Wayne Eager - A Survey 1982 - 2020
A Survey of work 1982 - 2020 by Wayne 'Iggy' EagerA review by Chips Mackinolty.Wayne œIggyù Eager”long time central Australian artist”started his career more than a decade before the absurdist film, and has a hell of a lot more to say through his visual art. For the first time we can see his work over the 30 years he has worked as an artist since his arrival here in 1990 in the newly released retrospective of his work here, Wayne Eager. Well get to see the work in the flesh in March next year when it gets to Araluen, but this book gives us a fabulous sneak preview of the coming exhibition.Iggys work can broadly, but not exclusively, be described as abstract but theres more to it than this. There is always a fierce sense of œplaceù in his work. For example, his early works in the Kakadu region”ones Id not seen before”are instantly sensed as being entwined in the dry tropical, in stark contrast to his works that are deeply embedded in our desert environment here. At times lyrical, at times harsh, they are always about place.The accompanying essays in the book based on the exhibition, Bitumen and Dirt”Wayne Eager, 30 years in the Territory”give important insights into the work (as opposed to the œits all about meù writings of too many art critics). They include words from John Kean, well known here from his days at Papunya Tula; curator and writer Kirsty Grant; and a great overview from leading art historian, Sasha Grishin. This is wrapped up by the exhibitions curator, Kellie Joswig.
