Held in the Gaze of a Stranger
- Peter Neilson

Opening Tuesday 22 October 2024 6pm – 8pm

Symposium: The Task of Painting Today: The Work of Peter Nelson
Saturday 26 October 3pm – 6pm
Space limited, RSVP here

View exhibition catalogue

“The title of the 2024 exhibition of my paintings at Australian Galleries, Melbourne is Held in the Gaze of a Stranger. It is a reminder to me that the work of art, is not only being looked at, but is also looking back at us, with a steady gaze.

Because our lives are being directed more and more, and largely without consent, via ‘thinking’ devices in every household, the paintings worth painting in this moment of history are, for me, to be found among the ones that are handmade, start to finish, by one person, acting alone.

However, in passing, a quiet thank you to the canvas-maker, the stretcher-maker, the paint-maker, the gallery, owner and staff, and all the authors of all the books I’ve read, and their publishers and staff and all involved in the distribution of those books, and the café staff that made and served up the coffees while I read those books. Oh, and to all the friends and kith and kin with whom I discuss all and everything, and who I learn from every single day.

Come to think of it, just to get here to see this exhibition, perhaps we should extend our thanks to the road-makers, the car-mechanics, the street sweepers, and streetlight globe-changers and a thousand others including the engineers and workers who checked the safety of the bridge we crossed over just to make it here in one piece. So, on second thoughts, perhaps we do not act “as one, working alone”.

– excerpt off essay by Peter Nielson, 2024
Read full essay here