Page 84 - Annual Review 2010

84 ReVeAL
shirana shahbazi
[Stilleben-22-2008]
(from ‘flowers, fruits &
portraits’ series) 2008
the series of nine still-life
photographs by shirana shahbazi,
acquired by the gallery, are at once
beautiful, evocative and ordinary.
an important influence in her work
is the practice of vanitas painting
— a genre of still life produced in
europe during the sixteenth and
seventeenth centuries — which
often included skulls and timepieces,
to remind viewers of the brevity of
human life. shahbazi juxtaposes this
vanitas imagery with the subjects of
other still-life traditions, such as the
flowers and birds found in illuminated
manuscripts, reflecting the centuries-
old exchange of images and ideas
between persia, mughal india, europe
and china.
this series were acquired with the
generous support of tim fairfax, am,
through the queensland art gallery
foundation. (see p.94) top: hiraki sawa | Japan/united kingdom b.1977 | O (installation
view) 2009 | multi-channel video installation: 3-channel video
projection exhibited from hard drive, hd video, 16:9, colour and black
and white, 5-channel sound, 8 minutes; 10-channel video installation
exhibited on customised Lcd monitors, hd video transferred to
dVd, 16:9, black and white, silent, 00:60 seconds; 5-channel sound
by organ octet (edited by dale berning) exhibited on customised
spinning speakers; and customised metal light frames and light-bulb
fixtures, ed. 1/5 | installed dimensions variable |purchased 2010.
queensland art gallery foundation | collection: queensland
art gallery
above: yang shaobin | china b.1963 | X-Blind Spot No.4 2008 | oil
on canvas | 354 x 240cm | gift of the artist through the queensland
art gallery foundation 2010 | collection: queensland art gallery
hiraki sawa O 2009
hiraki sawa’s screen-based
installation O 2009 was commissioned
for apt6. the work represents an
extension of earlier works reflecting on
ideas of time, motion, travel, mobility,
displacement and dislocation. an
ongoing strand of sawa’s practice has
been the nature of fantasy, and his
films often refer to journeying into real,
subconscious or imagined worlds. O
is a multi-channel video installation
stemming from the artist’s interest in
cycles and journeys, and considers
time as a continuous flow.
yang shaobin
X-Blind Spot No.1 2008
and X-Blind Spot No.4 2008
yang shaobin’s work is known for its
refined composition, rich narrative
and incisive commentary on the
changing social landscape of china.
yang’s experience of growing up in
a coal-mining town in rural china
informs his recent X–Blind Spot
paintings, in which he examines
the working conditions and social
effects determined by china’s coal
production.
two major paintings were acquired
following apt6, with one work gifted
by the artist.