CANBERRA.- The National Gallery of Australia is the place to be for sculpture during the winter months. Reinventions, an exhibition of contemporary sculpture and assemblage by Australian artists, continues until 13 September.

Reinventions features a diverse range of contemporary treasures from the national art collection, including works from the 1960s and 1970s through to the present day by artists such as Colin Lanceley, Rosalie Gascoigne, Robert Klippel, Neil Roberts, Ricky Swallow and Timothy Horn.

“It is fantastic to present such imaginative and intriguing examples of contemporary sculpture and assemblage by renowned Australian artists,” said Director of National Gallery of Australia, Ron Radford AM.

“To see these pieces in context with the current Soft sculpture exhibition and indeed the National Australia Bank Sculpture Gallery works, illustrates the depth and strength of the National Gallery of Australia’s extensive collection of sculpture”, said Mr Radford.

Reinventions: sculpture + assemblage is about the surprising, inventive adaptation of materials and ideas. Assemblage is the process of re-assembling discarded, found objects and materials in new contexts. Other sculptures in the exhibition reflect the idea of reinvention with new and innovative approaches to the use of traditional materials such as bronze and porcelain.

“When curating this exhibition I was inspired by the way artists continually reinvent the world we live in. Their works have the capacity to surprise us and enable us to see the world afresh”, said Dr Deborah Hart, exhibition curator and Senior Curator of Australian Paintings post 1920.

Reinventions includes significant artists from different generations to provide insights into the parallels and differences between their approaches. Materials adapted by artists into intriguing assemblages include found machinery parts, fragments of a piano, the humble Australian rubber thong, portable turntables and a worn-out punching bag.

Some works, like David Watt’s intriguing, multi-layered Knowledge 1991–95 are being shown in the National Gallery of Australia for the first time; while others, such as Timothy Horn’s Glass slipper (ugly blister) 2001, are familiar favourites.
“Across time, what shines through is the artists’ passion for the inherent nature of materials along with the unstoppable inventiveness of the human imagination”, said Deborah Hart.

Reinventions: sculpture + assemblage is part of a larger program of sculpture on display at the National Gallery of Australia, including the current exhibition Soft sculpture and works from the permanent collection on display in the National Australia Bank Sculpture Gallery. Soft sculpture, which examines the use of unconventional materials to create sculpture, continues until 12 July.