Madonna Staunton: Out of a Clear Blue Sky

Overview

Madonna Staunton is one of Queensland’s greatest living artists. Her creations are eloquent, filled with weighty insights and present a level of commitment that is seldom seen today in figurative painting. It’s no surprise then that QAGOMA has nabbed her work for the exhibition Out of Clear Blue Sky, an exploration of Staunton's art from the 1960s to now.

Alike to her creations, Staunton as an artist is rarely static – she’s known for her remarkable capacity to change and adapt, reintroduce and renew. Her use of unconventional materials, and the practice of collage makes her two and three dimensional assemblages a tactile means of reflection. The old, faded and battered discards Staunton uses for her pieces are so carefully and strikingly put together they give remarkable, and somewhat stark new life to the once castoffs.

Out of a Clear Blue Sky will be at QAGOMA until March next year, with a poetry reading by Staunton’s close friend Nathan Shepherdson taking place at the exhibition on September 7 as part of the Brisbane Writers Festival.