On a recent visit to Sydney, I saw the Louise Bourgeois exhibition at Sydney Contemporary, titled HAS THE DAY INVADED THE NIGHT OR HAS THE NIGHT INVADED THE DAY. An interesting title as it opened up an opportunity to present work in a relatively lighted gallery space, contrasting with a darkened gallery space below, called the 'Tank', with spotlights highlighting, or perhaps a better word would be, revealing, the work.
I always admire artists whose range is wide and Bourgeois is one of those artists. Although her work is sometimes the product of manufacturing, she can also produce work as a maker, that is, a person who brings work into the world through her mind and hands working together. Which means she can draw. A darkened space also allows the viewer, I think, to view the work in a kind of privacy even though people are walking around the gallery. The distractions are almost cancelled out. Spotlighting the art draws your attention to the work as if you and it alone exist.
Her subject matter is often about pain and angst but a certain magic transforms it into something not just about that. I also noted that the work in the darkened gallery had no titles which I liked because it was the image itself that you connected to rather than an image with a garland of words trying to explain what it's all about. It reminded me of an Edward Hopper quote, 'If I could say it with words I wouldn't need to paint it'.
Below is a selection of some of the work in the exhibition. A wonderful artist and a wonderfully curated exhibition.
