The 15 contemporary Australian artists represented in ‘Full Face: Artists’ Helmets’ each accepted our invitation to individualise a Biltwell Gringo ECE ‘full face’ helmet, the quintessential motorcycling accessory. The display was conceived in response to ‘The Motorcycle: Design, Art, Desire’, and includes work by a broad cross-section of practitioners. Their artworks engage with the interwoven themes of art and design that ‘The Motorcycle’ explores, or with related social, political or environmental concerns.
The artists have responded in a range of surprising, captivating and sometimes poignant ways. Several have emphasised the air of danger attached to motorbikes, or the communities connected with them. Some have made personal associations with the helmet or used it to foreground significant contemporary issues, while others still have riffed on the objects’ place in popular culture. Together, these varied and inventive approaches provide a striking and thought-provoking counterpoint to the design focus of ‘The Motorcycle’ exhibition.
Featured artists: Monika Behrens, Kate Beynon, David Booth (ghostpatrol), Eric Bridgeman and Alison Wel, eX de Medici, Shaun Gladwell, Madeleine Kelly, Callum McGrath, Archie Moore, Robert Moore, Nell, Reko Rennie, Brian Robinson, TextaQueen, Guan Wei.
Image: eX de Medici / Bucket for a blood supply 2020 / Oil on Biltwell Gringo ECE helmet / 26 x 26 x 34cm / Courtesy: The artist and Sullivan+Strumpf, Sydney and Singapore.
