Gallery 9 proudly presents Contemporary Painting at fortyfivedownstairs, Melbourne: 45 Flinders Lane Melbourne: Tuesday 7 – Saturday 18 May 2013

Simon Blau, Julian Hooper, Suzie Idiens, Tonee Messiah, Jelena Telecki and what   

VIEW THE EXHIBITION CATALOGUE ONLINE

Gallery 9 is fulfilling its original intention to exhibit Sydney and overseas based artists in Melbourne, in the same way the Gallery exhibits Melbourne based artists in its Sydney premises. The biennial Melbourne Art Fair provides one opportunity but this, a larger scale exhibition with fortyfivedownstairs offers these Gallery 9 artists both a moment to show together beyond the gallery’s familiar walls and a gateway directly into the Melbourne’s cultural hub.

Contemporary Painting presents the latest works of six artists whose individual practices involve, although not solely, painting. Collectively there is great diversity amongst these artists’ works and each artist in the exhibition was selected to present the multifarious approaches to painting being explored by contemporary artists. Aside from this intention to exhibit a wide range of painting, the exhibition does not inherently imply curatorial aims nor provide a catalogue essay describing one. However, in showing artists, all of whom Gallery 9 represent, it may be possible recognise curious and intriguing points of similarity between their works and these further reinforce why this particular grouping of artists has been chosen.

The exhibition will include figurative paintings by Jelena Telecki, semi abstracts by Julian Hooper and Tonee Messiah, conceptual abstract work by what and Simon Blau as well as non-objective painted objects by Suzie Idiens. These artists have received considerable critical acclaim and attracted curatorial interest from institutions within Melbourne.

Work by Simon Blau is held in the NGV Collection, and what and Tonee Messiah both have works in the Monash University Collection. In 2007, Julian Hooper’s major work Liliu (collection, Queensland Art Gallery) was exhibited in ‘All in an Afternoon’ at The MADA Gallery (formerly the Monash Faculty Gallery) and in 2012 he was included in ‘Post Planning’ curated by Bala Starr at the Ian Potter Museum of Art.

12►