In the 20th Anniversary of the Adelaide Biennial we are presented with an exhibition encouraging us to seek knowledge through an altered state of consciousness and the mysterious. Before and after Science is the collaboration of 22 of the nations most prominent contemporary artists and artist groups. Works are presented with underlying themes of mythology, astronomy, occults and their roles in the knowledge of science. A diverse range of medium and materials are exhibited, many for the first time and inclusive of installation, sculpture, tapestry and even a robot Sir Isaac Newton.
As we descend the stair into the exhibition at the Gallery of South Australia we are greeted with an audio piece, Decent Extremist, Christian Thompson, which is almost inaudible at first. A Bidjara man of the Kunja nation uses recordings of his voice in their traditional language, reading from anthropologist J.G Breen’s Bidyara and Gungabula grammar and vocabulary. This invisible rhythmic and trance like sound, coaxes us downwards into the main gallery, enticing feelings of mystery of what may lay ahead and left resonating in our thoughts.
We are then greeted by the intriguing installation The Additions and Subtractions by Mikala Dwyer. Mikala has embraced a new method of producing her art by consulting a clairvoyant to envisage what form her future exhibitions may take. A new concept in art production yet encourages a confidence while being open to unpredictability. We are encouraged to enter the circle’s centre created by the elements surrounding. Where does the circle begin and end? We can’t know. Mikala draws inspiration from an attraction to the occult and her own spirituality. She works with a variety of materials in a sculpturally eclectic method ensuring an alluring composition. This particular installation is site specific and as she becomes one with the space and the sculptural forms she creates the result is an installation produced within in a matter of days. This piece resonates energy onto the viewer only to be truly revealed when we are open to the additions and subtractions in our own subconscious.
Since we are opening our altered subconscious, this will assist us in understanding James Morrison’s work. He has brought to life a mixture of biology both past and present through sculptural elements that convince you they are drawings leapt from the page. In Worm Blood Dripping, Morrison’s combination of the Stone Age Man with an unnerving distant gaze encounters a mid-flight medieval gargoyle baring a delicious serpent tongue, are dramatic at first meeting. This juxtaposed with a central mythological diorama, almost overlooked at your feet, includes beautiful and mysterious black swans and a tribal artifact snapped off, lying unsettlingly lifeless beside. It is in the effective use of light that these creatures cast eerie shadows contributing to their intimidating characters. Especially in the case of the hanging gothic gargoyle, slowly rotating seems to follow you, ensuring you acknowledge his presence. James’ works have a common naturalist feel and he often addresses themes of myth and the people/nature interaction. These beautiful contemporary paper mache sculptures with intricate ink decoration, encourage us to figure out what has happened here in the past to get to this point – or what is just about to happen?
The uncertainty of a changing knowledge and opening to an altered reality and the superstitious excites the senses and greets us in the form of another challenging medium. A beautiful transcendent tapestry piece by David Noonan. Originally produced on screen print, the Curators saw the process of David’s collaboration with the Victorian Tapestry Workshop unfolding and knew it had a place within the exhibition. The monochromatic and complex layering of a variety of rich iconography, including Unicorns and Peacocks, evokes themes of the supernatural and the occult effortlessly and innovatively through the tapestry medium and encouraging of the viewer’s quest of a new understanding and appreciation.
Flowing throughout the exhibition, the Biennial Curators have chosen pieces that evidently encourage us to develop innovative means of embracing knowledge and of history. Even Simon Yates’s Anti-Gravity, a Robot Sir Isaac Newton questions the history we have come to know and it is from one great to another, Albert Einstein that said in his essay, The World As I See It, ‘The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science’. It is with those words we can truly appreciate the importance of seeking our own knowledge through the exhibitions message.
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Bibliography
D’Alleva, Anne, How to Write Art History, London: Laurence King Publishing Ltd., 2006.
Day, Charlotte, Tutton, Sarah, Before and After Science, 2010 Biennial of Australian Art, Exhibition Catalogue. Adelaide, South Australia: Thames & Hudson, 2010
‘Writing Exhibition Reviews’ – Simon Fraser University, Vancouver Canada Website. http://www.sfu.ca/~jaradul/reviews.html
‘The World As I See It’ An Essay by Albert Einstein - American Institute of Physics Website. http://www.aip.org/history/einstein/essay.htm
