May Friends Night: Painting Itself

We hope to see you this Friends night as we gather on more familiar ground in the Painting Itself / 绘画本身 exhibition at ANU School of Art & Design Gallery.

The Drill Hall Gallery has partnered with Perth Institute of Contemporary Art to present Painting Itself / 绘画本身. Curated by Jonathan Nichols the exhibition explores a horizontal culture in painting, where fundamental ideas about its history and vitality – long the influence of European and American values – are being reshaped in East and Southeast Asia. A common understanding is that painters look for the ‘face’ of their work, that aspect of a painting that looks back at them. Each of the artists in the exhibition takes on this idea, leaning into the mood and psychic processes of their own painting, with its inner constraints and struggles.

The exhibition presents the work of five artists: Jon Chan (Singapore), Un Cheng (Hong Kong), Chris Huen Sin-Kan (Hong Kong/London), Noor Mahnun (Malaysia), Tang Dixin (China).

While the Drill Hall is closed for roof remediation Friends events will take place at alternate venues on and off campus. If you require accessibility accommodations or a visitor Personal Emergency Evacuation plan please contact friends.dhg@anu.edu.au

Image: Jon Chan, Tochi’s Ghost, 2021, oil on canvas, 48 x 66 cm. Courtesy of the artist and the National University of Singapore (NUS) Museum