Source Unsplash, Photography: Ivan Tsaregorodtsev
It used to be a refuge from the world-far south of the world, Australia’s long coastline cut off the hustle and bustle. Today, maturing art institutions and Aboriginal art have won attention for the country, but the self-sufficient market also makes its prospects a mystery-when the spotlight is on Australia, will it be closer or farther away from the international art world?
#01
# Train to the Feast
After May, cold wind and rain in southern Australia, the southern hemisphere approaching late autumn. Standing on the terrace of the new museum of the Art Gallery of New South Wales (Art of New South Wales), beside you is a floral sculpture created by Yayoi Kusama. Looking to the northwest, you can see the Sydney Opera House facing the sea.
This is a new venue designed by Japanese architect SANAA for the museum’s Sydney Modern Project expansion project. The project, which began in 2013 and cost a total of A $0.344 billion, has also commissioned nine international artists, including Yayoi Kusama, to create it-it is regarded as an important cultural event in the city for half a century, as well as the Sydney Opera House. In the words of the curator, Mike Brand (Michael Brand), it can “change Sydney”.
Aerial view of new museum designed by SANAA for NSW Art Museum, pictures©Iwan Baan
From ground to wall: Mikala Dwyer, The divisions and subtractions, 2017; Tom Polo, The most elaborate disguise, 2016, “Making Worlds” exhibition site, photo 2019©Art Gallery of New South Wales, Zan Wimberley
Since its unveiling at the end of last year, “Sydney Hyundai” has welcomed millions of visitors to the museum within five months. Mike Brand, on the other hand, deserves to be a behind-the-scenes trader. He and Glenn D. Lowry, the current curator of MoMA, are Harvard alumni who have co-authored books; from 2005 to 2010, he was at the J. Paul Getty Museum. Where people can’t see it, a network of relationships has spread from Australia to the world.
Australia is not a place of no dependence, but is poised to take off. South of Sydney, the Victoria National Gallery (National Gallery of Victoria) in Melbourne is working with the state government to build The Fox: NGV Contemporary, Australia’s largest contemporary art and design gallery, which is expected to be completed in 2028.
The Fox: NGV Contemporary concept map, designed by Angelo Candalepas and Associates, shad by Darcstudio photo©National Gallery of Victoria
Alexander McQueen: Mind, Myth, Muse, National Gallery of Victoria, 2023 photo©Tom Ross
This is its third branch. Previously, the National Gallery of Victoria has exhibited artists comparable to the world’s top institutions, such as Picasso, Cai Guoqiang, Dior and Alexander McQueen. According to the museum’s statistics, by 2020, the proportion of international tourists can account for about 25%; during the epidemic, Victoria blockade, the museum’s WeChat public platform alone is the world’s largest museum reading.
Picasso’s “Portrait of a woman (Portrait de femme)”, oil on canvas, 98 × 77.5cm,1938, exhibited in “Picasso Century”, Victoria National Art Museum, 2022, Centre Pompidou, Paris, Musée national d’art moderneCentre de création industrielle Gift of the artist, 1947©Succession Picasso/Copyright Agency, 2022 photo©Centre Pompidou, MNAMCCI/Georges Meguerditchian/Dist. RMN-GP
Francis Gilot (Françoise Gilot) “Sink and tomatoes (Evier et tomates)”, plywood, oil paint, 91.8 × 72.8cm,1951, exhibited in “Picasso Century”, Victoria National Gallery, Centre Pompidou, Paris, Musée national d’art moderne-Centre de création industrielle Purchase, 1952©Françoise Gilot Photo©Centre Pompidou, MNAMCCI/Bertrand Prévost/Dist. RMN-GP
Sydney and Melbourne are the important cities of New South Wales and Victoria respectively. The two states have a large population, many art institutions and great market potential. In addition to public museums, Sydney also has the White Rabbit Art Museum (White Rabbit Gallery), which is one of the world’s largest collections of Chinese contemporary art; in the suburbs of Melbourne, the Lyon House Art Museum (Lyon House Museum) combines private residences and museums. One, presenting the best collection of Australian contemporary art.
White Rabbit Art Museum Appearance
Lyon Residential Art Gallery
Museum of Old and New Art, Photo©Mona/Jesse Hunniford
Further south, mysterious Tasmania is home to the largest private museum in the southern hemisphere-the Museum of Old and New Art. Its owner, collector David Walsh (David Walsh) has strong financial resources, the venue has an international background team operation, capital and resources can not be underestimated. The performance art godmother Marina Abramovich has been away from Australia for 17 years and will hold her first exhibition in the museum.
