‘JENNY WATSON: THE FABRIC OF FANTASY’

5 July — 2 October 2017

“Jenny Watson is a leading Australian artist whose conceptual painting practice spans more than four decades. Curated by MCA Curator Anna Davis this survey exhibition features works from the 1970s to the present, including examples of Watson’s early realist paintings and drawings, and a number of key series of works on fabric. Inspired by both punk and feminism, Watson’s work uses distilled imagery and abbreviated text to create an intimate interior world. She has travelled widely since the 1970s and employs textiles collected on her travels as the surface for many of her paintings, which also often include collaged materials such as images from magazines, horse’s hair, ribbons, bows and sequins. Many of Watson’s works feature self-portraits and alter egos, a cast of longhaired women, horses, ballerinas, rock guitarists and cats, who enact life’s ongoing psychodramas. Intertwining autobiography and fiction, her work incorporates a diary-like voice that is delivered with deadpan wit and seems to relay the everyday experiences, dreams and desires of a self-proclaimed suburban girl. The relationship between text and image is central to her work, which frequently includes a small panel of hand painted text that sits alongside a larger image, undercutting or changing its meaning.”

-Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney

Exhibition Information

Artist Information

MIKE PARR | SUNSET CLAWS | PART 1

An exhibition in 3 parts Part 1: Dirty Blanket 28 September – 8 November 2023 Anna […]

Jen­ny Wat­son, The Fab­ric of Fantasy

MIKE PARR | SUN­SET CLAWS | PART 1

LAU­REN BRIN­CAT | BENEATH THE SUR­FACE, BEHIND THE SCENE

MUT­LU ÇERKEZ | AUDI­TIONS FOR AN UNWRIT­TEN OPERA

ANGEL­I­CA MESI­TI | TREMBLEMENT

AMRI­TA HEPI | BANKSIA, RRR

The vast and uncom­pro­mis­ing prac­tice of Mike Parr assumes mul­ti­ple forms through a con­fla­tion of draw­ing, print­mak­ing, sculp­ture and performance.

DAVID NOO­NAN | VIVI­ENNE SHARK LEWITT | JEN­NY WAT­SON | Thin Skin

DAVID NOO­NAN | VIVI­ENNE SHARK LeWITT | JEN­NY WATSON

ROSE NOLAN | CEN­TRAL STATION

Night­shifts at Bux­ton Contemporary

Su san Cohn | Pieces of Peace | Per­for­mances | NGV Mel­bourne Design Week

Re-Invent­ing Piet. Mon­dri­an and the Con­se­quences | Joseph Kosuth

The Inti­mate Resis­tance: Mike Par­r’s Per­for­mance Work 1971 — 2023 | Museo de Arte Mod­er­no de Bogotá & Fon­dazione Morra

Chi­haru Shio­ta | Ham­mer Museum

Portrait23 | Nation­al Por­trait Gallery

STIEG PERS­SON, EMI­LY FLOYD: LIV­ING TOGETHER

JAN NEL­SON, JOHN NIXON & VIVI­ENNE SHARK LEWITT: MEL­BOURNE NOW

EMI­LY FLOYD: KNOWL­EDGE POWER

EMI­LY FLOYD: BUT­TER­FLY KITES

JOHN NIXON: MONOCHROME/PIANO 1992

DANIEL CROOKS: BOUND­ARY CONDITIONS

ROSE NOLAN: HAL­LAM STATION

ANGEL­I­CA MESI­TI: STILL LIFE

AMRI­TA HEPI: THE ANGUIL­LA PURSUIT

Jenny Watson, The Fabric of Fantasy

MIKE PARR | SUNSET CLAWS | PART 1

LAUREN BRINCAT | BENEATH THE SURFACE, BEHIND THE SCENE

MUTLU ÇERKEZ | AUDITIONS FOR AN UNWRITTEN OPERA

ANGELICA MESITI | TREMBLEMENT

AMRITA HEPI | BANKSIA, RRR

The vast and uncompromising practice of Mike Parr assumes multiple forms through a conflation of drawing, printmaking, sculpture and performance.

DAVID NOONAN | VIVIENNE SHARK LEWITT | JENNY WATSON | Thin Skin

DAVID NOONAN | VIVIENNE SHARK LeWITT | JENNY WATSON

ROSE NOLAN | CENTRAL STATION

Nightshifts at Buxton Contemporary

Su san Cohn | Pieces of Peace | Performances | NGV Melbourne Design Week

Re-Inventing Piet. Mondrian and the Consequences | Joseph Kosuth

The Intimate Resistance: Mike Parr’s Performance Work 1971 — 2023 | Museo de Arte Moderno de Bogotá & Fondazione Morra

Chiharu Shiota | Hammer Museum

Portrait23 | National Portrait Gallery

STIEG PERSSON, EMILY FLOYD: LIVING TOGETHER

JAN NELSON, JOHN NIXON & VIVIENNE SHARK LEWITT: MELBOURNE NOW

EMILY FLOYD: KNOWLEDGE POWER

EMILY FLOYD: BUTTERFLY KITES

DANIEL CROOKS: BOUNDARY CONDITIONS

ROSE NOLAN: HALLAM STATION

ANGELICA MESITI: STILL LIFE

AMRITA HEPI: THE ANGUILLA PURSUIT