Andy Warhol and Ai Weiwei at National Gallery Victoria

Words/Images (35mm film): Saskia Edwards

There’s something kind of overwhelming about being in the presence of great artwork – that pangs you in the sternum and shortens your breath. You know that you’re looking at something that some exceptional person, who really sees things, created. That’s certainly true of Ai Weiwei and Andy Warhol at the National Gallery of Victoria. In a way, it’s oppressive because you want to absorb it and appreciate it all.

However, this is probably truer of Ai Weiwei’s works. Of course, Andy Warhol’s commentary on consumerism is strengthened by the fact that his own works were mass produced. But once you’ve seen his same pieces three, four, five times, it doesn’t feel very interesting. It’s kind of like taking a photo in front of the Eiffel Tower. In comparison, Ai Weiwei’s skill and aesthetic is much more intriguing. Plus it’s imbued with the political activism that Weiwei is known for. Overall, Weiwei’s works are much more dynamic and compel contemplation in a way that Warhol’s no longer do.

Throughout the exhibition, it’s hard not to question why these two artists were put together.  There are seemingly obvious, but meaningless, links – both artists look at Mao, flowers or mug shots. There doesn’t really feel like a point to the pairing. Sometimes it’s interesting to see the contrast between their treatments of a subject. However, I don’t think either artist enhanced each other.

What I think I took away from the exhibition was a greater appreciation for Weiwei. You really get the sense that he’s a great artist. His work shows his broad range of interests (sculpture, photography, painting), his clever approach and his cunning examination of China’s politics and culture. But more than that, he’s brave. Ai Weiwei is brave in a way that Andy Warhol never was. He stands chest ballooned against one of the most authoritarian governments in the world and his work doesn’t bow to the trends of the art world. If you walk away with anything from this exhibition, it’s the understanding of the unrelenting and humble fearlessness of Ai Weiwei. Yeah, that’s bravery.

Quick Look: The World of Jean Paul Gaultier at the National Gallery of Victoria

Words: Saskia Edwards

Images: Jonathan Rae

French couturier Jean Paul Gaultier is an iconoclast of traditional design - with outfits drenched in irreverence, pop culture and humour. His lack of formal training seems to have liberated him from the bounds of conventional fashion design. While JPG’s haute couture has all the makings of master tailoring and design, his collections continue to retain his playful signature. In a way, Jean Paul Gaultier’s cone bras and sailor outfits seem to almost embody his facetious crooked smirk. The National Gallery of Victoria retrospective on Jean Paul explored the evolution of the famous designer in the striped shirt. Here’s some of his best quotes.

It’s always the badly dressed people who are the most interesting.

Clothes are expensive. You have to buy them, and to buy them, you have to believe in them.

My eccentricity became direction.

If it's too fashiony, it's not interesting to me.

I could say that making clothes is my way of communicating, because I was always so shy.

I am very lucky because I am realizing my childhood dreams, and after presenting my shows it's like a party. 

I would like to say to people, open your eyes and find beauty where you normally don’t expect it.

Elegance is a question of personality, more than one’s clothing.

David Shrigley and existentialism at NGV

Words: Saskia Edwards
Images: Jonathan Rae
Original Artwork: David Shrigley

A sculpture of a naked man that intermittently blinks and then urinates into a bucket is hardly the image that springs to mind when thinking of existentialism.

While David Shrigley’s works may not fit the classic manifestation of existentialism - think Kafka and Nietzsche - they do force an inner contemplation of life.

Or more, they confront you with the banality of human existence.

It’s hard to look at Shrigley’s works without feeling a sense of humourous nihilism.

His current exhibition at NGV includes drawings, paintings, sculpture, animated videos and artist books.

NGV Director Tony Ellwood said: “David Shrigley is one of contemporary art’s most unique conceptual artists; his works are renowned for their humour and ability to convey in stark black and white the most complex as well as trivial moments of human experience.

“David Shrigley: Life and Life Drawing is the artist’s first comprehensive Australian exhibition and is sure to delight his avid fans in Melbourne and beyond.”

Shrigley’s exhibition at NGV also includes a two tonne clay sausage that’s gradually becoming arid and cracked over the course of the display. The installation looks like intestines wormed around each other. Perhaps it’s a comment on the matter of our bodies - that while each of us see some divinity within ourselves we’re really just flesh and bones. 

But there’s some relief in knowing this. And seemingly that’s where the humour lies. Ultimately, we’re just irrelevant beings with a meaningless existence all destined for the same fate. But it releases the pressure of making something out of everything - it leaves you free to enjoy life for what it is.

As Adrian Searle said: “Shrigley’s work is very wrong and very bad in all sorts of ways.“It is also ubiquitous and compelling.

“There are lots of artists who, furrowing their brows and trying to convince us of their seriousness, aren’t half as profound or compelling.”