All of the above shows the determination of Australian art institutions to gain an international foothold. What’s more, this land also breeds the country’s oldest surviving art form-indigenous art.
#02
# The rise of indigenous art
Looking back from the world, Australia has become more and more dazzling in recent years, and aboriginal art has attracted the attention of the industry. The “small climax” started in North America in 2015: the exhibition “No Boundaries: Contemporary Aboriginal Abstract Painting” (No Boundaries: Aboriginal Australian Contemporary Abstract Painting) and “Marking Unlimited: Contemporary Australian Aboriginal Women Artists” (Making the Infinite: Contemporary Women Artists from Aboriginal Australia) push this kind of art to the core circle.
“Logo Infinity: Contemporary Australian Aboriginal Women Artists” exhibition site, Art Museum of Tulane,2016
“Since 2019, Gagosian has held the exhibition ‘Desert Painters of Australia: Two Generations, ‘which toured New York, Los Angeles, and Hong Kong, China, to take aboriginal art to international heights. Last year, Sotheby’s in New York also held a mallet for it, with good results.” Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery sales director Victoria Scott (Victoria Scott) said. She has been with the gallery since 2017 and is responsible for clients worldwide. The leading Australian gallery has been representing Aboriginal artists since the early 1980 s.
Emily Kame Kngwarreye, The Anoorala-My Story, 1991, in The Desert Painter: Two Generations, Gagosian, 2020
Emily Cam Kenwori, “Yam Dreaming”, 1995, exhibited in “Desert Painter: Two Generations”, Gagosian, 2020
In addition, Bonhams Australia is the only international auction house with a branch in Australia. When it was founded in 2010, Aboriginal art was one of the four auction blocks. The market for this type of art originated in the 1970 s. “For half a century, there have been long-term followers, and 50% of the collectors are from Europe and the United States; from the late 1990 s to about 2008, the market doubled every year.” Merlin Shriver (Merryn Schriever), director of Bonhams auction house in Australia, shared. In 2017, British singer Elton John’s collection of Aboriginal art was commissioned for auction. The American Hollywood actor Steve Martin is also a big collector of this kind of art.
Fred Williams (Fred Williams) “You Yangs landscape 1 1963”, oil paint, fiberboard, 137 × 180.3cm,1963, sold in bonhams Australia in 2013 for A $2.287 million, which is the most expensive Australian artist’s work sold by the auction house.
Australian Aborigines have tens of thousands of years of history, and their art is mostly created with points, straight lines, arcs and geometry. “Many people think it is similar to abstract expressionism. The master of minimalism, Sol LeWitt, has collected the works of the aboriginal artists Emily Kame Kngwarreye and Gloria Petyarre.” Mike Brand, director of the New State Museum of Art, believes that for ordinary audiences, this kind of art is easier to understand than the works of abstract expressionist master Jackson Pollock. “They have a direct symbolic meaning. For example, abstract circles are puddles in the desert, and some marks represent the paths of animals. It seems abstract, but behind it is the legend and story of an ethnic group.”
In addition to history and mythology, the artistic style of more and more new generation of aboriginal artists is contemporary, and the works of colonial topics resonate internationally. “Like the artist Daniel Boyd.” It has been working with Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery for nearly 20 years. Victoria Scott, the gallery’s sales director, said: “He has expanded his personal history into universal themes such as colonization and immigration. Through his understanding of colonial history, he has used” light “to show the past and reshape archives, art history and even family photos.” Boyd is well-known in the art world. He has exhibited at the Venice Biennale, and his solo exhibition at the Gropius Museum in Berlin closed in July. “Too many international collectors want to buy his work, and the waiting list is quite long.”
Daniel boyd’s “Untitled (SCAMSCI)”, oil on canvas, archive glue, 189 × 266.5cm, photo 2018©Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery
“Daniel Boyd:Rainbow Serpent(Version)” exhibition site, exhibited at the Gropius Gallery, Berlin, 2023
Globalization and capital expansion have accelerated public attention and understanding of aboriginal art. But the market metabolism is extremely fast, the works are unique and the supply is large. The creative community of Aboriginal art is not small-according to 2019 statistics, about 90 art centers (Art Center) were recorded. Since indigenous people live in remote areas, they can assist the economic development of this group and regulate the market. Institutions and galleries cooperate with fixed art centers, which profit from the latter and dealers respectively.
