The Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery is constantly on the hunt for innovative and inspiring pieces of work and the new exhibition, Line of Enquiry, is no different. Curated by the MPRG, Line of Enquiry brings together the work of over twenty artists from the collection that have pursued a particular line of enquiry – a sustained investigation into specific histories or sciences at the core of their practice. Artists featured include Danie Mellor, Juan Davila, local artist Lisa Roet, Patrick Pound and Deborah Williams.
While diverse in their styles and approach, these are the artists who explore social and political issues through historic sources; from a contemporary take on Colonial Australia by Danie Mellor, Sally Smart and Rew Hanks to a postmodernist approach, referencing art history alongside their own cultural histories by Juan Davila and Brian Robinson.
The exhibition includes works referencing varied sciences; Martin Howard Boscott’s examination of colour dispersion; Trinh Vu’s investigation of technological change and its impact; and animal behavioural research inspired the work of artists Lisa Roet, Jazmina Cininas and Deborah Williams.
The artists’ curiosity, search for knowledge and new perspectives have added new layers of meaning to established understandings of history and sciences. Their works of art illustrate different points of view, inviting more questions and providing avenues for new lines of enquiry.
Artist, Patrick Pound, with his piece Portrait of the Wind 2011, a digital print on rag paper, is an avid collector, equally interested in systems and the ordering of objects.
“I used to collect things that related to my artwork. Sometimes those things feed into the work, and then they started to become the work,” said Patrick, whose work playfully and poetically explores the art of collecting, and the ways in which things can hold and project ideas.
Local artist Lisa Roet displays her work Orang-utan, which demonstrates her investigation into the relationship between humans and primates, a notion at the forefront of her practise for over twenty years.
“For me, looking at an ape’s hand and fingers can be seen as looking at the primal beginnings of human kind,” said Lisa.
Danie Mellor, with his 2008 National Works on Paper award-winning work An Unsettled Vision (the predicament), investigates Spode designs to comment on the transformation of Australian land, flora and fauna following white settlement.
In each case, the artist’s curiosity, search for knowledge and new perspectives have added new layers of meaning to established understandings of history and sciences. Their works of art illustrate different points of view, inviting more questions and providing avenues for new lines of enquiry.
Line of Enquiry is at the Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery until November 18.