He’s finished the paintings, he’s commissioned the music; now John Mutsaers just needs the words for his intriguing new collection.
By Liane Arno
IN THE midst of organising the Archies Bald Portrait Prize in honour of the hairless head and cancer fundraiser, chair John Mutsaers was diagnosed with prostate cancer. As he stood on the podium teasing people into answering whether they would have liked to be at the inaugural Archibald Prize in the same way that they were this evening at its tongue in cheek take-off (“Of course not – you’d be dead,” he quipped), he was not thinking of his own mortality – but what he still needed to do.
And what he needed to do was to finish his Infinite Birdcage series of paintings, which symbolises the human need for freedom. As John shows me around his home and studio I am thrilled that the series will have its first official showing at ArtSpace. Each piece is so different from the others and yet it is also such a cohesive series.
By Liane Arno
IN THE midst of organising the Archies Bald Portrait Prize in honour of the hairless head and cancer fundraiser, chair John Mutsaers was diagnosed with prostate cancer. As he stood on the podium teasing people into answering whether they would have liked to be at the inaugural Archibald Prize in the same way that they were this evening at its tongue in cheek take-off (“Of course not – you’d be dead,” he quipped), he was not thinking of his own mortality – but what he still needed to do.
And what he needed to do was to finish his Infinite Birdcage series of paintings, which symbolises the human need for freedom. As John shows me around his home and studio I am thrilled that the series will have its first official showing at ArtSpace. Each piece is so different from the others and yet it is also such a cohesive series.
As John started to develop his theme of freedom he became more and more engaged with the concept and what it meant. As his paintbrush carried out where his imagination was guiding him to create his captivating works, he started filling the canvas with symbolism, metaphors and themes. Everything from cheeky sulphur crested cockatoos pecking at a starched linen tablecloth to Aboriginal totems to scorched earth.
When I look at the dictionary definition of freedom it says “the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants”. I must say I started to think – do we ever really have such power? After all – it may be a right – but can it be truly exercised without fear of reprisal, fear of rejection, fear of hurting someone we care about?
But that question against a background of a comfortable and happy existence is so trivial compared to others. What does freedom mean to a refugee? A prisoner? A woman in an ISIS state? A person unable to walk? A partner in a controlling and possibly violent relationship? An indigenous elder taken from his land? A person trapped in their own body and only able to blink to communicate? Or not having the freedom of a day without hearing voices in their head? How often do we rob ourselves of freedom and dwell infinitely in our own cage?
And then – do those who have it appreciate it? Understand the huge disparity in the world? And when achieved – as I look fondly at the clearly escaped ice blue budgerigar shivering in the cold Gippsland rains that has found its way to the seeds I leave out for the birds in my garden – is it all it’s cracked up to be?
And finally, to those who have the power to give freedom. How many instances of injustice do we see around us where those with the power to give, do not?
When I marvel at how wonderful John’s paintings are, he says, “Thank you, but it’s the ones who can create a picture without using a drop of paint that I admire. It’s these people that I want to engage in my project.” He is, of course, referring to writers.
Part of the exhibition is an invitation to writers, young, old, established or beginners. “I want to bring a broader understanding to the notion of freedom by enlisting the help of writers who will engage with my paintings at a public exhibition in February next year. Some of my works will be hanging in a special art installation at ArtSpace like a small theatre setting complete with a writer’s desk, red chair and The Infinite Birdcage paintings featured for their inspiration and interpretation.”
John wants writers to craft their own picture of freedom in no more than 2000 words using the Infinite Birdcage paintings as a catalyst. Their writing can be fiction or based on their lived experiences. After viewing the exhibition, the article, essay, story or poem can be written in the writer’s own time and can be submitted any time during the exhibition. The winner will receive a $400 framed original Infinite Birdcage drawing.
The work of three finalists will be published in the leading Gippsland lifestyle magazine and later published in a book about the Infinite Birdcage featuring all the paintings, drawings and a broader selection of narratives.
And just so all bases are covered, John has also commissioned Inverloch composer Mark Finsterer to write music for each Infinite Birdcage paintings. Mark will play at the exhibition and his CD of his Birdcage music will be available.
If you are a writer interested in taking part, or interested in the concept, visit www.johnmutsaers.com/about-the-table or email [email protected]
The official opening will be between 4 and 6pm on February 23 at ArtSpace Gallery, I Bent Street, Wonthaggi, and the exhibition will run until March 30.
When I look at the dictionary definition of freedom it says “the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants”. I must say I started to think – do we ever really have such power? After all – it may be a right – but can it be truly exercised without fear of reprisal, fear of rejection, fear of hurting someone we care about?
But that question against a background of a comfortable and happy existence is so trivial compared to others. What does freedom mean to a refugee? A prisoner? A woman in an ISIS state? A person unable to walk? A partner in a controlling and possibly violent relationship? An indigenous elder taken from his land? A person trapped in their own body and only able to blink to communicate? Or not having the freedom of a day without hearing voices in their head? How often do we rob ourselves of freedom and dwell infinitely in our own cage?
And then – do those who have it appreciate it? Understand the huge disparity in the world? And when achieved – as I look fondly at the clearly escaped ice blue budgerigar shivering in the cold Gippsland rains that has found its way to the seeds I leave out for the birds in my garden – is it all it’s cracked up to be?
And finally, to those who have the power to give freedom. How many instances of injustice do we see around us where those with the power to give, do not?
When I marvel at how wonderful John’s paintings are, he says, “Thank you, but it’s the ones who can create a picture without using a drop of paint that I admire. It’s these people that I want to engage in my project.” He is, of course, referring to writers.
Part of the exhibition is an invitation to writers, young, old, established or beginners. “I want to bring a broader understanding to the notion of freedom by enlisting the help of writers who will engage with my paintings at a public exhibition in February next year. Some of my works will be hanging in a special art installation at ArtSpace like a small theatre setting complete with a writer’s desk, red chair and The Infinite Birdcage paintings featured for their inspiration and interpretation.”
John wants writers to craft their own picture of freedom in no more than 2000 words using the Infinite Birdcage paintings as a catalyst. Their writing can be fiction or based on their lived experiences. After viewing the exhibition, the article, essay, story or poem can be written in the writer’s own time and can be submitted any time during the exhibition. The winner will receive a $400 framed original Infinite Birdcage drawing.
The work of three finalists will be published in the leading Gippsland lifestyle magazine and later published in a book about the Infinite Birdcage featuring all the paintings, drawings and a broader selection of narratives.
And just so all bases are covered, John has also commissioned Inverloch composer Mark Finsterer to write music for each Infinite Birdcage paintings. Mark will play at the exhibition and his CD of his Birdcage music will be available.
If you are a writer interested in taking part, or interested in the concept, visit www.johnmutsaers.com/about-the-table or email [email protected]
The official opening will be between 4 and 6pm on February 23 at ArtSpace Gallery, I Bent Street, Wonthaggi, and the exhibition will run until March 30.