Victoria Scott is also confident that this creation is unique enough. At the Sydney Contemporary Arts Fair in September, Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery held a solo exhibition for Aboriginal artist Dhambit Munueregurr. The gallery also represented Australian artists Patricia Pignini (Patricia Piccinini), Tracey Moffatt (Tracey Moffatt) and David Noonan (David Noonan). “Everyone is looking for different types of art. Australian art is beautiful and fascinating, and it’s different from the way you normally think about it. It’s the antidote to the crazy, fast world.”
David Noonan Solo Exhibition “MASKEN” Live, Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery,2023 photo©Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery
Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery Solo Exhibition for Aboriginal Artist Dhambit Munugle Gurr, Sydney Contemporary Art Fair, 2023
#03
# Self-contained market
Even so, the Australian art scene seems to be far from the world stage, and the works of Aboriginal and Australian artists account for a small share of the international market. And their names are rarely seen in the list of top artists recognized in people’s hearts.
Emily kam kenwori’s “My Country”, polymer, canvas, 133.5 × 370cm,1993, elton john and david furnish hidden, sold in bonhams Australia in 2017 for A $414000
This is attributed to the geographical location, Australia for hundreds of years with the arts center at the north and south ends. Merlin Shriver mentioned that “the distance and service costs are too high, and there are also logistical difficulties”, which led to the lack of influence of the two major sections of “Australian Art” and “Aboriginal Art” on an international scale. One practitioner, who did not want to be named, also believes that the responsibility lies outside: the doors of the arts center are not open to the country. He complained that his gallery was “often rejected by European and American art fairs”, and even head institutions and good artists were not spared.
Looking inward, the local market has been self-sufficient for a long time. “Australia has a small art market and a strong sense of boundaries. There’s a pathetically small amount of gossip here.” The founder and director of COMA, Sotiris Sautrio (Sotiris Sotiriou), recalled the situation before opening the gallery and when he was an art consultant, “You can see artists from all over the world when you go to the gallery in new york, but our artists are not famous internationally.” Sauterio then put it down to the fact that Australian artists had little interaction with the international art world and had difficulty creating topics. “They only look at the creation of local artists is not enough.”
Renée Estée solo exhibition “Choral Ode” live, exhibited in COMA, Sydney, 2023 photo©COMA
Mia Middleton solo exhibition “Three Secrets”, exhibited in COMA, Sydney, photo 2022©COMA
Victoria Scott holds a similar view: “The primary market here is strong, but the secondary market is not comparable to the international market. Moreover, Australia is not a fast market, speculation (flipping) is not very present, collectors tend to hold for the long term, and we can wait 15-20 years to train an artist and his market.”
However, in Sauterio’s view, Australia’s international alienation is not a matter of distance or buying and hiding. There is no shortage of good galleries that have been in operation for 30 or 40 years, with space, works and resources, but there seems to be no intention of transporting artists to the world. Patricia Piginini, for example, is represented by only two galleries in Melbourne and Sydney. “I called before and asked, ‘Why don’t you introduce important artists to larger galleries in the northern hemisphere? This will promote their careers. ‘Their answers seemed to be ‘why’ and ‘we can’t profit from it’.”
Patricia Pignini Solo Exhibition “Curious Affection”, Queensland Art Gallery & Gallery of Modern Art ,2018
In 2016, COMA was established with the strategy of exporting Australian artists and bringing in international artists. During the conversation, Sauterio shared his plans for the second half of the year: in November, the artists he represents will show at one of the largest galleries on the west coast of the United States. He will reach a cooperation and then contact another good gallery for him in new york. “Artists will have a solid ‘triangle’ of three galleries, which will be a good and strong market.”
Mia Middleton at Booth Robert Projects, Basel, Miami, 2023
Some people enclose themselves, others are willing to break the game. In Sauterio’s view, if 20 galleries in Australia do the same thing in the future, the situation will change greatly. After all, now that new stars are iterating, there are artists in small countries who are advancing into the finals, making it difficult for capital to miss a good artist.
There is no lack of hope and optimism in Australia, it’s just the beginning. In November, a solo exhibition by American artist Louise Bourgeois is being held at the New State Museum of Art. Next year, Aboriginal artist Archie Moore will represent Australia at the Venice Biennale. This is only the second appearance of the Aboriginal on the stage. For the first time, in 2017, artist Tracy Moffat, represented by Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, broke the ice.
“Louise Bourgeois: Has the Day Invaded the Night or Has the Night Invaded the Day?” at the New State Museum of Art, 2023-2024
Then, can Australia, which has been laid out for a long time, take the train to the feast? “It’s 2023. For me, there is no such thing as distance. Let me tell you how far Australia is from the international market.” Sauterio smiled sly. “It’s just a phone call.”
(Source: Harper’s Bazaar Art)
