Page 68-69 - Annual Review 2009

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Dorrit Black
In the foothills 1942
This work has been recognised as one of Dorrit
Black’s most mature and successful landscapes.
Despite its traditional subject matter, In the
foothills is a radical painting. The unusually
elevated viewpoint, the lack of a conventional
foreground and the boldly rendered outlines
of the hills emphasises their treatment as mass
and form. The painting complements modernist
prints in the Collection by Black and her
contemporaries.
Richard Daintree
(Images of Queensland) c. 1870
These rare photographs document the
people, places, and lifestyles of early colonial
Queensland. They develop the Gallery’s
collection of nineteenth-century Queensland
photography and were exhibited in ‘150
Years: Photography in Queensland from the
Gallery’s Collection’, shown in the Xstrata Coal
Queensland Artists’ Gallery, QAG.
Contemporary Australian art
In 2008, the Gallery presented ‘Contemporary
Australia: Optimism’, the first in a new triennial
series of major contemporary Australian art
exhibitions. The exhibition presented more
than 250 works and was a major project of the
2008–09 program. It was also the focus for
significant acquisitions, some acquired through
a Queensland Art Gallery Foundation Appeal.
Included were works by mid-career artists and
outstanding examples of works by emerging
Australian artists. Acquisitions from ‘Optimism’
in 2009 included works by Emily Floyd, Tony
Schwensen, Kathy Temin, Patricia Piccinini, Arlo
Mountford and Gemma Smith.
Emily Floyd
Permaculture crossed with feminist
science fiction 2008
Emily Floyd’s sculptural installation is a major
achievement and a signature piece for future
displays in GoMA. Influenced by the relationship
between mass media, popular culture, politics
and art, this work draws on environmental
considerations and popular science-fiction
texts.
Kathy Temin
My monument: White forest 2008
This is the largest and one of the most important
works made by this significant Australian artist.
Drawing on the artist’s family history, its maze-
like form evokes journeys in snowy European
landscapes that suggest hope, rather than
despair, as the destination. (Installation view,
pp.48–49.)
Darren Sylvester
The explanation is boring. It’s simple.
I don’t care. 2006, printed 2009
Darren Sylvester established his reputation
as one of Australia’s most interesting
young photographers in the mid 2000s. His
photography speaks to viewers in the same
language as advertising and popular culture,
though his images have their foundations in
the painterly tradition.
Laith McGregor
Dear Mister Mystical Man 2009
Beginning in real life but borne along by
nostalgia, McGregor’s imagery morphs into
fantastical characters such as Dear Mister
Mystical Man. McGregor’s remarkable skill with
the everyday medium of the ballpoint pen
transcends its usual classroom context, evoking,
albeit on a grander scale, the doodling of
daydreaming youths.
Other contemporary works acquired
this year included works by emerging
Australian artists Darren Sylvester
and Laith McGregor.
Dorrit Black / In the foothills 1942 / Oil on canvas board / Purchased 2009
with funds from the Bequest of Grace Davies and Nell Davies through the
Queensland Art Gallery Foundation
Top: Darren Sylvester / The explanation is boring. It’s simple. I don’t care
2006, printed 2009 / Lightjet print / Purchased 2009. Queensland Art Gallery
Foundation / Image courtesy: The artist and Sullivan + Strumpf Fine Art
Laith McGregor / Dear Mister Mystical Man 2009 / Ballpoint pen on paper /
Purchased 2009. Queensland Art Gallery Foundation / Image courtesy: The
artist and Sullivan + Strumpf Fine Art