Immersive and vibrant multi-sensory works of colour, light, pattern, sound and movement will transform the NGV for The Kaleidoscopic Turn from 20 March 2015.
Drawn from the NGV Collection and featuring a number of recent acquisitions, the exhibition will bring together works by a range of artists experimenting with light, colour, movement, space and various optical effects from the 1960s to now, joining works by contemporary Australian figures with works by renowned international artists including British pioneer of the Op Art movement Bridget Riley (b. 1931).
Tony Ellwood, Director, NGV, said, ‘The Kaleidoscopic Turn will showcase the NGV’s rich collection of kinetic, op, geometric and sound art, presenting works which go beyond the boundaries of traditional static artworks to provoke intense and lively engagement. Through installations, sculptures, video art, paintings and works on paper, the exhibition will trace connections between artists working in colour, light, sound and space.’
The Kaleidoscopic Turn will predominantly present works from Australian contemporary artists, including a new acquisition by Sandra Selig, who will assemble a complex spatial installation made from coloured nylon thread which shifts in density from different viewpoints. The exhibition will also display works by Anne-Marie May, Elizabeth Newman, Marco Fusinato, Matt Hinkley, Eugene Carchesio, Diena Georgetti, Daniel von Sturmer, Tomislav Nikolic and John Nixon as well as works by emerging artists including Jonny Niesche, Briony Gilligan and Rafaella McDonald.
Whilst focusing largely on contemporary Australian art, the exhibition will also include a selection of works by international artists including key figures associated with the Op Art movement in the 1960s and 1970s such as Victor Vassarely, Bridget Riley and Jesus Soto, as well as a number of more recent works such as a dazzling air and videotape installation by Lithuanian artist Zilvinas Kempinas, a prismatic installation of shimmering light by Olafur Eliasson, an automated ‘drawing machine’ by Angela Bulloch and a spectacular geometric wall painting by Amsterdam-based Jan van der Ploeg.
Curators of the exhibition, Jane Devery, Curator of Contemporary Art, NGV, and Serena Bentley, Assistant Curator, Contemporary Art, NGV, commented that the exhibition presented a rare opportunity to view the NGV’s holdings of past and present kinetic and op artists.
‘The Kaleidoscopic Turn has allowed for some fascinating connections across time to emerge: between the luminous target paintings of Sydney artist Jonny Niesche and the hypnotic geometric paintings of the Polish émigré artist Stanislaus Ostoja-Kotkowski (1922-1994) for example; or the kinetic experiments of Argentinian artist Martha Boto (1925-2004) from the late 1960s and Brisbane artist Ross Manning’s contemporary mobile light sculpture made from coloured fluorescent lights.’
A series of public programs will accompany the exhibition including free curator floor talks. Visit ngv.vic.gov.au for further information.
The Kaleidoscopic Turn will be on display at The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia from 20 March 2015 to 23 August 2015. Open 10am-5pm, closed Mondays. Free entry.
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