Backlash

The National Gallery of Victoria is proud to present Backlash: The Australian Drawing Revival 1976-1986, our first comprehensive display of vital, contemporary drawings. Comprised almost entirely of works from our own collection, ‘Backlash’ reinforces the message of the Gallery’s commitment to the current art scene. Eschewing the traditional retrospective approach, the exhibition presents sixty strictly contemporaneous works, all executed since 1975. Emphasis lies on the new and emerging artist, though drawings by influential older figures are also present, befitting their role as inspirations and teachers to the present lively generation. Above all, ‘Backlash’ concentrates on the discrimination of excellence in contemporary drawing. Uncompromising in its choice of works, it will be both a shock and a surprise to most viewers.

Contemporary work on paper is difficult but challenging, opening up a new and exciting world of dynamic images and techniques. ‘Backlash’ lays before the public haunting, forceful images arranged in dramatic juxtaposition. A feature of the show is the display of drawings of epic proportions and monumental impact in an unglazed state, allowing direct, raw contact with the drawing surface and medium. This enormity of scale reflects a fresh approach. The past decade has seen artists give a new pre-eminence to drawing in their work: the drawn line has ceased to be an exercise, and has become an end in itself.

It is important to indicate that ‘Backlash’ presents a personal selection of drawings from the collection. The Gallery’s holdings of contemporary works on paper are both rich and complex.

This exhibition also stands as a tribute to the generosity of Howard and Christine Michell, who have provided funding specifically for the purchase of works by young artists. The Michell Endowment has, over the past ten years, seen a wealth of fine works enter the collection, and we are especially pleased to exhibit them here. An event such as this enables us to document in a public way the strong and continuous ‘behind the scenes’ buying policy of the National Gallery of Victoria.

Sourced from: Nancy Liesbethe Staub & Ted Gott, Backlash: The Australian Drawing Revival 1976-1986, National Gallery of Victoria, 1987, p. 2