What makes a painting a painting, and how does it differ from poetry? Such questions seem straightforward today, yet until the 18th century there wasn’t considered to be a difference at all. But once cultural philosophers started to explore this topic, it quickly became the driving factor for understanding the development of modern art, and for art’s claim to autonomy. Over the course of the 20th century it also offered artists a linear narrative framework within which to position their practice, leading many to conclude that they had painted the last painting.
The debates around this theme are largely known as ‘medium specificity’, most famously defended by the American scholar Clement Greenberg. And although his writings have been discredited over the years, contemporary artists have only expanded their engagement with their mediums since. Instead of the often-declared End of Painting, the post-modern condition has generated a myriad number of responses, often informed by issues such as identity politics.
This exhibition brings together a variety of recent artistic practices that have engaged with debates around medium specificity in one way or another; from artists who explore the material basis of painting beyond the painted surface, to artists who try to undermine painting’s claims to originality and artists whose engagement with their chosen medium reflects their identity politics. Some of these artists, despite their fame abroad, have never shown in Australia before.
Featured artists: Walead Beshty, Melissa Gordon, Tony Lewis, Tim Maguire, Takesada Matsutani, Edda Renouf, Peter Schuyff, Christopher Wool
ILEANA Gallery: 897b Brunswick Street, 4005 New Farm
