CDU Art Gallery’s new exhibit draws on experience

A new exhibition at the Charles Darwin University (CDU) Art Gallery, DRAWN from the CDU Art Collection, features sketches, drawings, illustrations and works-on-paper from 1976 to present that draw on the experience of local and international artists.

DRAWN reinforces the importance of drawing as a foundational technique to artistic practice, showcasing artworks that are eclectic in style, scale and content, executed in pencil, crayon, ink, pen, charcoal, pastel, conté and even photocopy toner.

Open to the public from September 30 to February 26, 2022 - the exhibition presents 60 artworks by 30 Australian and Indonesian artists, acquired by the University since 1980.

CDU Art Collection and Gallery Curator, Dr Joanna Barrkman, said the new exhibit showed the diversity of drawing artworks from local and international artists in the University’s art collection.

“Through the lens of the drawings, we see the progress of the gallery’s collection of drawings from the early days to the present,” Dr Barrkman said.

“Some of the 30 artists are past or present students or teachers at CDU, and the exhibition showcases their works and talent.”

DRAWN implicitly documents the history of the CDU Art Collection, with many of the drawings displayed acquired in the early 1980s by the Darwin Community College Art Committee.

It features works by nationally acclaimed Australian artists such as Peter Booth, a figurative and surrealist painter, Mandy Martin, artist and art educator at the Australian National University from 1988-2003, Mike Parr, an internationally recognised performance artist and printmaker, and Richard Goodwin, artist and architect.

More recently, the CDU Art Collection has increasingly focused on Territory-based artists, many of whom are represented in DRAWN. There are also five First Nations artists’ work featured in this exhibition.

In addition to displaying artworks, DRAWN also brings the community together by providing a space for a wide variety of drawing classes taught by local artists during October.

Nauiyu artist Phillip Merrdi Wilson from Daly River will be running a workshop on fine ink pen drawing on October 30.

“The gallery is connecting with the community this way and is showing that drawing is not just for the elite. It’s a meeting space for community engagement,” Dr Barrkman said.

These workshops in figure, landscape, portrait, experimental mark-making and botanical drawing are open to beginners as well as those with experience.

Drawing classes will take place at one corner of the gallery with all art supplies provided for 15 to 20 participants.

DRAWN from the CDU Art Collection will be opened by Education Minister the Hon. Lauren Moss at CDU Art Gallery at Building Orange 12, Casuarina Campus on Wednesday, September 29 at 6pm.

DRAWN is curated by Dr Joanna Barrkman and Sarah Pirrie. The CDU Art Gallery is open Wed – Fri: 10am – 4pm and Sat 10am – 2pm.

Bookings for the drawing workshops are available here.