JULIAN MEAGHER 'SMALL HEROES'

Sydney based artist, Julian Meagher, creates a visual dialogue between Japanese and Australian culture, oriental craft and the representation of tattoos on the human form. Meagher’s work blurs the line between subject and specimen as his dismembered figures create a paralleled relationship between Oriental art and the body as a platform of identity within popular culture. Like bodies in a sanitized operating theatre, the tattooed figures become suspended on the canvas, as they are removed from their previous context and detached from their original meaning.

In Meagher’s paintings, the body shifts from being the host of art; to the actual art itself, as the imprint of a tattoo ornaments the body and what is being displayed. Through Meagher’s clean and meticulous technique, he complements the intricate detail of both the human form and his subjects’ tattoos as they are documented through a somewhat detached clinical observation. I had the opportunity to talk with Julian about his practice and in particular, his most recent series titled ‘Small Heroes’ that was exhibited at Chalk Horse Gallery in Sydney, from the 2nd-18th of September 2010.




The Offering, 2010

AS: In the recent series ‘Small Heroes’ your work has moved away from more abstract and clinical representations presented within your earlier career, to themes that draw upon Japanese and Oriental culture. What is it about the cultures that appeal to you and your art practice?

JM: The main reason why I draw a lot on Japanese influences are the quality and type of designs present there. A lot of my work involves paintings of paintings so to speak, especially tattoos, and it is the original design that makes me want to make a work of art about it. Some of the tattoos I use to make works from are from mates who have got them over in Japan. My girlfriend is also Chinese, and I guess the last few visits to Shanghai have also exposed me to new imagery to draw upon.

AS: Works such as ‘You Can Get It Any Old How II’ and ‘Teik as Ming Vase I’ show an interesting comparison between oriental craft and tattooing within contemporary culture. The tattoos appear painted and glazed onto the body, giving it a unique and decorative quality that similarly resembles the porcelain body of a Chinese Ming Vase. Do you think that the imprinting nature of tattoos is a similar form of aesthetics to Oriental ornamentation?

JM: I paint both essentially, because I am interested in building surfaces with oil paint. I like the narrative held within these surfaces, both in the history of the object’s surface and also by extending the life of the original image.

AS: The process of tattooing usually signifies a complex expression that deals with meaning, intent and aesthetic value. Is your work concerned with more of an aesthetic appreciation, or are you interested in the individual history behind the tattoo and its bearer?

JM: I do like all these things that tattoos represent, and my work does play around with meaning, time and symbols held within a tattoo. I like the fact that that a tattoo uses the skin as a canvas, and then I can give it a second life by transposing it back onto canvas using traditional materials. I am more interested in the aesthetics of the ink in skin rather than the bearer’s history; I want the tattoo to speak for itself and tell it’s own story.

AS: In works such as ‘The Offering’ we see a somewhat humorous contrast of Australian culture to that of the traditional Japanese Mikoka ritual. What inspired you to create this ceremonial image?

JM: ‘The Offering’ actually came about because I wanted to re-create the image of a group of men carrying a shrine into the ocean. I made the shrine myself from things lying around the studio, as kind of a piss-take on how male Australian identity lacks a lot of religious influences. I got a bunch of friends and family down early one morning to the beach for the event.

AS: Why did you choose to portray a heralding of the slab scenario as a representation of Australian culture? How do you feel that linked in comparison to the Japanese Mikoka ceremony?

JM: I’m not really trying to overtly comment too much on Australian culture in these works, I actually think a lot more about the image itself in terms of a painting rather than it’s meaning. The meaning comes more as a result of the process of making the work, rather than the other way round. Obviously I do draw on the symbolism of beer and other rituals, but in terms of actual meaning I am happy for the narrative of the work to remain open to different interpretations other than my own.

AS: Unlike works such as ‘The Offering’ where the distinction between Japanese and Australian culture is obvious, much of your paintings within the series depict various dismembered bodies that are adorned with oriental inspired tattoos. Do you think that the tattoo can signify a cross-cultural ritual between the two isolated cultures?

JM: I like how every culture has a long tradition of tattooing and making marks on skin either as story telling or symbiology. I also like how the culture itself influences these markings, so the same process is undertaken with different methods and meaning depending on where and when it was done. I dismember the tattoo from its host to allow it to tell its own narrative in my work, where the focus is on the marking in the skin rather than its owner.




