by Stephenie Cahalan
After
the modern, casual and relaxed vibe of the MCA, then the gritty reinvention of
Cockatoo Island, day three of our Sydney Biennale binge took us to the Art
Gallery of New South Wales. It is a classical gallery, complete with stately facade
and a charming, uniformed man in the cloakroom. It is orderly, earnest and heavy with the gravitas of an institution groaning under the weight of art of every
era and provenance.
Here
the Biennale does not take centre stage but shares the space with
other visiting and permanent exhibitions. So does it suffer for being crammed
in amongst many other outstanding and ferociously famous displays? I don't think so.
The Biennale as found here at the AGNSW continues to offer an exciting journey into
contemporary art, in so many thoughtful, creative, imaginative and downright
clever forms.
Baby
powder, embroidery, burnt microscopes, organic matter, rubber thongs, maps,
more maps, digital imagery, sound and movement. Oceans, water, trees, migratory
paths, ice, cities, river plains and dammed gorges. There is so much going on and
I recall no piece of work that I walked away from without feeling a sense of
profound respect for the artist.
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| Everything is going to be alright by Guido van der Werwe |
So
now that I have described three of the major Biennale venues, I feel like I can
go back and revisit the details of the works. Where to begin…
