Juan Davila: The Artist as Historian

The one thing historians never do is observe the past. All we observe is the past transformed in some way into history.

Greg Dening, ‘Empowering imaginations’ in Readings Writings, 1998

History as art is a simple explanation for the collection of original works, drawings, sketches, prints and paintings held by the State Library of Victoria. Many appear to represent what was there at the point of their creation – most, in fact, distort that reality by brighter colour, a wider view than is possible for the human eye, or enhancements to make the scene or image more attractive. A more complex explanation is to view these images as documents; evidence that requires interpretation. The small panorama Melbourne 1836 by the obscure bootmaker-cum-artist Hofmann is one example. Painted along with a huge banner version to commemorate the 50th anniversary of European settlement, it is based on an earlier engraving, itself a recollection. It is at the same time nostalgic for humble beginnings and ...

MCA Exhibition Guide

The work of Juan Davila consistently argues for an active role for the artist in society. Born in Santiago, Chile in 1946, Davila moved to Melbourne, Australia in 1974 and has worked between the two countries ever since. As an artist and writer, Davila has taken a gadfly-like position in public discourse in Australia and Latin America, presenting incisive analyses of what he views as the complacency, monotony, and questionable ethics of much contemporary culture. Considered as a whole, Davila’s critical practice has produced a uniquely provocative, powerful and influential body of work.

Juan Davila is the first major solo museum exhibition of Davila’s work, featuring a focused selection of paintings, installations and works on paper from the mid-1970s to the present. It aims to draw out some of the artist’s important concerns over the past thirty years, tracing formal and conceptual developments in Davila’s work over time. Key themes and motifs recur throughout the exhibition...