Benjamin Aitken, Chun Yin Rainbow Chan, Kate Just, Nasim Nasr, Claudia Nicholson, Kenny Pittock, Christian Thompson and Shevaun Wright ask, ‘Do I have to spell it out for you?’
These artists give language and text a central role, allowing the audience to read their art, literally. Through this direct mode of communication, the cultural and political power of words – as a means of resistance, cultural artefact, joke, and tool of sovereignty – is exposed and reclaimed. Puns, song lyrics, spoken word and personal musings highlight the complexities of language to create community, define identity and tell stories.
Nasim Nasr, The Home, 2017, laser-cut digital print on white cotton rag, 100 x 80cm. Courtesy the artist and Town Hall Gallery, Melbourne
Town Hall Gallery
5 September to 25 October 2020
Melbourne
Benjamin Aitken, Dude, When’s my show? 2016, pencil on paper, 76 x 56cm. Photograph: Simon Strong. Courtesy the artist and THIS IS NO FANTASY, Melbourne
