She may have a famous namesake, but Brisbane-based artist Judith Wright is building a national reputation of her own, with a new exhibition of her works about to go on show at UQ.
Judith Wright: Conversations opens at the UQ Art Museum tonight, October 2 at 6pm, and includes the launch of the major publication on the artist’s work edited by Rhana Devenport, Director of the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery in New Zealand.
“Judith Wright’s practice hovers in an uncomfortable space between singular urgency and generous disclosure,” Ms Devenport said.
“There is a directness here that removes itself from social commentary or from wry observations of the visual world.”
The exhibition surveys the artist’s work over the past 20 years across a diverse range of media, including works on paper, artist books and video.
Wright said the abstractions in her drawings allow for an “open-ended response from the viewer, offering mirrors to project their own experiences on”.
As a former dancer with the Australian Ballet, movement and intimacy are integral to Wright’s work, both in still imagery and filmed sequence.
Her influences include the Japanese dance of Butoh, poets such as Austrian Rainer Maria Rilke and the tenth-century Japanese poetess, Izumi Shikibu.
The title of the exhibition references Shikibu’s poems, particularly those of The Diary of Izumi Shikibu, which form an exchange between the poet and her lover.
Prior to the official opening of the exhibition, Ms Devenport will lead a discussion with the artist on Level 3 of the UQ Art Museum, from 5.00pm.
The exhibition and publication are sponsored by Arts Queensland and GRANTPIRRIE, with the show open until November 16, 2008.
The UQ Art Museum is open daily from 10.00 – 4.00pm, with free parking on weekends.
Media: Nick Mitzevich (0434 361 383, n.mitzevich@uq.edu.au) or Gillian Ridsdale (07 3346 7793, g.ridsdale@uq.edu.au) at the UQ Art Museum
A high resolution image to accompany the release is available here
