ANTHONY LISTER – UNSLUNG HEROES
2012-10-29For his all-new show, Anthony Lister – consistently described as “Australia’s best contemporary artist” – has used his sketchbook featuring portraits of hip hedonistic revellers, drawn at revels he’s attended, for inspiration. The elegant and sophisticated figures in the paintings – also dubbed the ‘Party Life Series’, may be a contrast to the obnoxiously intoxicated international youth of today. But this is exemplary of the artist’s most consistent theme: “I try to combine the highbrow and lowbrow,” says Lister, “creating analogies which allow the viewer to feel comfortable with subjects that maybe they’ve made snap judgements on before.”
On a surface level the content of Unslung Heroes marks a departure for Lister. The artist’s past trademark has been paintings of super-powered ‘grey paladin’ characters indulging in louche behaviour, more inclined to shoot laser beams from their sexual organs than their eyes or gauntlets. “The super-heroes I always described as ‘misguiding role models’. Well, the characters in Unslung Heroes are the products of those bad role models. Also this whole show is about people without super-powers who influence us. Super-heroes are just people in costumes after all.”
Exhibition runs from November 16th to December 29th, 2012
The Outsiders London
8 Greek Street
Soho
London
W1D 4DG
