Press Release

Press Release

Title: Cave Works

Basic Information:

Clear-water Caves

Showing through April 25^th until August 25^th, viewing times 9am – 6pm

Curator: Rose Hale

Press Release: 22/04/12

Summary:  Cave Works explores how the artwork of today can interact with the art of the natural work; delving into the beauty of nature by displaying the modern works in a setting deemed untameable within the natural environment as well as looking at the primitive side of art and artists that create work to express nature, patterns and emotions.

Artists involved: Michael Porter, Anselm Kiefer, Cedric Van Eenoo, Paul Klee and Mark Tobey

 Michael Porter has a range of naturally themed paintings, the almost chaotic pieces that portray a sense of undergrowth and untameable nature. The pieces also have a delicate element about them; the illustrative parts of the work such as the leaf patterns are so finely painted which contrasts really interestingly with the array of colours in the background.

Anselm Kiefer’s work is unique because of the sheer size and the majestic qualities about them such as the amount and variety of natural materials, the depth of emotion in his work and the perspective of the work. The work optimises the theme natural world due to the array of natural materials and the arrangements of the pieces; it also seems to create a nostalgic atmosphere portraying a complex beauty in relation to the natural world.

Cedric Van Eeno’s work has an illustrative quality with the use of patterning and the earthly colours create a natural element in the work. The work has interesting mark-making that are simplistic yet bold due to lines and division of colour. The texture and structure of the pieces give the impression of natural surfaces such as rock or bark.

Mark Tobey works express complex patterns and illustration similar to the structure spontaneous formation of plants and express a chaotic foundation that seems to have meaning like the cave paintings do with the patterns. The works also seem to have a primitive sense of story-telling in the swirls and lines of the patterns.

Paul Klee’s artwork reflects interesting illustrations and vibrant colours that express something very primitive and simplistic with a basic sense of structure similar to the cave paintings of pre-historic man. The illustrative content of the work is rather basic and the colours painted in various tones which create an interesting structure to the work but it is the vivid colours of the paintings that bring the emotions and depth of the work alive.