From (hu)man’s best friend to wrestling with the black dog, canine companions are inseparable from the human experience. For Ngununggula’s summer exhibition, New Dog Old Tricks, artists have been invited to re-think and question how we perceive dogs, and imagine the dog as a key to other physical and emotional worlds.
Spanning a range of mediums including painting, sculpture, installation and animation, highlights include a new life-sized sculpture by Indigenous artist Billy Bain (a finalist in both the Wynne and Sulman Prizes in 2023) imagining a future where being an artist doesn't work out. As a career change, he starts a dog-walking business, enjoying the fresh air and the sun. Meanwhile, quirky rising artist Jason Phu is taking a detour from animatronic frogs with two new paintings that reference loyal dogs, both fictional and non-fictional.
Bain and Phu are among ten Australian contemporary artists commissioned by the gallery to create new works for the exhibition, also including Julia Gutman (the winner of the 2023 Archibald Prize), David Griggs, Guido Maestri, Madeleine Pfull, Marc Etherington, Nadia Hernández, Noel Mckenna and Todd Fuller. Their works are showing alongside loaned artworks from the Art Gallery of NSW, the National Gallery of Victoria and private collections by artists including Jeff Koons, Adam Cullen, Aleks Danko, Richard Walker, Del Kathryn Barton, Louise Hearman and William Wegman.
To accompany the exhibition, Ngununggula is presenting a dynamic and family-friendly public program. Commencing on December 17 and running every Sunday, Dog Days features treasure hunts for pups and their owners; there’s also a Santa Pet Portrait Day on Saturday, December 16, where dogs can get their photo taken with Santa ahead of Christmas. On Saturday, January 20, Worst in Show will feature an array of activities including dog show competitions, a doggy ball pit, pet portrait caricatures and an obstacle competition.
Just a 90-minute drive from Sydney near Bowral, Ngununggula is a cultural destination that all self-respecting contemporary art fans should tick off their list.
Old Dog New Tricks is open free to the public at Ngununggula and runs until February 4, 2024. Gallery open daily.