New Acquisitions
WHAT
MCA COLLECTION: NEW ACQUISITIONS 2007
WHERE
MCA, CIRCULAR QUAY, SYDNEY
WHEN
UNTIL AUGUST 12
HOW MUCH
FREE
CONTACT
02 9245 2400
IMAGE BY
TODD MCMILLAN. BY THE SEA 2004 (STILL). 16 MM FILM TRANSFERRED TO DVD. 1:12 MINS EDITION 4 OF 5. MCA, PURCHASED 2006. IMAGE COURTESY OF THE ARTIST AND GRANTPIRRIE, SYDNEY. © THE ARTIST. VIDEOGRAPHER: ANDREW LIVERSIDGE.
There's no denying it: Todd McMillan is the kind of guy that can hold on. Yeah, we're talking 12-hours-in-the-freezing-cold-with-no-
loo-in-sight hold on.
For his video installation, ‘By the Sea', the 28-year-old artist stood on a cliff face from 6am to 6pm and took a photo of himself every 30 seconds. As viewers we get one minute and 12 seconds of eerily silent footage featuring Todd shifting uncomfortably from side to side, hands in his pockets as the clouds scatter and coalesce overhead.
The installation is one of 15 works included in New Acquisitions 2007 that pose both physical and metaphysical questions to viewers: "How did he pee?" you might ask. "What did he eat?" and "What was he thinking during the 12 hours he was standing there?".
Who knows. But did you see how a few dumb questions sucked you right into the narrative of the work - and perhaps that's the most important thing. Too often modern art serves up stuff that's abstract, intellectual and downright boring. But like the best episodes of ‘The West Wing', this exhibition sees the MCA showcasing works that are both academic and accessible; works that manage to reach both the head and the heart at the very same time.
Medium: Installation
Drink: Herbal tea
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