own one of these black semi -ink paintings (prices $70 to $700) would be a conspicuous token of political, sociological and economic belief in Austra- lia's Asian future. But what about aesthet- ic satisfaction? These arc products of an old and alien culture, indeed of the city. Kyoto, which is Japan's ancient cultural capital, We need to work a little, we need to train our- selves, before we can ap- precife them on more than' flft level of decora- tion. Mainly, we need to know that painting and writine are fused in this art. They atile,not such separate aetivittlit as in the West. .r"thrtlf On the onifilitidd, Japan- ese characters lire re- motely &:7, ccnded from pictorial signs. And the characters are written with a brush, with black swill - ink. And beautiful call- igraphy or handwriting is admired 'and collected for its own sakOirkgapan. On t cl,eve when y artists become ested in the abs of this kind of blae d -white painting, fig' Sol I Its record of a bril4Mfarmance of physi - the control of rapid brushwork and pools of liquid on paper -- there is still sometimes an approxima- tion of a written word. To a Japanese spectator some of these beautiful marks will read like poems, or Posters. Shptei lbant's "Japanese Gardon'' screen has a masterly 1001t. Otherwise Royston Har- per seems perhaps because something unidcntlh y Western re- maining in his work. Maybe it is the breathing, open surface of his pig- ment. Unlike some of his fellow Japanese. he never uses a flat, dead black. In- stead, the white ground always shows through, edges are not hard, but have stained halation. I am not sure, but I think luminous, activated surfaces arc a Western tradition, and that flat, decoratively outlit Id sur- faces are more ch 'racter- istic of the East. Upstairs the Woollahra Gallery shows work by one or two Australians who have been interested in the Japanese affirmation of individuality by leap -in - the -dark gestures, among them Peter Upward. Also upstairs are five subtle constructions of wire and shadow by the young artist Alex Fried. Otherwise this week has little of interest: at the Macquarie. figure draw- ings and ceramic figurines by Ralph Wacker, bleached acidemic land- scapes and figures, a long way after Godfrey Miller and Cezanne. by Elizabeth Frith; at Rudy Komor some gaudy outbackery by Roy Dalgarno, better when modelled than when more flatly modern. Better to enjoy anothe look at the Hessing-Gaz zard show at Bonython and Don Nice's realism a Gallery A.