Augustus Tower | George Gittoes Exhibition
10 March – 1 April
Mitchell Fine Art Gallery, Fortitude Valley
Driven by a desire for peace and social justice, George Gittoes AM has created an exhibition that confronts global environmental concerns, economies, and the implications of both for the future. Created during the period of a global pandemic, ‘Augustus Tower’ is about globalisation and the economic and environmental erosion of society and culture as we know it. Gittoes unashamedly shares his opinion of what the ‘top end of town’ has been doing forever and how history is continuously repeating itself. Global issues he has been documenting for over 50 years are still relevant today.
The new paintings, their message and indeed some of the imagery have direct links back to earlier works previously painted by Gittoes.
“This new work has its origins in a suite of etchings titled ‘The Hotel Kennedy Suite’ I created in 1971 whilst in the grip of the Hong Kong flu”, George said. “The Hotel Kennedy Suite is a former iteration of the same narrative I am addressing today. Ironically, they were both produced during a time of connection to a major health issue”.
George Gittoes AM is an artist, photographer, and filmmaker. From the beginning his works have typically reflected his social, political, and humanitarian observations of man’s treatment of his fellow man. Through drawing, painting and film making he reflects and tells the stories of what he has seen and experienced. As an artist Gittoes has received critical acclaim. He has won the Blake Prize for Religious Art on two occasions, was awarded an honorary Dr of Letters by the University of NSW and in 2015 received the Sydney Peace Prize in recognition of his life’s work in contributing to the peace-making process. George Gittoes’ work has been collected by the Queensland Art Gallery and QAGOMA, the Art Gallery of New South Wales, The Powerhouse Museum, the Australian War Memorial, the National Portrait Gallery and the National Gallery of Australia.
For more information and to view the exhibition catalgoue, visit the Mitchell Fine Art website
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