GORDON BENNETT CASE STUDY NOTES (2 ARTWORKS)

Born in 1955, Australian

Forms : Painting, Installations

Frames : Cultural in the choice of racial concerns and connectedness to

place and nationhood

Postmodern in his methods, appropriation and challenging the audiences
perception of history through his art
Conceptual framework: Many of his artworks are personal statements,
sometimes involving his own body in a direct way. He presents a viewpoint
on the world both past and present.
ARTWORKS
Home Dcor (1997)
Developed over 3 years into a large body of work

Began with a notion of the almost racist appropriation of Aboriginal images

by
He included abstracted stereotype representations featured in Margaret
Prestons works
Home Dcor features computer made aspects to create more realistic
appropriations
References are also made to Jackson Pollock, Ku Klux Klan & Stolen
Generation
Represents many different historical influences and events that have come
together to inspire this artwork to make comment on the way our
perception of the history of race and culture has been constructed
(somewhat untruthfully)
Notes to Basquiat (2000)
Part of a series dedicated to deceased artist Jean Michael Basquiat, an

American abstract street artist

The intense and crowded imagery mixed with use of text appears

unstructured although it explains many different historical events, almost as

if he is showing Basquiat what he has missed
Basquiat died from a heroin overdose in the 1990's

This artwork has many aspects that display knowledgeable depth to

symbolize a lifestyle taken up by society that focuses on material

satisfaction and comfort to the detriment of values associated with
traditional work and life
FURTHER NOTES
Gordon Bennett's wide practice includes painting, photography,

installation, video and performance

Investigates paintings and the way history is constructed after an event

NON ABORIG
ARTISTS

Gordon Bennett is an Australian artist who was quite

well known for his meaningful artworks and has
completed a wide variety of artworks through a broad
use of media including photography, paintings and
even live performance. These works have been very
popular, especially amongst the Australian Indigenous
community, as Bennett often challenged the racist
stereotypes evident against the Indigenous People of
Australia in an effort to eradicate racism throughout our
society.

Bennett's painting, ''Outsider'', which was an oil

painting completed in 1988,involves a large amount of
symbolism within this work. It depicts a fairly gruesome
scene of what looks like an Aboriginal person spraying
blood out of his severed neck, with this blood then
blending into an adaption of Van Gogh's ''Starry Night''.
The reference to indigenous culture and people has
been symbolized by the Aboriginal figures white
patterning featured on his skin. The use of Van Gogh's
paintings incorporated into the piece relates back again
to Bennett's theme of ''History Paintings'' in which he
tries to almost rewrite history, thus changing the classic
generic adaption of the Aboriginal people throughout
history (''noble savages'' & ''primitives'', etc)

''Outsider'' was created in 1988 specifically 100 years

after Van Gogh created his celebrated paintings.

Bennet made it also around the time of Australia's

Bicentenary Celebrations. He chose to incorporate Van
Gogh's Paintings to contrast a different view on history.
The heavy brush strokes and emotive painting
techniques are powerfully explosive, showing the
amount of passion Bennett had for this artwork. The
bedroom, featured originally in Van Gogh's painting, is
quite different in Bennett's adaption. The peace and
harmony found in the original has been completely
destroyed, the bedroom has now become a site of
violent conflict that involves complex intersection
personal and also cultural historic experiences. This is
symbolized by blood on the once clean wall and the
different position of the stool, almost implying that
there was some sort of '' intrusion'' into the bedroom.

All of this powerful symbolism evident throughout

''Outsider'' relates back to Bennett's true intentions,
which is to have the ability to display more realistic
interpretations of Indigenous history, meaning the
exposure of the abuse, violence and discrimination that
these people have and still are experiencing and have
been for over two centuries. Bennett really choose
some excellent techniques to incorporate this
symbolism into his art, such as specific subject matter,
media choice and even the inclusion of other artists
artworks which have been appropriated quite cleverly
to give off his chosen message (i.e Van Gogh's works in
''Outsider'' painting).

Overall, Gordon Bennett's use of symbolism to imply

meaning to the audience is highly evident throughout
not only ''Outsider'' but most of his artworks. This
symbolism is one of the main reasons that Bennett's
works are so powerful and many believe that this
constant rebellion against the traditional views of
indigenous history (which was often created by white
society) and racial stereotypes were a key part in the
breaking down of racial barriers in Australia around the
peak of Bennett's career in the art world.

By Nick Griffiths
Year 10