From top: Teik as Ming Vase I, 2010 and You Can Get It Any Old How II, 2010


AS: One of the main things that distinguishes your work from other artists is that the viewer doesn’t necessarily need to have background knowledge on art in order to be able to appreciate your work. The combination of subject matter, style and technique allows for such a wider range of audiences that are not just limited to that within the artworld. Would you agree?

JM: I’ve never really thought about that, I suppose it is accessible on different levels. Though most representational art is I think to some level. I’m not too fussed with directing my work to a specific audience, it is more something I do for myself in some respect, I just need to make work that keeps me getting out of bed each day and that inspires me to keep painting.

AS: Coming from a clinical background, do you think that the precision required within medicine has influenced your technique within painting and also how you observe your subjects?

JM: Yeah. Definitely when it comes to patience, and the discipline needed to finish something. Having done other jobs always give someone better perspective on the next one. I feel so lucky now to be able to come to the studio each day, no matter how long I spend there it never quite feels like work.

AS: What made you choose art as a career over that of medicine? Was there a defining moment for you, or was it more of a progressive shift?

JM: No defining moment I’m afraid. I’ve always wanted to make art, it just took me a long time to make that leap and back myself that I could actually do it. I stopped medicine half way through to go to art school in Italy, but ended up going back to finish uni. Getting a bit older, and looking after people who were sick, also made me realise that I would have massive regrets not being a painter. Not to be to philosophical, but I think everyone wants to leave their mark somehow on the world in which ever way they think they could do best.

AS: Do you believe the binary between Artist and Doctor created an ultimatum for you in career choice? Or have you ever considered them to not be mutually exclusive, and to pursue art whilst also being a Medical practitioner?

JM: Definitely an ultimatum. I don’t think you can do either properly part time. It is too hard to jump between the different headspace required for each one. I think being a doctor has influenced my work in a good and probably unique way, but after 5 years of being lucky enough to go to the studio each day, not much is going to change that now.

www.julianmeagher.com.au

Towards an elegant solution, ACCA.

'Towards an elegant solution' by Peter Cripps, is currrently on display at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art until the 25th of July. Cripps has been a highly influential artist since the 70's as his innovative and meticulous structures have instigated new ideas on the possibilities of contemporary art practices. His work draws upon Modernist Architecture and the radical movement of design that developed within Australia.

The world of Patricia Piccinini & her naturally artificial creatures.

“The machinery faintly purred, as the hum and rattle… stirred the air.”

-Aldous Huxley, Brave New World

Concerned with the relationship between scientific progress and ethical boundaries, Patricia Piccinini’s art explores contemporary issues towards nature and its role within our consumerist and technologically driven society. Piccinini considers the definition of “natural” in today’s digital age, using art to blur the boundaries between what we think is natural and what we know is artificial.

Since the early 1990s Piccinini has been fascinated by contemporary science and has used a range of mediums such as sculpture, computer manipulation, digital photography and video installation within her art practice. The use of digital technologies within her work not only complements her art aesthetically but also reinforces it conceptually, as it is concerned with the convergence of nature and technology in the 21st century. Piccinini is becoming internationally known for her creations of ‘sub-species’ that form a questionable “naturalness” for the viewer that is both disturbing, and unfamiliarly beautiful. Pulsating with life, yet ironically artificial- these foreign creatures appear to fit naturally within our technologically saturated world. The sculptures’ alien appearance confronts us, yet their intricate facial expressions and bodily gestures suggest that they are no more scared or vulnerable than we are. Their vulnerability is reinforced through physical and emotional states of exposure, as their natural realism allows us to experience the creatures’ private moments of relaxation and intimacy. However the creatures’ presence within our environment is capable of generating conflicting reactions such as affection and repulsion, empathy and unease; as our relationship to them is paradoxically both maternal and manufactured.




