Andrew Leslie

08 March - 11 April      Mirror, number 20

Link to artist's website

Like the work of many artists, Andrew Leslie’s art can be read in the context of art history or seen as the function of a lifetime.

His life began in Geelong. Moved to New York State, Sydney and Melbourne, to Wellington, back to Melbourne. Around 1973 he moved into a share house in Carlton with some art students, completed a Science Degree then enrolled at Caulfield Teck to study printmaking. After a brief stint in Bendigo he landed a job teaching printmaking in Perth at Curtin University where he noticed that his art was to do with “transfer and repetition”. Suddenly - it is easy to imagine each part of this work as a printing plate kissing its image on to the wall in softly reflected light. Given the title Mirror, number 20 you might consider the work an elaboration of a printing process and even wonder if it's the object, its reflection or the process involved that is the subject of the art work. 

In 2002 Andrew followed his partner to Sydney where he found work, teaching printmaking at the Sydney College of the Arts and began showing with Annandale Galleries. Then in 2003 he met Billy Gruner and within the space of a conversation decided to set up a gallery, the long-running SNO – Sydney Non-objective. “Non-objective” is art historical jargon that the Tate Gallery defines as – “a type of abstract art that is usually, but not always, geometric and aims to convey a sense of simplicity and purity”, which perfectly describes Andrew Leslie's work Mirror, number 20. A definition of  “an objective view” however, “is one that focuses on the object's physical characteristics as the main source of information”, which equally describes Andrew’s work and non-objective art more generally.

Here Andrew identifies a dichotomy faced in art, as it was across the 20th century by humanity and the idea of spirituality. This art, which ruthlessly avoids being anything other than what it literally is, articulates a deep sense of spirituality, of other worldliness. This non-objective art, born in Russia immediately following the Bolshevik Revolution and again mid century in New York City at the ascendency of Modern Capitalism, was born of godless times. Yet it offers a mirror, as Andrew Leslie’s work most eloquently does to spirituality, not of religious or political codification but of the individual. The spirit here is yours, you brought it with you and you will take it away with you.

- Tony Twigg