• ACAE Gallery
• Exhibition day: 18 June - 16 July 2022

In Focus: Conversations With Eight Contemporary Artists

IN FOCUS: CONVERSATIONS WITH EIGHT CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS

At the commencement of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the situation for many in Australia was compounded by the devastating Black Summer bushfires that caused widespread destruction to both the human and natural world. In this unprecedented setting, artists could scarcely do otherwise than respond to these natural challenges. In Focus: Conversations With Eight Contemporary Artists examines the work of eight artists responding to the challenges of the 2020s.

Zhou Yinong

Artist Zhou Yinong travelled to the bushfire affected areas of Victoria, capturing the blackened landscape. His watercolour on paper compositions set the tone for what would prove to be a bleak two-year period, characterised for the most part by the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown, but also by renewal.  

Sarah Mottram

In contrast, Melbourne-based artists including Bess Xueyang Hu, Sarah Mottram, David Freney-Mills and Tony Scott found the studio to be a welcome place of retreat. Each artist took the opportunity to delve deeply into their areas of interest: the human figure in isolation; the poetics of the written language; the subtle variations inscribed into antique architecture, and the possibilities of fantasy architectural forms.

Bess Xueyang Hu

David Freney-Mills

Tony Scott

In Chengdu, Tibetan born artist Gonkar Gyatso took to recording his own experiences during the COVID-19 lockdown. His works included depictions of the now ubiquitous surgical masks that appeared across the social landscape as well as personal self-portraits of the artist undergoing mandatory testing. 

Gonkar Gyatso

In contrast, Hong Kong based artist Kwong Man Chun captured nocturnal scenes of bonsai plants, each depicted in singular isolation. While the lockdown period had its challenges, it is noteworthy that each of the artists found inspiration through embracing the isolation and pursuing their creative practices. ‘In Focus’ provides a snapshot into their most recent works.

Kwong Man Chun

Chen Fei