21.03.2020 - 19.12.2020
Anna Schwartz Gallery (exhibition website)
Melbourne AU
Presented are works made in collaboration with John Nixon that were presented in his exhibition Groups + Pairs 2016-2020
John Nixon’s works are mostly made in groups or series, even though they are individual, solo paintings. Singular objects, they are made in accordance with
specific parameters which define one group from another. For example, in this exhibition, a group of constructed paintings has a conceptual basis around the use of various lengths of timber that are intuitively organised across the surface of the MDF in different geometric permutations. Similarly, a group of white paintings on canvas and hessian panels are joined together to form variations on shape and structure.
The exhibition also features paired paintings, sometimes made in groups as
previously but in this format displayed side-by-side. The first paired paintings were made in 2016 and this process is continuous. Many different rules of engagement are applied in the making and visual attributes of each pair. Some are simple, some, complex. Both minimal and maximal concerns within Nixon’s
practice create an internal dialogue and are displayed here in evidence of his ongoing dedication to geometric abstraction.
There are three additional components in Groups + Pairs 2016 – 2020. Firstly,
presented on tables, are sets of collaborative works made by Nixon and
Jacqueline Stojanović, that combine Stojanović’s practice of weaving with Nixon’s constructed paintings.
The second component is a video titled Red + Blue (2020). The video features the dancer Grace Uchida wearing dresses from Alpha60 in conjunction with two of Nixon’s paintings. This video demonstrates Nixon’s interest in the crossover between contemporary dance and painting using alternate methods of
presentation. Red + Blue is displayed in the window of Alpha60’s Flinders Lane store.
Finally, Anna Schwartz Gallery invited the artist to produce a limited run of posters for the exhibition. The posters are distributed around the inner suburbs of
Melbourne and feature Nixon’s signature graphic design style.
- John Nixon, 2020
Installation view of collaborative works made between John Nixon & Jacqueline Stojanović, Groups + Pairs 2016-2020, 2020, Anna Schwartz Gallery Melbourne AU. Photo courtesy of the Estate of John Nixon. Collection of the National Gallery of Victoria gifted by Anna Schwartz and Morry Schwartz.
John Nixon & Jacqueline Stojanović, Untitled 2020, wool and jute; Polyfilla on hessian, 41 x 30.5 cm. Photo courtesy of the Estate of John Nixon. Collection of the National Gallery of Victoria gifted by Anna Schwartz and Morry Schwartz.
John Nixon & Jacqueline Stojanović, Untitled (pair) 2020, wool and jute; enamel on wood, 39 x 34.5 cm. Photo courtesy of the Estate of John Nixon. Collection of the National Gallery of Victoria gifted by Anna Schwartz and Morry Schwartz.
John Nixon & Jacqueline Stojanović, Untitled (pair) 2020, cotton and jute; enamel on cardboard on canvas 2 parts: 20 x 16 cm; 20 x 20 cm. Photo courtesy of the Estate of John Nixon. Collection of the National Gallery of Victoria gifted by Anna Schwartz and Morry Schwartz.
John Nixon & Jacqueline Stojanović, Untitled 2019, wool on metal grid; enamel on wood and canvas, 47.7 x 31 cm. Photo courtesy of the Estate of John Nixon. Collection of the National Gallery of Victoria gifted by Anna Schwartz and Morry Schwartz.
Installation view of collaborative works made between John Nixon & Jacqueline Stojanović, Groups + Pairs 2016-2020, 2020, Anna Schwartz Gallery Melbourne AU. Photo courtesy of the Estate of John Nixon. Collection of the National Gallery of Victoria gifted by Anna Schwartz and Morry Schwartz.
John Nixon & Jacqueline Stojanović, Untitled 2020, wool and jute; industrial felt on canvas, 41 x 30 cm. Photo courtesy of the Estate of John Nixon. Collection of the National Gallery of Victoria gifted by Anna Schwartz and Morry Schwartz.
John Nixon & Jacqueline Stojanović, Untitled 2019, wool and jute on metal grid; enamel on wood on canvas, 37.5 x 26 cm. Photo courtesy of the Estate of John Nixon. Collection of the National Gallery of Victoria gifted by Anna Schwartz and Morry Schwartz.
John Nixon & Jacqueline Stojanović, Untitled 2020, enamel on wooden sticks and linen, 39 x 19 cm. Photo courtesy of the Estate of John Nixon. Collection of the National Gallery of Victoria gifted by Anna Schwartz and Morry Schwartz.
John Nixon & Jacqueline Stojanović, Untitled (pair) 2020, wool and jute; enamel on boxboard on canvas 2 parts: 25 x 13 cm; 25 x 13 cm. Photo courtesy of the Estate of John Nixon. Collection of the National Gallery of Victoria gifted by Anna Schwartz and Morry Schwartz.