Inspired by the centuries old tradition of trompe l’oeil painting (or ‘trick of the eye’), this exhibition showcases a number of contemporary artists takes on creating pieces that are illusionistic or play with perspective. Forté chat to the exhibition curator Lisa Sullivan.
Hi thanks for taking the time to chat with Forte. How are you and what are you up to at the moment?
We’ve been putting the final touches on our latest exhibition Tricking the eye – contemporary trompe l’oeil which opens on Saturday 26 November. We’ve been installing over the last fortnight and have had a number of exhibiting artists at the Gallery creating new works on-site for the exhibition.
We’ve commissioned news works by Colleen Ahern and Tully Moore – they’ve completed a major trompe l’oeil wall painting in the Gallery’s foyer – as well as John R Neeson and Stephen Bowers who have both been working on-site to paint illusionistic shadows as part of their works (in response to the Gallery’s lighting). We’ve also had artists Georgina Cue, Chris Bond and Jan Murray at the Gallery assisting with the installation of their sculptural works and paintings.
The Tricking the eye – contemporary trompe I’oeil exhibition opens at Geelong this month. What inspired you to put the exhibition together?
I’m very interested in contemporary practice and also in art history, and this exhibition has provided the opportunity to consider the work of twelve contemporary Australian artists who draw on the centuries old tradition of trompe l’oeil painting, exploring the genre in a different way. The works I’ve brought together include paintings, sculptures, photographs and moving images and I’m interested in the way these works invite the viewer to engage by looking and questioning what’s real and what’s not real, and the links many of these works make back to art historical precedents.
What are you hoping visitors will take away from viewing this exhibition?
I hope visitors will engage with the works and have fun with the exhibition. And that they’ll also think about the history of art in the context of these contemporary works.
Trompe l’oeil is all around us – you might find it in cafes, in chalk art drawn on the street, in films and even in advertising – I wanted to share with visitors the traditions of trompe l’oeil and the ways that contemporary artists are working with these traditions in very creative ways.
How did you become interested in art and the role of a curator?
I’ve visited galleries since my early high school years and feel like I’ve always been interested in art. I studied an undergraduate in visual arts and then postgraduate studies in art curating and I’ve been working in galleries for over twenty years now. I love curating because it involves research, working with contemporary artists, interpreting historical works, and bringing together works of art in a new context to share with audiences. Curating can be a very creative role, and I particularly enjoy devising thematic group exhibitions like Tricking the eye – contemporary trompe l’oeil – they provide the opportunity to see how very different works relate to one another when brought together.
What have you noticed about the evolution of illusionist artworks, and where do you see it stands at present?
Trompe l’oeil is such an enduring genre and it’s fallen in and out of popularity over centuries. A number of the artists in this exhibition might not strictly define themselves as trompe l’oeilists. I’ve been fairly broad and creative in my interpretation of trompe l’oeil, selecting artists that dip in and out of these traditions, drawing on the trompe l’oeil and illusionistic elements that interest them and merging these with a range of other influences and art traditions.
Artists are always resourceful and creative and they use the technologies available to them at the given time, and a number bring in elements of popular culture or respond to recent events (for example, Colleen Ahern and Tully Moore acknowledge the closure of the Ford factory in Geelong), so this might be a way of defining where trompe l’oeil stands now: a merger of art historical traditions contemporary ideas and mediums.
Thanks for giving up the time to have a chat, do you have anything else you would like to share with readers?
Complementing this exhibition, we have a great array of public programs including artist talks and workshops as well as a kids’ activity trail – please check our website for details. And additional to Tricking the eye, there’s plenty of other great exhibitions to see and enjoy over the summer months.
When & Where: Geelong Gallery – November 26 2016 – February 12 2017
Feature Image: Georgina Cue, The Necker Cube, 2010 – Photographer: Crystal Dunn