David Jones, artist and poet (1895-1974) begins his PREFACE TO THE ANATHEMATA :

'I have made a heap of all that I could find.' (1) So wrote Nennius, or whoever composed the introductory matter to Historia Brittonum. He speaks of an 'inward wound' which was caused by the fear that certain things dear to him 'should be like smoke dissipated'. Further, he says, 'not trusting my own learning, which is none at all, but partly from writings and monuments of the ancient inhabitants of Britain, partly from the annals of the Romans and the chronicles of the sacred fathers, Isidore, Hieronymous, Prosper, Eusebius and from the histories of the Scots and Saxons although our enemies . . . I have lispingly put together this . . . about past transactions, that [this material] might not be trodden under foot'. (2)

(1) The actual words are coacervavi omne quod inveni, and occur in Prologue 2 to the Historia.
(2) Quoted from the translation of Prologue 1. See The Works of Gildas and Nennius, J.A.Giles, London 1841.


21 April 2017

Vale Ti Parks (1939 - 2017)

     
The experimental artist Ti Parks had a major influence on the development of conceptual art in Australia, especially in Melbourne.
 Introduction to Biography (stub) at National Library of Australia

 More info here.

 Ti Parks, Black desks, 1967                                 collection NGV

 Ti Parks, The Tent, 1968 
 1980 reconstruction at Art Projects, Melbourne (above)
 see (below) the 2005 text for Pitch Your Own Tent :

Monash University Museum of Art presents Pitch Your Own Tent: Art Projects | Store 5 | 1st Floor, an exhibition and publication examining the recent history of contemporary Australian art from 1979-2002 through the activities and practices of three influential artist-run spaces: Art Projects, Melbourne 1979-1984, established by John Nixon; Store 5, Melbourne 1989-1993, established by Gary Wilson; 1st Floor, Melbourne 1994-2002, established by David Rosetzky.
The exhibition explores a strong lineage in the recent history of contemporary Australian art; of avant-garde, experimental and innovative practices and discourses developed by communities of artists through independent artist-run exhibition and publishing initiatives.
Each of the three respective artist-run spaces will be represented through one of MUMA’s three galleries, which will provide the opportunity to represent each organisation in context, whilst also allowing a comparison of the ideas, modes of display, and material culture of each respective enterprise. One contention of the exhibition is the degree to which it is artists themselves who are responsible for the interpretation and writing of art history.
One important parameter that has been established within the curatorial framework is to involve only those works of art which were actually presented in the programs of the respective artist-run spaces, thereby invoking the forms, production values and materiality of the respective periods.
The title, Pitch Your Own Tent, makes reference to Gustave Courbet who pitched his own tent in front of the 1855 Exposition Universelle in Paris, to Ti Parks tents (one of which was exhibited at Art Projects and will be included in the exhibition), to Rikrit Taravanija’s tent installed in front of the AGNSW, and to the perpetually provisional and itinerant nature of artist-run spaces generally.
Given that the programs of Art Projects, Store 5 and 1 st Floor were each ambitious, diverse and encompassed exhibition and publishing programs conducted over periods of 5-9 years, the exhibition will inevitably focus upon the principal artists, and selected works which have made influential and/or lasting contributions, or are strongly representative of innovative visual arts culture of the time.
Artists include:
Art Projects – Anti-Music, Tony Clark, Peter Cripps, John Davis, John Dunkley-Smith, Richard Dunn, Robert Jacks, Robert MacPherson, John Nixon, Imants Tillers, Ti Parks, Mike Parr, Peter Tyndall, Ania Walwicz, Jenny Watson.
Store 5 – Stephen Bram, Sandra Bridie, Tony Clark, Bronwyn Clark-Coolee, Marco Fusinato, Diena Georgetti, Melinda Harper, Gail Hastings, Anne-Marie May, John Nixon, Rose Nolan, Kerrie Poliness, Kathy Temin, Gary Wilson, Constanze Zikos.
1st Floor Artists and Writers Space – Amanda Ahmed, Guy Benfield, Kate Beynon, Martine Corompt, Michael Delany, Kate Ellis, Mira Gojak, Eliza Hutchison, Raafat Ishak, Brendan Lee, Andrew McQualter, John Meade, Sean Meilak, Callum Morton, David Noonan, Alex Pittendrigh, David Rosetzky, Jacinta Schreuder, John Spiteri, Lyndal Walker.
Text: Carolyn Barnes, Max Delany, Tessa Dwyer, D.J Huppatz, Andrew Hurle, Robyn McKenzie, Sarah Tutton, edited by Max Delany.

Ti Parks lived in Melbourne from 1964 to 1973 
and during that period was one of the number of significant artists associated with Bruce Pollard's Pinacotheca Gallery at St Kilda then Richmond.

 The final exhibition at Pinacotheca was in August 2002, of recent artwork by Ti Parks. The images below come from a film of that event - Parks at Pinacotheca by Nicholas Nedelkopoulos - with commentary by Ti. 


 Parks at Pinacotheca by Nicholas Nedelkopoulos  2002 / revised 2011


 Parks at Pinacotheca by Nicholas Nedelkopoulos  2002 / revised 2011

In 2007, Christian Capurro collaborated with Parks at the Venice Biennale, as recorded here :
   
Ti Parks

Pensa con i sensi - Senti con la mente. L'arte al presente /
Think with the Senses - Feel with the Mind. Art in the Present Tense

'Off-Site' Performances, June: Venice

As an invited collaborator for the 'off-site' component of the Another Misspent Portrait of Etienne de Silhouette work at this year's Venice Biennale 52nd International Exhibition of Art, Ti Parks will be presenting a series of performances - 'performontages' as the artist calls them - twice a day in public spaces across Venice from June 11 to 13, 2007.


 Ti Parks performance at 52nd Venice Biennale, 2007
 photograph by Christian Capurro

 detail 
 A Person Looks At A Work Of Art/
 someone looks at something... 
         
 LOGOS/HA HA