By TANIA PHILLIPS
MICHAEL Pospischil has always been busy with his hands. He is very well named for that is the exact meaning of his surname in its original Czech form.
And he has certainly been busy with his hands of late having just opened a brand new exhibition at the Warwick Art Gallery.
With more than 80 works in charcoal, pastel and oil on display, “Mix Bak” is his most ambitious exhibition to date.
And judging by the subjects he’s covered, he’s travelled a lot of miles seeking out landscapes from the ugly to the sublime.
Mr Pospischil said that since his last show in Warwick he had become determined to use his skill as an artist to say something meaningful, and “not just create pretty pictures.”
“The turning point was a joint project I did with my partner looking at the plight of the Darling River and the people whose lives depend on it,” he said.
“A lot of the work in this current exhibition is focused on the impact of the mining and energy boom on our landscapes and the people who belong to them.
“It was my participation in the Bimblebox Artists Camp in the Galilee basin that sharpened my interest in this topic – but most of my work from that process is part of a two-year national tour so isn’t included in this show.
“However, I’ve taken a keen interest in the vanishing town of Acland and several works created there are featured, as well as a series of works created at the protest camps in the Pilliga and Maules Creek.
“The ‘Vanishing Point’ series makes some critical comments on unsustainable cities (i.e. Brisbane) and attempts to find some beauty in urban ugliness. Drawing the ‘Klang Association’ was just some indulgent fun, combining unrelated concepts in art and science, religion, politics and economics, just to see how they ‘fly’.
“I hope they will amuse and intrigue and maybe even outrage a few viewers. My aim is to start some conversations about new ways to address some very challenging issues we face in the next few decades.
“The message I’m trying to express is that business as usual is no longer an option,” Mr Pospischil concluded.
“Having said all that, some decorative works with no particular narrative will be included.”
“Mix Bak” opens at the Warwick Art Gallery today and is on show until 11 January 2015.
The official opening, by the artist himself, is at 6pm tomorrow night. All works are for sale.
