Lucas Grogan‘s work featured on the cover of the December 2012 issue of Art Almanac.
Simone Eisler was included in an exhibition in India alongside names such as Fiona Hall, Sangeeta Sandrasegar and Kate Beynon. The exhibition, titled Re-Picturing the Feminine, aligned the work of Australian women artists with their Indian counterparts. An insightful essay about the exhibition appeared in the summer 2012-13 issue of Art Monthly.
In November, the National Gallery of Victoria acquired a folio of 18 drawings by Andrew Seward. This major acquisition is the third time the NGV have acquired Andrew’s work. Other works were purchased by the NGV in 2005 and 2000.
The National Gallery of Victoria also purchased a large work from Kirstin Berg‘s November 2012 exhibition, MONUMENT. The Design Files, headed by the dynamic design blogger Lucy Feagins, hosted its Open House in Windsor in November. This (now annual) event showcases the very best in Australian design and art. Lucas Grogan was commissioned to make a number of works for the event and his major work, WELL FINALLY, graced the master suite.
Gallerysmith presented a group exhibition at the 2012 Melbourne Art Fair in August which included works by Adam Norton, Lucas Grogan, Eric Bridgeman, Nici Cumpston, Catherine Nelson, Christopher Pease and our resident superheroine TextaQueen.
Ceramicist Lynda Draper was awarded an Established Artist New Work Grant by the Australia Council.
Eric Bridgeman (as the driving force behind the group Yal Ton) was selected for an exhibition at the MCA called TABOO. The exhibition curated by Brook Andrew placed Yal Ton’s work in the context of international art with artists such as Jimmie Durham (USA and Europe); Leah Gordon (UK); Alicia Henry (USA); Anton Kannemeyer (South Africa) and Jompet (Agustinus Kuswidanato) (Indonesia).
The 2012 R&M McGivern Prize is a national acquisitive award held every three years in Melbourne. Dena Kahan and Andrew Seward were both shortlisted for the 2012 award. An exhibition of the shortlisted works was held at Maroondah Art Gallery in June/July.
Undisclosed, the second National Indigenous Art Triennial at the National Gallery of Australia featured work by 20 artists from around the country including four hand-coloured photographs by Gallerysmith artist, Nici Cumpston.
Adam Norton commenced a six month residency at Artspace in Sydney January. In February he exhibited a full size iridescent inflatable army tank on Cockatoo Island (Sydney). In August Adam installed a space station in our stand at Melbourne Art Fair. September saw him travel back to Broken Hill for a six-month residency courtesy of Museums and Galleries NSW, which culminated in a solo exhibition at Broken Hill Regional Gallery in 2013.