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Irrational and Idiosyncratic

By Suzanna Parisi

Posted on July 30, 2012

Adelaide artists Khai Liew and Bruce Nuske have collaborated to present Irrational and Idiosyncratic at the Samstag Museum of Art in August and September, an exhibition of works inspired by the 19th-century European response to all things oriental.

Liew and Nuske share a deep and abiding interest in the Japanese aesthetic that culminated in the cult of beauty associated with the Aesthetic Movement in England, and its Italian variation, Decadentismo.

Working in different mediums (Liew is one of Australian’s most respected furniture designers and Nuske an internationally recognised ceramic artist), both artists have a similar aesthetic vision and their collaborative output revels in a shared visual language. Irrational and Idiosyncratic presents a body of works exploring the materials of wood and clay, and the resulting dialogue between the two mediums.

What: Irrational and Idiosyncratic Exhibition
Where: Samstag Museum of Art
When: Friday 3 August until Sunday 30 September 2012
Hours: Tuesday to Friday 11-5pm, Saturday and Sunday 2-5pm.

While you’re there checking out that amazing piece of art, take a look at Beyond the self: Contemporary portraiture from Asia a touring exhibition from the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra, presented by the Samstag Museum of Art and Adelaide Festival Centre’s 2012 as part of the OzAsia Festival.

Beyond the self: Contemporary portraiture from Asia, brings a wealth of contemporary portraiture from across Asia to the Museum of Art in August and September, exploring the representation of the self in current South and Southeast Asian visual art practice. Beyond the self will provide audiences with a deeper understanding and appreciation of the contemporary cultures of our regional neighbours.

The exhibition brings together painting, photography, sculpture, drawing, installation and media works, and looks at the transformative possibility of portraiture through art from the early 2000s to the present, created by artists from Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines.

What: Beyond the self: Contemporary portraiture from Asia
Where: Samstag Museum of Art
When: Friday 3 August until Sunday 30 September 2012
Hours: Tuesday to Friday 11–5pm, Saturday and Sunday 2–5pm.

For more info check out the Samstag Museum of Art.