Uncommon World
Aspects of Contemporary Australian Art
15 Jul – 22 Oct 2000
Neil Roberts, Half ether, half dew mixed with sweat, 2000, purchased 2002
About
Uncommon World brings together a diverse selection of recent Australian art. The exhibition includes works in a range of media – paintings, prints, photographs, decorative art and installations. These works have been drawn from the collection of the National Gallery of Australia and supplemented with significant loans from artists as well as other public and private collections.
The title is taken from a poem by John Thompson about the artist Clarice Beckett, written around the time of her death. While the art in the exhibition does not have any direct correlation with Beckett, the phrase itself encapsulates much of the strange, evocative poetry in works by artists such as Rosslynd Piggott, Euan MacLeod, Louise Hearman, Anne Ferran and others. It also suggests the notion of artists generating distinctive worlds through their work – inspiring new ways of thinking, imagining and remembering.
Uncommon World: Aspects of Contemporary Australian Art demonstrates the National Gallery's ongoing commitment to contemporary art. Rather than seeking to toe any particular line, the aim is to convey the diversity and vitality of current art practice.
Deborah Hart
Senior Curator, Australian Art
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