Erased: contemporary Australian drawing

Simryn Gill: Four atlases of the world and one of stars, 2009 paper, glue, dimensions variable © the artist

To launch its 2011 exhibition program, The National Art School Gallery is presenting Erased: contemporary Australian drawing from 24 February – 26 March 2011.

Erased is an exhibition of six major Australian contemporary artists who use the act of erasure as a form of creation. This touring exhibition is organised by the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, and Asialink, The University of Melbourne, and is curated by Natasha Bullock, Curator of Contemporary Art, AGNSW.

The National Art School Gallery is the sole Australian venue for the presentation of this exhibition which includes the artists Vernon Ah Kee, Christian Capurro, Simryn Gill, Jonathan Jones, Tom Nicholson and Raquel Ormella. The presentation at the National Art School Gallery includes new work by Vernon Ah Kee made specifically for the presentation in Sydney. The exhibition is further enhanced by the addition of works by Jonathan Jones and Raquel Ormella not originally included in the tour.

The artists in the exhibition utilise the ever-varied medium of drawing to explore ideas and issues ranging from environmental awareness and the nature of place, to more subtle statements about the influence of visual media and image-making in contemporary culture. From Christian Capurro’s erasure of images in glossy magazines using a process of rubbing, layering and image-transfer; Vernon Ah Kee’s monumental vanishing/appearing faces of Indigenous residents from Palm Island; Simryn Gill’s three-dimensional re-compositions of pages from world and star atlases; to Raquel Ormella’s humorous inclusion of the bureaucratic whiteboard as the support for her drawings, the works in Erased: contemporary Australian drawing speak of the passage of time, history, the present, memory and the document/archive.

 Vernon Ah Kee, Unwritten #10 (detail) 2008, charcoal on canvas, 150 x 90 cm, © the artist

Drawing has always played a critical role as a foundation stone for tuition at the National Art School. NAS is committed to ensuring that practice, research and scholarship in drawing underpins creative development in all aspects of art education at the School. The NAS Gallery exhibition program continues to profile drawing as a vital area of artistic practice. Drawing is in many respects an act of discovery; Erased: contemporary Australian drawing provides a broad and vibrant interpretation of how artists approach the traditions and innovations of drawing within a twenty-first century context.

An Asialink and Art Gallery of New South Wales travelling exhibition presented in association with the National Art School.

PUBLIC EVENTS
Saturday, 5 March 2 – 3pm, Free
Gallery Talk, NAS Gallery
Katie Dyer, NAS Curator, will take visitors on a guided tour of the exhibition.

Wednesday, 16 March, 1-2pm, Free
Art Forum, Cell Block Theatre
Erased exhibiting artist Raquel Ormella will speak about her work and its engagement with ideas of political consciousness and social action.

Art Month Late Night Thursday, 17 March, Free
NAS Gallery will remain open until 8pm. Information on other late night venues and Art Bar details are available from www.artmonthsydney.com

Saturday, 19 March, 12-1pm, Free
Drawing Workshop, NAS Gallery

As part of the Art Month Precinct Tour, NAS will host a one hour drawing workshop that connects participants with the art works in the exhibition Erased: contemporary Australian drawing. Led by an experienced art educator, visitors will be inspired by the varying approaches and practices of the exhibiting artists. All welcome, no experience required, materials will be provided.

Location: National Art School Gallery

National Art School, Forbes St, Darlinghurst (cnr of Forbes and Burton Sts)
Guest Curator Natasha Bullock, Curator, Contemporary Art, Art Gallery of New South Wales

NAS Curator Katie Dyer

Dates: 24 February – 26 March 2011
Opening 23 February, 6 – 8pm

Times 10am – 4pm (Closed Sundays & Public Holidays)

Phone 02 9339 8686

Email nasgallery@det.nsw.edu.au

Web www.nas.edu.au

FREE ADMISSION