Art to the rescue

by LES EVERETT

AFTER the events at Geelong last Saturday afternoon I was in need of some redemption. It came at the Spirit of Football exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria in Federation Square, Melbourne.

footy art

Show Them You Want It by David Wadelton featuring Luke McPharlin and Nick Riewoldt at the National Gallery of Victoria's Spirit of Football exhibition.

Art is in the eye of the beholder and i must admit not many of the pieces in this show made a big impression on this beholder.

But a couple of them are really memorable.

NT artist Peggy Napangardi Jones was asked to paint one work for each AFL team and her 15 panel polymer paint on canvas work is wonderful. 15 panels you ask? As Beverley Knight of Melbourne's Alcaston Gallery writes in the catalogue: "For a week we talked about footy and especially how many young 'black fellas' or Wumpurani were now playing in the AFL. At all clubs except Geelong... There was NO way Peggy was including Geelong, but she did say that in 2005 or 2006, she could do one for nothing if they ïgave a go' to a Wumpurani."

Peggy's piece is titled Geelong Nothing! No Wumpurani (young black fellas) Play For Cats, 2004.

The acquisitive $40,000 first prize in the Spirit of Football exhibition was won by a work featuring Fremantle's Luke McPharlin and Nick Riewoldt of St Kilda.

Show Them You Want It an oil on canvas work by Melbourne artist David Wadelton is based on a photo by WA photographer Iain Gillespie and inspired by Scanlens footy cards. It's a striking work.

In his artist's statement Wadelton mentions his heroes were Doug Wade, Polly Farmer and Bill Goggin.

Geelong fan...

From the Fremantle Herald.

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