Reviews on Inside Out Upside Down Gallery Site
National Gallery
Canberra, AustraliaNote that this review was written in late 2009, a new review will be produced early 2011 as the comments on surrounding buildings have changed significantly with the addition of new galleries and entry area. These are significant changes that add to the space available for indigenous art.
The Gallery houses a collection that is quite odd. If you enter the ground floor galleries from the main entrance you arrive in an exhibition of French artists, Monet, Piscarro etc and then pass through a time ordered advance to the modern day where we have Lucien Frued etc. Very odd indeed, perhaps we are supposed to understand art as only having appeared since the Impresssionists. Or perhaps the National Gallery just concedes that the State Galleries have wonderful collections of earlier European works and it would be pointless to compete. Or perhaps the existance of other than the one path of development of art is ignored by a too conservative administration.
There is an extensive Asian art gallery area, a feature of recent expansion in Australia's breadth of thirst for art. The Aboriginal gallery area is well formed.It is perhaps a shame that the gallery is unable to show modern mainstream art, rather it supports an avante garde view that is little deserving of anything but ridicule. Art is not just composed of the work of odd balls and those unable to cope with day to day life. Unlike the gallery based view, art is and always has been a reflection of the times in which artists exist, little in the NGA has anything to do with the everyday life of Australians. Perhaps the work of Streeton, Conder and Roberts did attempt occassionally to communicate the central theme of life for the mass of Australians or reflect their day/time. Few others have done anything but reflect myths of the bush or issues that do not hold much interest for the majority.
How work such as that of Frued has a front place is beyond me, his work is not of any great or unusual calibre. In many ways it does not express anything more than what can be seen in a regional art gallery by artists of equal or better capability. But perhaps that is Australians wanting to adopt yet another culture to a mix that is confused, disoriented and progressively becoming unintelligable. Not that that isn't a good thing, cultural confusion might at least be a good repacement for rabid nationalism.
To find Australian painting you will need to climb to the upper levels. This arrangement gives the impression that the gallery does not wish to represent Australian art other than that produced by the leading edge, in short a distorted view of Australian art is presented by the collection. There are lifts and ramps to get to that level, where you wander through a long succession of galleries with side galleries to keep your interest for a few minutes. The works are suprisingly uninspiring, large in most cases, iconic occassionally but in general unrepresentative of anything but art school graduates.
Access to the building is either through the front entrance way or via the Sculpture Garden at the rear of the gallery. If you approach the gallery from the car parks use the entrance at the Sculpture Garden, where lifts and escalators are available. I always park in the outside car parks but there are underground parking areas for those that like to keep their vehicle cool.
At the time of my most recent visit there were significant extension works underway. This has been the case for over 12 months and it appears will be the case for some time to come. The work does not appear to impose greatly on visitors to the gallery.
Despite the apparent disorder of the exterior arrangements when you get inside the gallery is easy to move around even with crowds in attendance.
Lighting in this building is abismal, largely spot lighting that masks the outer edges of paintings and efffectively makes it impossible to see what the artist has actually intended their viewer to see. Paintings are hung at a level that presents no difficulty for most people when standing and there are no multi level hangings. Wheel chair users may find the images a little high and there appeared to be glare when the pictures were viewed from a position looking upwards.
A cafe in the Gallery building is rather confined, unless you go at a time that is not busy I'd suggest going over to the National Portait Gallery Cafe but both can be very busy. The gallery shop is well stocked with interesting publications and a selection of items that will provide the avid shopper with interesting choices.
This is not a recommended Australian gallery in my view, it is however worth a visit as a collection of art when ever you are in Canberra.
author: Neil Miley