Video Logic
Australian video art at the MCA
19 August until 2 November 2008
West Circular Quay, Sydney, Australia
+61 2 9245 2400
Australian video art at the MCA
The Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), Sydney presents a new exhibition entitled Video Logic, focusing on six contemporary Australian artists who work with video and screen-based practices.
Featured artists are Denis Beaubois, Philip Brophy, John Conomos, Adam Geczy, John Gillies and Eugenia Raskopoulos. Each has contributed substantially to the development of the medium in Australia and their work has been influential for a subsequent generation of Australian video artists.
Curated by Russell Storer, Video Logic explores a medium that has reached great prominence in recent years. Each artist works with video as part of a wider practice that may include installation, performance, sound, and writing. They take a range of formal, conceptual and presentational approaches to the medium, drawing upon its unique ability to combine multiple disciplines.
The works of John Gillies and Denis Beaubois form connections between video and performance. Gillies’ new work draws upon the film genre of the road movie and cinematic techniques of montage and narrative to create an evocative video performance. Beaubois’ works consider the video camera itself as an ‘actor’, producing its own electronically-generated point of view. Language and cultural history are important elements in the work of Eugenia Raskopoulos and John Conomos. Conomos’ work Autumn Song Take Two takes the form of a video essay, using a collage of images and words to investigate his personal history, within a neon-lit installation created for the exhibition. Raskopoulos’ videos employ performance and animation to consider communication and the shifting nature of meaning in different contexts.
The relationship between image and sound is explored in works by Philip Brophy and Adam Geczy. Brophy ‘evaporates’ the music from pop videos and replaces them with soundtracks of his own design, transforming them into disturbing narratives. Geczy is interested in the potential of ‘visual music’ and presents works created in collaboration with the Australian composer Peter Sculthorpe and the German electronic musician Thomas Gerwin.
A catalogue has been produced to accompany the exhibition and features new writing on each artist. Brophy, Conomos and Geczy are also prominent theorists and critics in the field of video art, cinema and new media, and texts by each are featured alongside major essays by Stephen Jones, Jacqueline Millner and Bernice Murphy tracing the history and development of video art in Australia. The publication provides a context for the artists’ works and a unique and essential resource on the subject.
Exhibition dates: 19 August until 2 November 2008
Exhibition cost: Free entry
About the MCA: The Museum of Contemporary Art is Australia’s only museum dedicated to collecting and exhibiting the work of contemporary artists. Located on Sydney’s iconic Circular Quay, the MCA presents a dynamic program of exhibitions and events that explores the latest international and Australian contemporary art. Visitors can engage with artists and their ideas through a diverse range of events, including artist talks, live performances, lectures, workshops and youth programs. The internationally respected and locally loved institution is an intrinsic part of Australia’s cultural fabric and last year was voted Sydney’s favourite museum by local residents.
Contact information:
Museum of Contemporary Art
West Circular Quay, Sydney, Australia
+61 2 9245 2400
