Ben Quilty
1973 - Pacific self portrait 2014- oil on canvas
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Description
'The work of contemporary artist Ben Quilty is well known for his Rorschach technique suggestive of polarities and psychological turmoil. His Pacific self portrait 2014 attempts to place the artist figure into the region his country is part of as well as its history, but with questionable success. Well-known for work that he produced as an official war artist in Afghanistan 2011, as well as his fight to prevent the death penalty for two Australians in Indonesia, this work can be read as an attempt to evoke pacifism and calm. Yet Quilty's work is large, gestural and 'loud' and seems still charged with the energy of conflict and combat.'
Dunja Rmandic, Associate Curator, Projects, Art Gallery of Western Australia
© Ben Quilty