Cars

This quote from the character Rachel Flax in the 1990 film Mermaids (written by June Robert and based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Patty Dann), perfectly communicates that cars are more than vehicles, more than modes of transport. They are symbols of modernity, masculinity, force, industrialisation, freedom and adulthood.

This display will feature This Jaguar’s going to heaven 2018, a large-scale sculptural installation by Sarah Lucas, newly acquired by the National Gallery of Australia and on display here for the first time. The work makes comments about gender, power, sex and death, through a dismembered car, burned and covered in cigarettes.

Closer to home, the place of the car in Australian culture is shown through works such as Neptune blue, Falcon 2023, a large-scale canvas by Australian artist Ben Quilty, and Bathurst car races, Mount Panorama, New South Wales 1999, a photograph by Trent Parke that portrays relatable yet dangerous Australian larrikinism.

Cars presents significant new acquisitions as well as highlights from the national collection, emphasising the impact of the car on life and culture through art from around the world.