Media Release

Returning to the Animal Within:
A new solo exhibition by Gillie and Marc Schattner

Ever wanted to live a dog’s life? Husband and wife artist duo Gillie and Marc Schattner hope to bring out the animal in all of us at their new solo exhibition Returning to the Animal Within, on show from 7 – 21st October at the Nexus Modern Art Gallery in Melbourne.

This new exhibition presents over 20 paintings and fibreglass sculptures encouraging audiences to rediscover the simple things in life through the humanised perspective of a dog. Gillie and Marc suggest we start thinking like a dog, switch off our Twitter feed, have a roll in the grass, or have sex with someone we like, and honour the spirit of the dog to show us a better way of being human.

The couple are well known for their striking paintings of dogs including, He’ll never be famous but he doesn’t give a damn, he’s a musician, which won the 2009 Biennale of Chianciano Tuscany. They have evolved their style to include stunning large fibreglass sculptures and photographic prints as well as their paintings in the exhibition.

“We have incorporated dog heads with human bodies to reflect the strong bond between humans and dogs; the sculptures represent man and dog as one. We can all learn a lot about love, friendship and happiness from dogs,” said Gillie Schattner.

“The next time you are waiting for the latest interest rate announcement, or walking around Ikea looking at bookshelves, or sitting in traffic, or working late again, maybe its time to start thinking like a dog and appreciate the simpler things in life.”

Gillie and Marc use bold, simple shapes and rich colours and textures in their paintings, and their occasionally controversial sculptures, to illustrate the exuberant character of dogs. The personalities of the dogs shine in the creative and humourous titles of the works – a dog playing the drums is titled He does my head in, but he’s an artist, while a lone cat in the exhibition is called, He was a cat amongst many dogs but he was strong enough to stand alone.

Every aspect of Gillie and Marc Schattner’s art has both their minds and hands on it; they paint together on the same canvas to reflect their passions and influences in life. Inspired by their Golden Retreiver Moby, Gillie and Marc have been painting together for the past 15 years and have exhibited their art all over the world. Together they are international award winning artists and Archibald Prize Finalists.

Lovers of their work will have the bonus of being able to see the infamous Good Boy sculpture on show in Melbourne at the very same time, only a couple of blocks away from their solo exhibition. It is a feature in Contemporanea, a group exhibition of the Florence Biennale Artists of Australia, being held from 7 -19 October at Smart artZ Gallery in South Melbourne and 23 October – 6 November at Aarwun Gallery in Canberra.



Good Boy is a fibreglass sculpture of a giant kneeling man with a dogs head and a 41cm penis, drinking a cup of coffee. When exhibited in Sydney last year, the sculpture created a stir with some viewers who complained to authorities about its overt display.



“If you look historically through art, nudes have been accepted and admired for hundreds of years. Good Boy is about man and dog becoming one, and I hope people will enjoy and admire him in this new setting,” Gillie said.

Returning to the Animal Within
Gillie and Marc Schattner
Nexus Modern Art Gallery, 7 – 21 October 2010.
123 Cecil St, South Melbourne.
www.gillieandmarc.com <http://www.gillieandmarc.com>

 

Good Boy (right) will be shown at:
Contemporanea: Group Exhibition of the
Florence Biennale Artists of Australia

Smart ArtZ Gallery, 7 -19 October
2 Alfred Place South Melbourne

Aarwun Gallery, 23 Oct – 6 November
11 Federation Square, O’Hanlon Place, Nicholls ACT

 

*Interviews with Gillie and Marc and high res images are available*

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Rebecca George Rebeccag@avviso.com.au /0421 988 035
Nicole Tiedgen Nicolet@aviso.com.au /0401 281 153