Gold Coast City Art Gallery is delighted to host Jon Cattapan: The City Submerged an exhibition of paintings by prominent Melbourne-based artist Jon Cattapan. The portrayal of living in a city as a largely negative experience is nothing new. Jon Cattapan's portrayal of the subject, however presents the loneliness of city living in a manner which is unique and insightful.
With his paintings exploring abstraction and figuration, Cattapan seeks to recall the fragmentary nature of the urban experience. His haunting paintings offer a unique insight into the individual's sense of dislocation and isolation in the sprawling metropolis, a subject he is familiar with.
Having lived in a range of cities, including New York, Melbourne and Canberra, Cattapan finds certain aspects of city living to be universal. Issues such as homelessness, street violence and the coexistence of extreme wealth and poverty in one location are just some of the themes underlying The City Submerged.
The artist says of his work: I see 'The City' as both an enchanted site, a place of dream-like juxtapositions and as a more conscious field of competing cultural information often psychologically frayed at the edges.
Featuring a series of richly coloured oil paintings and installations product in a number of different cities, The City Submerged is the culmination of ten year's work for Melbourne based artists Jon Cattapan.
The exhibition will be officially opened by Mr Michael Brand, Assistant Director, Curatorial & Development, Queensland Art Gallery on Saturday the 29th of January at 2pm. At 3.30pm the artist will conduct a free informal Gallery walkthrough of the exhibition.
The exhibition is being toured by Wollongong City Gallery. This project has been assisted by the Commonwealth Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding body.
For further information please contact Alison Kubler, Curator, Public Programs Gold Coast City Art Gallery on (07) 55816 578, or via fax on (07) 55816 594, or via e-mail at kubler@gcac.com.au
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