Over the past three decades John Young has continuously negotiated with the definitions and concepts surrounding the question: what is the role of the artist? Throughout his long artistic journey Young’s practice has responded to and been shaped by the seismic shock waves that initially introduced Postmodernism as a fringe activity eventually leading to its endorsement as an orthodoxy. Few artists in the history of Australian Art have proven to be as adaptable as Young and even fewer have been able to reconcile the philosophical and cultural exigencies that characterise the artist’s position in the world.
Christopher Dean
Christopher Dean is a practicing artist and writer
with a specialist interest in Australian Art.
Extract from 2009 catalogue
Image: John Young, Moment I (2015) oil on Belgian linen, 76 x 96 cm
