“It was a moment for a young artist, as I was then, of profound silence and realisation that art could convey incredibly powerful, significant messages without the need for verbal communication”
—Daniel Mellor on Anselm Keifer’s Abendland, or Twilight of the West (1989)
The National Gallery of Australia (NGA) has announced the launch of Artists’ Artists, a podcast series that presents leading critic Jennifer Higgie in conversation with five contemporary Australian and international artists on the works from the NGA collection that have had an impact on them.
Across five episodes, Julie Rrap, Danie Mellor, Bridget Riley, Janet Laurence and Albert Yonathan Setyawan speak to their first and subsequent encounters with works from the collection. From Bridget Riley on Georges Seuràt, to Daniel Mellor on Sidney Nolan, the conversations invite listeners to learn more about some of the treasures and lesser-known works in the national collection, consider the ways in which artworks both connect us with history and travel through time, as well as gain insight into the personal life experiences and stories of Australian and international artists.
“That cannery sticks in my memory because … it was piecework, meaning there was no union attached to that cannery. So it was a pretty kind of, Dickensian scene, if you like, because you just have to show up and hope you got some work … When I look at those rows of women, I thought, that’s a true thing”
—Julie Rrap on Tracey Moffat’s First Jobs Pineapple Cannery (1978)
Artists’ Artists is hosted by Australian novelist, screenwriter, art critic and former editor of the London-based arts magazine, Frieze, Jennifer Higgie. Higgie’s recent books include The Other Side: A Journey into Women, Art and the Spirit World and The Mirror and the Palette: 500 Years of Women’s Self Portraits. She is also the presenter of Bow Down, a podcast about women in art history, and the editor of National Gallery publication The Annual.
Artists’ Artists is available to stream now. Subscribe via your favourite podcast app or listen online.
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