Page 28-29 - Annual Review 2009

Relive
28 Spencer Finch: As if the sea
should part and show a
further sea
28 February – 5 July 2009, GoMA & QAG
Contemporary American artist Spencer Finch
explores the elusive and poetic qualities of
human perception using a range of media,
including light installations, watercolour,
photography, video and fluorescent light.
‘Spencer Finch: As if the sea should part
and show a further sea’ was the artist’s first
Australian exhibition. GoMA’s Media Gallery
showed important pieces from the past 15
years of the artist’s practice, alongside new and
previously unexhibited works. Finch also created
an installation encompassing the entire glass
corridor of the Queensland Art Gallery’s Gibson
entrance, Stanley Place. Clad with coloured
light filters, the corridor transformed Brisbane’s
sunlight — at particular times of day — to match
the quality of light from a candle burning in the
artist’s Brooklyn studio. The exhibition catalogue
was produced in a limited edition of 1000, each
containing a unique insert produced by the artist
in the garden of American poet Emily Dickinson.
The view from elsewhere:
Small acts
25 July – 15 November 2009
Media Gallery, GoMA
The view from elsewhere
7 October – 15 November 2009
Australian Cinémathèque, GoMA
Contemporary video art and cinema practice
from Asia and the Middle East featured in
the Australian Cinémathèque’s The view from
elsewhere, with screenings of digital feature
films, documentary films, shorts, experimental
film and video art. Artists and filmmakers
included Ayisha Abraham, Sasithorn Ariyavicha,
Ranu Ghosh, Amos Gitaï, Hu Jie, Jocelyne Saab,
Wang Jianwei, Apichatpong Weerasethakul and
Yoo Soon-mi.
‘Small acts’ was the associated exhibition
of installed video works, in which artists
performed acts for the camera. Early works by
Nam June Paik and Yoko Ono were presented
alongside contemporary works by artists
including Tsui Kuang-yu, Ghazel, Kimsooja and
Song Dong. The view from elsewhere and ‘Small
acts’ contribute to an awareness that there are
many art histories particular to different cultural
traditions in the region. Mark Nash, Head of
Curating Contemporary Art, Royal College
of Art, London, contributed to the exhibition
catalogue.
The view from elsewhere and ‘Small acts’ were presented
in partnership with the Sherman Contemporary Art
Foundation, Sydney.
Spencer Finch / CIE 529/418 (Candlelight) 2009 / filters and tape /
Site-specific work installed in the Gibson Entrance, QAG
Right: Untitled (After Emily Dickinson) 2009 / Window film with adhesive /
Collection: The artist / Image courtesy: The artist
Koki Tanaka / Simple Gesture and Temporary Sculpture 2008 /
HDV transferred to DVD, 4:3, colour, sound and silent, 3:26 mins
/ Image courtesy of the artist and Aoyama | Meguro, Tokyo