Rodney Pople uses photography as an integral backdrop for his new series of disquieting paintings. Showcasing new works of wild animals, Lie of the Land investigates the dark depths of humankind’s contradictions by drawing attention to the artificial nature of religious, colonial and political authorities. Pople’s reputation precedes him. This exhibition is being hailed as one of his finest and most provocative.
The scale of the artworks, all painted photographs on linen, the wonderful texture of the paint on their surface and the gaze of the wild animals in the first room. Then the conflicting emotions one feels when viewing Pople’s works in the back rooms. The artist takes a strongly critical view of the church, colonial conquest, imperialism. There is darkness and light, horror and beauty.
In a recent feature written by Susan Chenery and published by the Sydney Morning Herald, Anthony Bond (former curator for the Art Gallery of NSW) describes Pople’s work as “post-modern appropriation”. Bond goes on to say: “But it is actually using the medium [montage and multimedia] to do something that is, in the end, quite magical. The light in these pieces is extraordinary.”
We also learn that Pople’s depiction of wild animals is a call to arms for their protection. “They not only face extinction because of man’s greed, but they also have innocence and a great beauty and spiritual depth,” the artist says. “They have a right to a world that we human beings just selfishly destroy.”
