July 2–September 4, 2022
Like a Wheel That Turns: The 2022 Macfarlane Commissions, the third installment of a multi-year relationship that promotes the commissioning of challenging new projects by esteemed contemporary artists, is proudly presented by ACCA.
Through the works of Nadia Hernández, Lucina Lane, Gian Manik, Betty Muffler, Jahnne Pasco-White, Jason Phu, JD Reforma, and Esther Stewart, Like a Wheel That Turns considers painting approaches that go beyond the frame and into the wider world.
Recognizing that paintings can accommodate many frames of time and perception concurrently, as well as allude to personal, societal, and familial relationships and histories as well as cultural and artistic references and legacies spanning generations, Like a Wheel That Turns brings together a wide range of artists whose work may collectively come from a studio-based practice, but who share an interest in the crossover between painting and other media, forms, or disciplines, such as architecture, literature, performance, ecology, music, healing, and a broader field of human relations.
The phrase by artist Marlene Dumas that inspired the exhibition’s name reads, “Painting doesn’t freeze time; it circulates and recycles time like a wheel that turns.” This concept relates to discussions about painting from the 20th century while also being relevant to more recent ideas about painting as being subject to continuous cycles of circulation and being influenced by various social, physical, and digital networks for production, exhibition, and distribution. Works made for this exhibition collectively explore these concepts of networks, recycling, and circulation in reference to these discursive legacies while also taking into account the restrictions of the art historical canon to affirm the continued relevance of painting—as well as its increased potential—in a modern age.
The exhibition Like a Wheel That Turns features a series of eight new commissions from artists who use painting as a vehicle to explore cultural and family histories, our relationship to our nation and the environment, institutional and domestic architectures, the function of art and the gallery as a repository of memories, and the opportunity to connect with the past. Like A Wheel That Turns involves the viewer in the temporal frame of painterly materiality by activating ACCA’s gallery spaces through a series of unique yet interconnected site-responsive projects, encouraging us to think about how painting might go beyond the limitations of its medium and the boundaries of the frame.
Artists: Nadia Hernández, Lucina Lane, Gian Manik, Betty Muffler, Jahnne Pasco-White, Jason Phu, JD Reforma, Esther Stewart.
Curators: Max Delany and Annika Kristensen
Artist talks
Saturday, July 2, 3–4pm, ACCA
Lucina Lane, Betty Muffler and JD Reforma
Saturday, July 30, 3–4pm, ACCA
Gian Manik, Nadia Hernández, Jahnne Pasco-White and Esther Stewart
The Macfarlane Fund
In order to celebrate the life of renowned Melbourne businessman Donald (Don) Macfarlane, who throughout his lifetime took great delight in the arts, the Macfarlane Fund was launched in 2017. With initiatives designed to support graduate, mid-career, and senior artists, The Macfarlane Fund’s main goal is to provide financial support for artists at every stage of their careers. A rigorous approach to decision-making and a dedication to being adaptable, efficient, and responsive to artistic practice and initiatives have guided the development of The Macfarlane Fund in a way that challenges conventional giving practices and serves as a model for contemporary art philanthropy.
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Melbourne VIC 3006
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