Saturday, January 9, 2010

Fun in the City

On Thursday we headed into the city to see the Ricky Swallow show Bricoleur at the Ian Potter NGV Gallery in Federation Square. On the way up the stairs at the gallery we wandered through the 2009 Clemenger Art Award and came across Destiny Deacon's latest piece. She is always super cool and precise in her gaze. I was also overcome with joy when I realised that by participating in Julie Gough's Forcefield 2, I could help erase the text of Keith Windschuttle's book, The Fabrication of Aboriginal History. It cheered me up immensely and I stepped on every page glued to the floor. Language, symbols and words have significance and power and change the way people think. They need to be addressed with energy and thought and that is precisely what Deacon and Gough ensure we do. Go and dance on Windschuttle's lies in the knowledge that some white Australians are still trying to deny our black history while you grin at the bravado and cheekiness of Deacon's Miss Diss Graces and Jacky Of All Trades and the stereotypes and perceptions they are aiming to subvert.

And Swallow's work? Amazing. Detailed and powerful wood sculptures because of the detail.