So that’s it … a familiar image …
Every time you pluck a stubby of Moo Brew Pale … there is the wondrous image.
Courtesy of the creativity of John Kelly and David Walsh; each brew (and there are a few) has a John Kelly etching on the label.
I wandered in to Bett Gallery last Friday to hear John McDonald, the SMH’s art critic pronounce on the etchings.
He was engaged, funny, and rather critical of the Australia Council, and former Arts Minister George (Bookshelves) Brandis, regaling the Bett audience with a withering take-down of a plan to “Brand” the Arts.
As McDonald said: How do you ‘brand’ the enormous depth and breadth of human creativity?
His defence of that creativity was also well worth the look-in to Bett Gallery.
As was the chat to Moo Bew’s Head Brewer Dave. The Pale wasn’t bad either!x
Emma Bett described Mr Kelly thus:
In Australia, John Kelly is probably best known for his paintings and large sculptures of William Dobell’s cows, papier-mâché creations … His sculptures of these cows have been exhibited on the Champs Elysées, Paris, in Les Champs de la Sculpture, 1999, Monte Carlo, in La Parade des Animaux, 2002, the MAMAC in France, The Hague, 2007, Glastonbury (2006 and 2007), Cork city 2011, and Melbourne Docklands (2001 to the present).
More recently, Kelly’s work has taken various turns and adventures that have seen him tackle contemporary issues – such as branding in contemporary culture, and museum politics – in places such as the Guangzhou Triennale, 2008, and the Göteborg Biennale, 2009.
Ten years ago Kelly’s work was commissioned by David Walsh (Museum of Old and New Art, MONA) in Hobart to create work for his Moo Brew beer labels. Kelly referenced the logo of the Australia Council for the Arts, who themselves had advocated a “branding the Arts” strategy. In what was a successful anti-branding branding campaign the award-winning labels have become iconic Australian beer labels.
The iconic etchings are on display at Bett until August 29.
You can view the exhibition online exhibition here: http://www.bettgallery.com.au/artists/kelly/moobrew/index.html
*Lindsay Tuffin has been a journo for more than four decades
