Exhibitions / Cult Classic

07.05.2004 to 29.05.2004

Curated by Rebecca Cannon. A curated exhibition of Australian and international artists focusing on cult practices and phenomena. Bond's installation 'Penguin: Masters and Slaves' consisted of abstract paintings and classic Penguin paperback book covers in a mock historical set-up. At the heart of the installation sat the book covers, torn and stained relics of 1960’s graphic design. Each book cover sat alongside its own ‘master’ painting, a (fictional) 1950’s abstract painting that prefigured the design of the book cover, as well as a contemporary ‘drone’, a cracked and stained painting by the artist that exactly mimicked the design of the book cover, but stripped it of title, author, logo and blurb. The mock historical presentation of the three objects shed new light on ideas of artistic influence and precedence, while revealing the narcissistic classicism that lies at the heart of modern abstract painting.