Piccinini’s sculptures symbolize a prediction into the future world of cloning, as the prospective of such creatures not only seems possible, but dangerously inevitable. Although Piccinini’s work confronts the growing concern of technology, she is surprisingly optimistic towards technological growth and has an open-minded perspective. Her main concern is not the advancement of technologies, but the effect that is has on the natural world and its rhythms. Piccinini uses her art to confront audiences to how conceptual and ethical issues within the 21st century are often transformed by emotional realities and it is through such concepts that we are forced to contemplate the consequences of scientific intervention within natural creation.

Piccinini’s work will be exhibited in Sydney at Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery from the 11th of November until the 4th of December 2010. The works on display will be Piccinini’s most recent sculptures that will follow her distinct figurative style and installations. Even though the works are not yet explicit, we can only predict that whatever content or genetically modified sub-species Piccinini has created; it will not disappoint. Whether it is a synthetic landscape filled with shiny metallic ‘blobs’ or a family of artificial life forms, Patricia Piccinini creates a world in which fact, fiction and fantasy intertwine.

TIM BURTON: ACMI

Currently the ACMI in Melbourne is holding the first comprehensive retrospective of Tim Burton ever to be exhibited in Australia. The Retrospective is direct from New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and chronologically documents an extensive body of work that features over 700 drawings, paintings and cinematic memorabilia created by Burton and his beautifully disturbing imagination.

Burton takes the audience into a world where distortion is the key to solving all of life’s riddles- where life as we know it is dehumanized; stretched, skewed and morphed into a sinister universe in which characters and creatures are only limited to ones imagination.

Burton’s led drawing series titled ‘Beautifying Burbank’ was one of main highlights for me within the exhibition, as he reconceptualises suburban life through exaggerated scenarios of elongated and distorted figures performing idiosyncratic behaviour and satirizing his humorous captions. Burton’s eerie tales of Burbank really question the notion of “happily ever after” where fairytales have now past their expiry as suburbia never looked so sadistic.

Burton explores the relationship between childhood and adulthood, where our imagination often becomes clouded as the expectation of reason and logic prevail with time. In all of his work we see the struggle in growing up and even a resistance to the inevitability, as Burton represents a unique and disturbing position as an adult who never forgot his childhood imagination.

Burton’s playful yet eerie collection shows how ones imagination is not always lost through age, and makes us question- are we all just big kids trapped in adults bodies, overpopulating Burbank?

Merrick Fry!

Merrick Fry is a contemporary Australian artist who both lives and works in Sydney. Fry makes the most incredible illuminated sculptures made from glass and mixed media inc. found objects- think oil lamp, meets giant magical bong, meets underwater treasure chest :)

His work was exhibited last month at the Stella Downer Gallery, Waterloo.

National Gallery of Australia.

Recently, the NGA was proud to feature over 112 paintings that were imported from The Louvre, Paris. The exhibition titled 'Masterpieces from Paris' featured all the classic 19th century painting from artists such as Cezanne, Van Gogh & Gauguin. As every art student would have experienced when learning the theoretical side of art history- it would be a crime to go into it's history without highlighting (or queering) such masters within the canon. It isn't often that you get to actually witness such works in the flesh without venturing outside Australia's somewhat reclusive walls.

So naturally, I got together with two of my favorite COFA girls- Adela & Laura (excluding Hannah, Gracie & of course Nicholas) and we thought it was only fair that we were finally able to see what all the fuss was about. Basically- the exhibition was a just a good excuse to flee Sydney, catch up, talk shit about art and go on a roadtrip!

After 4 hours of good music, good company and repetitive sceneries, we finally reached the scarily organized and sterile city of Canberra. Driving through that town actually freaked the shit out of us. I don't know if it was just because we were in unknown territory or that we had just entered the most boring city in Australia, but it felt like we were driving into an A.F 632 scene from Aldoux Huxley's Brave New World... okay I'm exaggerating, but it was very organized and structured...a little too structured? Anyway that was the least of our issues, as finding a car park and actually getting into the exhibition proved to be a mission of epic proportions. Apparently this exhibition was a bigger deal than what we had expected and by that I mean it was a 2 hour wait to even enter the exhibition! So we shared the weight of the line- one of us stayed in the queue to mind our spot while the other two explored the rest of the NGA and Portrait Gallery.


