Interview with Australian artist Anthony Bartok
I caught up with emerging Sydney artist, Anthony Bartok, at the opening of his current show at Global Gallery titled Modern Living. I’ve been following his work for a few years and every show is a stylistic 180 degree departure from his previous one. This one is no exception. I’m not sure which is more unnerving, the grey Bacon-esque serial killer portraits from 2009, or this current series of large-scale, empty interiors, painted from real-estate sales collateral.
Tell me about Modern Living?
‘Modern Living was a bit of a response to the world around me, in the context of de-personalised, secularised, soulless living. It’s that top end of town apartment way of life that I wanted to explore, and how it can be seen to symbolise us as a species in the early 21st century. In diggings of ancient Roman streets, we use the grand villas as examples of how the rich lived. Mosaic floors, art, banquets, baths — they used culture and good company to display their wealth. They could afford to ‘live well’ in the old sense. What would our $3,000,000+ Pyrmont apartments say about us? Clean lines, big dead spaces filled with light. It looks more suited to performing open heart surgery than to living’.
How long does it take to complete a work?
‘Too long. People ask me all the time, and if I was told the amount of time it took in hours (for a particular painting), it wouldn’t mean anything to me. “Oh really? 61 hours? Great”. You don’t think about it. Usually I work on a few at once, just to keep me engaged, and to keep a common uniformity among them I guess. This series took the longest by far. Some works date back a couple years, I lost interest in the methods they demanded. So last November I booked a show for 3 weeks time and did an exhibition of serial killers in that time. I needed the release of freedom they gave, I’d missed drawing faces. Short answer: it varies’.
Tagged: Anthony Bartokv, Global Gallery, Sydney, Sydney artist
RELATED
Sydney-based artist Anna-Wili Highfield
Sydney-based artist Anna-Wili Highfield makes amazing and accurate sculptures of animals out of really nice paper as well as more gestural pieces out of copper pipes. Read more
Kevin Tran’s Between Two Worlds
Kevin Tran’s use of colour, shape, texture and composition throughout his Between Two Worlds exhibition is absolutely enchanting. There’s so much depth oozing out of these simplistic animal paintings. Lovely work from this Sydney-born artist.
Cities of the Red Night video by SPOD
If you live in Sydney, the name SPOD will be familiar to you, if you don’t live in Sydney, the name SPOD is imminently closer by the second to being familiar to you. Why, you ask? Well, because he’s just one of those everyday music and video geniuses, that’s all. Have a look at his Vimeo and you will see what I’m on about.
Also by MARK BARWALD
New single, The Bug, from Sydney band Cogel
Cogel have just released the music video for The Bug, the first single from their debut album, due out in March 2012. I’m picking up whatever poetic percussion they’re puttin’ down.
Aquarium: the new single by Sydney band Cogel
Sydney indie outfit Cogel are fast developing a following with their ethereal vocals and layered percussion. They recently opened for Wally De Backer (aka Gotye), who also laid down vocals for their track, Rocks on the Sun. Their self-titled debut EP is available on iTunes.
Marvin Joseph, a fashion photographer who has followed a winding path to Sydney, has found more than a few die-hard fans in the models he photographs, as well the clients that seek him out. He believes that we are born to create and has his sights, and his heart, now firmly set on that creative beacon-of-dreams, New York City. Read more
YOU'RE SAYING (0)
No comments yet.
HAVE YOUR SAY
Some fun illustrative typography from Australian-based creative designer Luke Lucas. Check out more Australian design at our sister website, The Colour Read more
I finally got my copy of Play Pen: New Children’s Book Illustration by Martin Salisbury in the mail today and was immediately taken by the gorgeous illustration on the cover. Marc Boutavant! I flipped to the pages featuring his work and I couldn’t be more smitten by his colorful, fantastically playful, and positively charming illustrations.
Oh man! If I was twenty again, a jumble of nerves and a well of electric energy, I’d be in the front row for every damn MGMT gig. Read more
In a world filled with conceptual environmental architect, Lost in Paris, designed by R&Sie Architects for a so-called ‘urban witch’, is the definition of innovation and resourcefulness. The 1400 square foot home is engulfed by 1200 ferns and 300 glass-blown pods. A potion of rainwater and plant nutrients are fed to the pods, which in turn feed the ferns, drop by drop, during the year. And because the home is entirely covered with the plants, it is protected from outside weather and the interior temperature is regulated without use of traditional methods.
Photoshop Disasters posts some of the most atrocious acts of Photoshop ever committed. It’s amazing how many horrible shop jobs make it to print. Read more
I’ve seen free-jazz spazz outfit Microkingdom many times in their hometown of Baltimore, but their recent gig opening for Skull Defekts was really tight. I found myself head banging to jazz! That hasn’t happened in a while.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
AJ Dimarucot is a Manila-based designer specializing in t-shirt graphics. His work is electric, bursting with colour and momentum, like something you’d see in the Big Bang section at the Museum of Natural History. Or something like that. Read more
WE'RE POSTING / SOME OF THE BEST
Christoph Niemann illustrates a nightmare flight
New York Times illustrator Christoph Niemann has created a brilliant visual diary outlining the peril and pitfalls that beset the everyday passenger based on his recent experience flying from New York to his home town of Berlin. Read more
Pitched as ‘Ulterior Motives in Contemporary Art’, Disorder Disorder is running until November 14 at Penrith Regional Gallery. It’ll be well worth the trip out west of Sydney: the Australian, Japanese, American and European cast reads like a warriors of street art roundup and includes Mike Giant, Ed Templeton, Anthony Lister [artwork above], Ozzie Wright, and Jonathan Zawada. Read more
How ’bout this Jose Manuel Hortelano-Pi guy, huh? Quite the illustrator, yessiree Bob. From Spain, too. Spain is great! Read more
Nerd-attack! Man, this TARDIS zipper robe is so much cooler than any Star Wars crap people are hawking this days. This is for the true gangsta nerd.
A little infectious lollipop rock anyone? Feel free to embarrass yourself singing along at the stoplight. If the other drivers give you that look, roll down the windows and spread the love.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Okayboss is an illustrator based in sunny Sydney who combines the powers of PB&J sandwiches, cats on the Internet, and a pocketful of edible crayons into a rainbow Voltron drawingbot. His shirts are anything from abstract space particles, to hands with expressions, while his music-inspired art prints are playful, witty, and gorgeous. Okayboss items are available for sale in the Lost At E Minor Store. Read more
If you have a Twitter feed that focuses on cool pop cultural things and you’d like to swap Tweets with Lost At E Minor and other like-minded Twitterers, drop us a note (with Tweet Swap in the title). We have a system in place and we’d like to have you in on it! [illustration by Brad Fitzpatrick]
FOLLOW US
DISCOVER MORE
SO...
SEARCH: Can't find what you're looking for? Do a search..
IS IT GOOD FOR YOU TOO?
We hope you're enjoying your time on Lost At E Minor, but it's not over yet. Got something to share? Tell us about it and we'll look to publish it. If you want to have your work featured on the site, we'd love to hear from you. Pssst, we also have an online store stocking some of the goodies we feature on the site.
If you're a media agency and want to use this platform to connect with our readership, then drop us a line and tell us about it. Oh yeah, and we do digital consulting for cool brands that want to reach the sort of demographic that visits this site.
