TERMS AND CONDITIONS
13 - 30 JULY 2017
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Continuing in the the stylistic language of children's colouring-in books and cartoon imagery, Sydney artist Anthony Bartok's recent work explores the everyday realities and contradictions of living in the modern western world. His humorous depictions of everyday life combine the private with the public and the local with the universal. The various desires and failures of the individual are collaged against the larger realities of industrial globalisation and consumer culture to create a visual 'double-exposure' of various combined aspects relating to a 21st century existence.
"I paint my subjects with a deadpan line because my subjects are tragic. It's true that there is much to celebrate today but it has come about through society's ability to recognise the worst aspects of itself."
His successful show in 2016 at MOP Projects was his first solo exhibition in 6 years, since turning his back on painting after a house fire in his Newtown rental property.
"After that I drifted about stylistically and conceptually without any clear focus. Majoring in printmaking at the National Art School opened up a whole new landscape of possibility. The idea that I could take myself out of the image entirely while directing it completely was liberating. I felt that this work is more an expression of myself than anything before."
“Studying art as a mature aged student after already having several solo shows humbled me down a lot.. It forced me out of my own headspace. My lecturers introduced the idea of experimentation into my work. I now question my work at every point, which makes the finished product more considered and synthisised than ever before.”
There are also references to Modernist paintings of the 1950s and early pop aesthetic of the early 60s in the way he colours his backgrounds. By quoting painterly techniques of the past he addresses the fall and failure of Modernism. “Today is littered with the broken promises of Modernism. We aimed to be an open and affable society, but we have become spoiled and bored.”
“I went to New York for the first time earlier this year. I went to the Museum of Natural History and into a huge planetarium. We reclined back to watch a 3D journey through the universe and through time. A man behind me started snoring loudly. I thought ‘if you could be bored with that then you could be bored with anything’. It gave me the idea for one of the works in this show, a piece called ‘Sleep’”(image attached in email).
“There is definitely a sense of loss, of sadness and melancholy with these works. I’ve referenced the cartoon line of the colouring in book. I feel there is a sadness in that line because it is completely anonymous. The artist is unknown and their hand is apathetic towards the subject which gives the drawings a pithy quality. I try to drag the brush around in the same way.”
Images : courtesy the artist
"I paint my subjects with a deadpan line because my subjects are tragic. It's true that there is much to celebrate today but it has come about through society's ability to recognise the worst aspects of itself."
His successful show in 2016 at MOP Projects was his first solo exhibition in 6 years, since turning his back on painting after a house fire in his Newtown rental property.
"After that I drifted about stylistically and conceptually without any clear focus. Majoring in printmaking at the National Art School opened up a whole new landscape of possibility. The idea that I could take myself out of the image entirely while directing it completely was liberating. I felt that this work is more an expression of myself than anything before."
“Studying art as a mature aged student after already having several solo shows humbled me down a lot.. It forced me out of my own headspace. My lecturers introduced the idea of experimentation into my work. I now question my work at every point, which makes the finished product more considered and synthisised than ever before.”
There are also references to Modernist paintings of the 1950s and early pop aesthetic of the early 60s in the way he colours his backgrounds. By quoting painterly techniques of the past he addresses the fall and failure of Modernism. “Today is littered with the broken promises of Modernism. We aimed to be an open and affable society, but we have become spoiled and bored.”
“I went to New York for the first time earlier this year. I went to the Museum of Natural History and into a huge planetarium. We reclined back to watch a 3D journey through the universe and through time. A man behind me started snoring loudly. I thought ‘if you could be bored with that then you could be bored with anything’. It gave me the idea for one of the works in this show, a piece called ‘Sleep’”(image attached in email).
“There is definitely a sense of loss, of sadness and melancholy with these works. I’ve referenced the cartoon line of the colouring in book. I feel there is a sadness in that line because it is completely anonymous. The artist is unknown and their hand is apathetic towards the subject which gives the drawings a pithy quality. I try to drag the brush around in the same way.”
Images : courtesy the artist