Current Exhibitions
Keith Looby – Drawings, Prints & Paintings
Four Eight Four
13 August – 3 September 2022
Keith Looby has been a compelling presence in the evolving ecosystem of the Australian art world since the 1960s – never a follower – always striking his own path, Looby has maintained his singular form of figurative or representational art- making, through a time when many other styles or movements arrived – almost on a regular roster system – only to soon be superseded, after the appropriate polite interval of time, by the next new international “ism”.
Looby is a storyteller – a visual narrator of great insight, who during the 1970s in two series of etchings chronicled the History of Australia prior to European settlement and later followed this with the Black And White History of Australia.
Alongside these, Looby has also produced series of prints and drawings about the History of the World, as well as his never ending Personal History – which to some extent evolved into the Art Eater series – works which speak both directly and satirically about his relationship with the local art bureaucracy and art world politics.
Looby’s output of work, particularly from the 1960s through to the 1990s has been prodigious – painting by day and drawing at night, has been a means of separating these two creative forms – a separation of which Looby has often spoken – indicating that whilst the drawings very often come from pre-conceived ideas, the paintings develop from the act of pushing around the very material of paint.
Admirable also, is Looby’s belief that the artist needs to continually interrogate the marks they make – meaning that an artist should never become too easily satisfied or content with the outcome of a work – and this constant observation and contemplation, may in some respect underpin the sculptural form that many of the paintings have developed over long build ups and constant re-evaluation.
This exhibition – covering many decades, from the 1970s onwards – provides an opportunity to appreciate Looby’s long-standing engagement, not only with drawing, etching and painting – but also to recognize and appreciate the wonderful fruits of a life lived in the land of ideas.
Images of the Keith Looby drawings, prints and paintings which comprise this exhibition can be found at www.484presents.com and contact 484presents@gmail.com for further details.
Keith Looby – ‘Dichotomy’ Exhibition
Spud Lane Studios, Robertson NSW
27 August – 9 October 2022
Opened by Australia’s notable art critic John McDonald, Keith Looby’s exhibition “Dichotomy” is showing at Spud Lane Studios in the NSW Southern Highlands from 27 August – 9 October 2022.
“Dichotomy” is an exhibition of paintings, drawings and etchings from Looby’s personal collection and it demonstrates the dichotomy evident in his work.
Curator of the exhibition, artist Ric Abel examined a statement made by Looby: “When I draw, I draw as a Protestant. When I paint, I paint as a Catholic. Although I see myself as an atheist.”
Keith explained to Ric, that his drawings generally follow a narrative and are a form of protest, while his paintings from the 1980s onwards were all about letting go to the process of painting.
Although Looby’s paintings may begin as a notion; that becomes less important as his painting process takes over from him. From an existentialist point of view, Looby sees himself as not there any more, as he loses himself to the process of painting.
For enquiries, information and a catalogue, please visit Spud Lane Studios or email hello@spudlane.com.au
