Text is commonly understood as the written medium of human communication that represents language; however, in literary theory a text can be any object that can be ‘read’, such as an artwork, a song, a film, a building. In other words, it can be any coherent set of signs that conveys some kind of message or meaning.
In art, written text can be used to add meaning to an image or indeed to twist or skew meaning. Image and text are often considered as a binary system: pictures versus words – and it’s often said a picture is worth a thousand words. Yet text can be graphic, illustrative, pictorial. The history of modern art is brimming with examples of artists who used text in visual ways: early 20th century avant-garde, Constructivists, Dada pioneers, to leading figures in contemporary art today.
Text brings together a diverse selection of works from the QUT Art Collection that use text in creative, clever, and compelling ways. Ranging from 1960s international prints, to contemporary Australian paintings and sculptures, the exhibition explores the broad uses and ever-expanding role of text in art.
Artists include: Vernon AH KEE, Gordon BENNETT, Richard BELL, John CATTAPAN, Lyndell BROWN and Charles GREEN, Aleks DANKO, Juan DAVILA, Fiona FOLEY, Helen FULLER, Rosalie GASCOIGNE, Richard HAMILTON, R.B. KITAJ, Colin LANCELEY, Bea MADDOCK, Daniel MCKEWEN, Tracey MOFFATT, Shaun O’CONNOR, Scott REDFORD, Luke ROBERTS, Rebecca ROSS, Edward RUSCHA, Madonna STAUNTON, David STRACHAN, Antoni TAPIES, and Joe TILSON.
Image: Shaun O’CONNOR, Untitled (INA LA) 2011
Craftboard, cardboard, thermal adhesive, polyurethane resin, lacquer and enamel
