Tony Clark: Unsculpted: 40 years of work in a landmark exhibition 

Buxton Contemporary proudly presents its latest exhibition; Tony Clark: Unsculpted, featuring more than 100 works spanning four decades by one of Australia’s most esteemed artists.

This exhibition represents the most comprehensive showcase of Tony Clark’s art practice since 1998, delving as it does into the potential of painting to challenge the boundaries between genres and disciplines.

Tony Clark: Unsculpted includes several new works, major pieces on loan from public and private collections, and innovative collaborative projects with other artists, choreographers, and composers.

“This was an opportunity to show a lot of work that hadn’t been seen and to develop the idea of sculpture, which has been a really important idea for me in my work,” Tony said. 

“Not that I’ve really ever practiced sculpture in any meaningful way, but the idea of sculpture has a lot of resonance for me. Even the paintings that don’t have a sculpture attached to them are still representing that idea.”

In collaboration with Melbourne-based artist Joanne Ritson, Tony Clark: Unsculpted includes a series of sculptures inspired by sketches from Tony’s sketchbook - works he “never really intended to be actually made”. 

“It’s really an exhibition within an exhibition,” he said.

“Joanne developed the back and the side, I only did the frontal drawings. She also chose the scale, the medium, and the colour - all the major decisions were hers. That’s one aspect of this ‘unsculpted’ notion.”

Tony’s paintings in the exhibition also engage with the concept of sculpture, featuring recurring motifs of decorative architecture and putti, reminiscent of Renaissance art.

Through these motifs, Tony creates a dynamic relationship between two- and three-dimensional forms, employing subtle shading to explore the sculptural possibilities of his painted works.

“When I was young, it used to be important to me that people knew all this fine detail. Now, I’m not really the slightest bit bothered if people just come and enjoy the paintings,” he told Southbank News. 

“It’s not a matter of getting the historical references right. Sometimes I get too obsessed with it, but I do think in the end they’re just paintings. You like them or you don’t like them; you’re interested, or you’re not interested.”

As part of the exhibition, Tony’s ongoing collaboration with Melbourne-based choreographer Shelley Lasica will culminate in a new performance, featuring scenery painted by Tony within the gallery space.

UK-based composer Kevin Flanagan has composed the overture for the exhibition, while Jacqueline Doughty has curated the show in close consultation with Tony.

“The director and the curator were all for me just proceeding with the idea, they were very supportive,” Tony said.

“They were also the ones who brought it into being and sourced the work in Tony Clark: Unsculpted from all over the place.” 

Tony Clark: Unsculpted continues at Buxton Contemporary until June 1, 2025. •