There’s no time

Enigmatic Sydney-based artist John Spiteri, whose understated and philosophical works have remained under the radar in Melbourne for decades, will be presented in a new contemporary exhibition titled, There’s no time at The Ian Potter Museum of Art, at the University of Melbourne.

Mr Spiteri‟s paintings and sculptures in wood, canvas, glass, paint and stone will “converse‟ with Bradd Westmoreland’s large-scale mural painting, Mira Gojak’s major two-part ‘door’ sculpture ‘Everywhere and nowhere’ from 2005 and Karl Wiebke’s four luminous paintings.

Showcasing Mr Spiteri’s eloquent and “mystic” works alongside three Melbourne artists of three different generations provides an opportunity for the viewer to draw possible linkages and inspirations between all four artists’ expressions.

“John Spiteri is just one of those artists – a great talent with a relatively low profile and now selected for important institutional recognition,” says Bala Starr, exhibition curator and Senior Curator at The Potter.

“The art scene provides different forms of patronage to artists. At The Ian Potter Museum of Art we identify artists who express particular languages and qualities which we deem of great cultural value.

“John Spiteri is a great example of the sort of artist I find intriguing. Spiteri avoids thematics using titles like ‘Paint a rumour’ and ‘Those who are governed by gravity’, and his works are neither fashionable nor didactic.

“His new work incorporates funny reminiscences, hand-carved elements, thin paint, glass, fragments of ornamentation and geometry, and coloured rocks,” Starr says.

There’s no time: John Spiteri, Mira Gojak, Bradd Westmoreland, Karl Wiebke runs at The Ian Potter Museum of Art, at the University of Melbourne until 13 February 2011.