To be honest, once I finally saw the Masterpieces exhibition I can't say that I was blown away. Yes it was great to actually see the iconic works, but the highlight for me was ironically the normal gallery collection. Being in the presence of work's by international artists such as Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol, Ah Xian, William De Kooning, Marcel Duchamp, Mark Rothko, Salvador Dali & Lynda Benglis, as well as Australian artists such as Patricia Piccinini, Fiona Hall & Shayne Higson was by far the most exciting experience I had within the gallery. Maybe I'm just biased because I'm a product of the 21st century, but the Modern and Contemporary collections made the trip all the more worth it! AND I bought an amazing portrait of Nick Cave by Australian artist Howard Arkley that is now framed and hung in my bedroom- double bonus! :)

Twenty Ten & the Desensitization of Innovation.

These books don’t grow on tree’s you know… you can only get them through an app…

Today in the twenty first century where social interaction consists of ‘liking’ a friend’s status update and reading a publication requires the latest instalment of Flash, society appears to have reached a point where innovation and technological advancements no longer proceeds to astound, but more so alleviate individuals, as the introduction of new publication technologies are not only predictable, but have now also become a social expectation. As society inevitability progresses it is an underlying fact that technology in turn will advance and simultaneously reflect social change. However the concern is not within social progression itself, but society’s response to new publication technologies and how they influence our current socio-economic climate. Technological advancement is not by all means a negative thing, as it is usually created in relation to some form of human need or intention, and most often that not is always aimed at solving a problem or improving a pre-existing social situation in order to benefit society and improve it’s future (O'Neill, 2008, p. 3). However the introduction of new digital publications affect different people in different ways, as individuals have the power to appropriate, adapt and subvert technologies depending on their own purpose and agenda (O'Neill, 2008, p. 3). The issue is how new technologies are effecting and influencing individuals, and consequently shaping a new wave of social relations, as these new technological changes within publishing have the potential to create competitive opportunity, but at the same time they also have the power to create competitive problems (Tyson, 1997, p. 7).

As a product of Generation Y, I feel somewhat isolated in the fact that I do not share the same anticipation that the majority of my peers do towards the new release of the Apple iPad. While most people cannot wait to experience the new technology, the thought of its introduction into society actually leaves me feeling more disturbed than delighted. Maybe I am just the black vinyl among the mp4 file family and need to embrace our seemingly inevitable technologically saturated future. However, I cannot help but look past it’s seductively sleek and sophisticated exterior and into the potential long-term ramifications that such a product can have on our society. Although surprisingly, the people that I discussed the iPad with were somewhat cynical of the product, it was however not in relation to media convergence and the broader issues of digital publishing, but in relation to its actual relevance as a product. It appears that the iPad may actually be generating more publicity on its failing functionality, rather then that of it’s innovative reputation.



In the 19th century, the impact of mass-producing and the printing press had a profound effect upon the global society in that the wide distribution of information and ideas allowed greater accessibility of knowledge for individuals. The ability to print and document information was completely revolutionary not only in the sense that people now had the ability to access such information and form their own opinions, but also in the way that history and ideas were now able to be physically imprinted, saved, stored and preserved for the education of future generations. This brings us to the current issue of within publishing- the introduction of the iPad, and whether this new device is going to ‘save’ the printing industry, or conversely destroy it. However, the very nature of the book has now been destabilized, as new publication technologies such as e-readers and the iPad have not only eradicated the usage of books but also undermined their purpose, as books have now been reduced to redundant old objects with little relevance in today’s digitally enhanced world.



Today, the number of students who have NEVER borrowed a book from their university’s library is shocking, and quite frankly just sad. However, how are we to blame the individual for not utilizing library resources, when most publications are now available through online applications? How can we actively choose to resist new technologies, when they are not only completely immersed within our current environment, but that their existence is undeniably more convenient and accessible then often that of traditional forms? Today, individuals now find themselves engrossed amongst technology in nearly every aspect of my everyday life, as our pockets are filled with ever flowing data, bombarding us constantly with information that update, notify and digitize images through these multi-purpose devices (O'Neill, 2008, p. 1). Individuals are becoming relentlessly linked to such technologies, as they promote the notion of persistent connectivity and availability of content and contacts. With this ever flowing, over-powering flood of information, I find myself in fact resorting back to older, traditional forms of publishing such as reading actual books, collecting actual magazines and purchasing actual CD’s. So why is it that so many youth of our generation are becoming increasingly obsessed with everything ‘vintage’ and products from pre 2000? Is it because the notion of a tactile object in today’s digitalized sphere has suddenly instigated a longing to preserve traditional forms of publishing? Or that new publications such as the iPhone have now over-saturated the market and ironically tainted their status into something that is now ordinary and mainstream? This growing desire among the youth of 21st century in utilizing conventional modes of publishing has become increasingly emphasized through the collecting, preserving and protecting older physical forms. The desire to re-create and utilize forgotten publications reinforces the growing feeling of nostalgia present within 2010, as individuals are longing to preserve what has typically been overridden by technological advancements.



