James Gleeson: The Cosmic Erotic was a curatorial project that included works on paper made from 1940 to 1979 by pre-eminent Australian surrealist artist and critic James Gleeson. The exhibition was the first exhibition to substantially showcase and contextualise Gleeson's use of the eroticised male figure as a conceptual, personal and political expression of queer sexuality and its associated visual cultures.
NTRO Output Type
- Curated Exhibition, Event or Festival
NTRO Output Category
- Curated Exhibition, Event or Festival : Exhibition/event
Place
Melbourne, AustraliaVenue
Charles Nodrum GalleryNTRO Publisher
Charles Nodrum GalleryStart Date
2024-09-14End Date
2024-10-05Medium
curation and writingResearch Statement
This exhibition provided the first contextual overview of homosexual erotic work by James Gleeson created between 1940-1979. The exhibition addresses the personal, conceptual and cultural elements that underpin this understudied period of his practice. The exhibition provided a deeper understanding of Gleeson’s work and histories of sexuality in Australian art.
The exhibition contributes to Australian queer art historical studies by contextualising never before exhibited erotic work by James Gleeson from 1940 to 1979. As one of Australia's most prominent artists and critics of the twentieth century there has been little scholarly attention given to this period and aspect of his artistic practice. The exhibited works and their contextualisation provides new insights into Australian art history, queer studies and historical queer visual cultures.
The exhibition engaged with the Gleeson O'Keefe Foundation at the Art Gallery of New South Wales a prominent art institution who provided the works for the exhibition. The exhibition was featured on two radio programs where I conducted interviews. I participated in a curatorial conversation with one of Australia's most prominent art historians Rex Butler, which was attended by nearly thirty people.Size or Duration of Work
1 month
