Jon Campbell brings language-driven works to Geelong Gallery

A MAJOR exhibition by celebrated Australian artist Jon Campbell will be presented at Geelong Gallery next month.

Titled yEAH / dUNNO, the exhibition brings together a selection of works that draw on Campbell’s practice of using words and phrases as visual imagery.

Across paintings, drawings, neon lighting, tea towels, flags and songs, the exhibition explores language in everyday life, from shop signs and overheard conversations to civic buildings and popular culture.

The exhibition reflects Campbell’s interest in the lived and observed aspects of language and captures expressions that are local, national and international, and that are spoken, written, sung or read.

His work is closely connected to suburbia and its vernacular, with humour and optimism shaping an approach that focuses on the everyday and the overlooked.

Moving between the positivity of “yEAH” and the uncertainty of “dUNNO”, the exhibition examines contemporary Australian language and Campbell’s connection to Melbourne’s west and the Geelong region.

The gallery building itself will form part of the presentation, with installations extending across the Little Malop Street entrance and foyer.

These displays will build on the public artwork, created by Campbell and installed in November, that adorns the rear facade of the gallery.

“‘I don’t want no Retro Spective’, as the artist Ed Ruscha once said. But my exhibition yEAH / dUNNO, is a collection of works that articulate and celebrate my artistic output over the past 40 years,” Campbell said.

“From the loose figuration of ‘Celebration 1’ (1985) to the large-scale test work ‘It’s a world full of lying bastards’ (2017-2020), this long and winding road takes the viewer on a journey, engaging with the ideas and images that have kept me energised and committed to the rollercoaster that is the life of an artist.”

Geelong Gallery director and chief executive, Humphrey Clegg, said he was excited to see this “important exhibition brought to life” at the gallery.

“Jon Campbell is a remarkable artist whose understanding of how language shapes our perception of the world around us makes his world highly potent and engaging,” he said.

“In many ways, the title, yEAH / dUNNO, embodies Jon’s approach to his art: ‘yEAH’ is a celebration of art and artists and their positive role in society, while ‘dUNNO’ reflects his interest in empowering people to say ‘I don’t get it, and that’s cool’.”

Exhibition curator Lisa Sullivan said the exhibition demonstrates the visual potential of everyday language.

“From the site specific installations on the building’s exterior, to the considered selection of works within, Jon Campbell celebrates the visual potential of words and language, the everyday and popular culture,” she said.

“Campbell transforms the words we use, hear and see into colourful, rich and engaging works that remind us that art is everywhere.”

yEAH / dUNNO will open at Geelong Gallery on February 28 and run until May 24