I believe that our growing nostalgia in traditional forms has been instigated by either one (or both of) two things. 1: Youth are just simply bored by the constant persistence and accessibility of new technologies, that they are now resorting to older forms to generate some feeling of entertainment, or 2: The overwhelming bombardment of new technologies is making individuals reject these forms and resort to more traditional modes of publishing in order to establish a sense of reverie and comfort found within familiar forms. For me, I choose to embrace older forms of publishing not only because I am bored with the mind-numbing new applications available to our generation, but I also want to collect these forms because I find comfort and pleasure in preserving the tactility of information that symbolizes our current culture. Do people store all their iPhone applications on a backup program in a hope that one day future generations can access them? No- because we know very well that the temporality of such technology will most likely not be compatible to with that of future innovations. It is this point alone that emphasizes the importance of conserving older modes of publishing such as journals, magazines and catalogues as it is ultimately preserving the history and knowledge of culture within a time of monumental socio-technological change.

As technology continues to advance and saturate society, individuals are becoming born into this increasingly digital world, however rather than being surrounded by such mediums, we are actually becoming immersed in the technologically enhanced environment. (O'Neill, 2008, p. 2). I couldn’t help but feel completely disturbed the other week when I read a status update posted by one of my contacts (who shall remain unknown for privacy and humiliation purposes) saying, “Facebook and iPhone you are both starting to bore me yet I still can't manage to put you down. Hmmmm”. The honestly within such a statement made me not only feel empathetic towards such a sad and pitiful existence, but more so ashamed, as I knew this statement not only summarized our current generation’s predicament, but also ironically my own. It was a painful realization that lingered in the back of my mind for the rest of that week. These words that appeared so seemingly innocent and lightly thrown, epitomized a much more sinister and overwhelming issue within today’s society- that we are now both inescapably dependent, yet undeniably bored with technology and it’s programs. As society has become immersed within this repetitious cycle, our demand for constant innovation increases and technology is undergoing more transformations than a chameleon in a colour crisis.

With technology becoming increasingly more sophisticated and entrenched within our social environment, our reliance grows stronger and stronger. As this process inevitability continues, individuals are becoming inured into the way in which our surroundings are being re-built, and we ultimately begin to take new modes of publishing for granted (O'Neill, 2008, p. 1). Through technology’s exponential advancement in the 20th century, the once new and exciting capabilities of publication technology now appears to be reduced to a somewhat mundane experience in the 21st century, as individuals in 2010 are becoming increasingly desensitized to new innovations. Like an addict who is forever and inevitability longing for their drug, I can’t help but contemplate whether society is really ever going to be satisfied by technology- as our increasingly fast turnover of products emphasizes not only the transience of new publications, but also questions the extend to which mankind’s relationship with technology will remain controllable.

Bibliography

Jenkins, H. (2006). Convergence culture: where old and new media collide. New York: New York University Press.
Kirn, P. (2010, January 27). How a great product can be bad news: Apple iPad and the closed Mac . Retrieved June 4, 2010, from Create Digital Music: http://createdigitalmusic.com/2010/01/27/how-a-great-product-can-be-bad-news-apple-ipad-and-the-closed-mac/
Ling, R. S., & Pedersen, P. E. (2005). Mobile communications: re-negotiation of the social sphere. London: Springer-Verlag.
O'Neill, S. (2008). Interactive Media: The Semiotics of Embodied Interaction . London: Springer.
Tyson, K. W. (1997). Competition in the 21st century . CRC Press LLC.