LINTON MEAGHER STEFAN DUNLOP Chronology
10 September 2009 - 3 October 2009
Chronology refers to the gradual development of both Meagher and Dunlop's laboured aesthetic - built up in many layers or with exacting, painstaking detail. The artists are otherwise distinct from one another: Meagher uses hundreds of mass produced ready made units in his sculptural collages and Dunlop builds his images in thick, textured paint.
Born in Sydney in 1975, Linton Meagher creates evocative artworks from materials taken out of their ordinary context. His painstaking assemblages are created from one repeated item, whether it be a bullet shell or dollar bill. Always immaculate in presentation, the pieces raise questions about the choice of material in their new creative context. Initially Meagher utilized empty pill capsules or scalpel blades in this body of work. In doing so he was putting both of his two degrees in art and medicine to remarkable use. In all of his compositions Meagher manipulates his materials to create an aesthetic that is precise yet beautiful.
For Australian artist Stefan Dunlop, the skill, execution and craft of painting are a subject to be explored visually in themselves. He plays endlessly with paint thickness, volume, depth of colour and surface effect in his canvasses. However, the artist's fascination with the act of painting and its materials does not prohibit a level of narrative in the work. Far from abstract, the paintings often feature developed compositional arrangements, for instance a recent series based on figures in conflict.
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