Making Time: The Art of John Corbett

John Corbett and  his sister in law Betty Corbett at the exhibition opening.

'Fighting For Our Love II (1987-2013)

John Corbett is a pioneering contemporary Australian fibre art who has made his mark through an innovative use of materials and techniques in wall works and sculpture since the early 1970s.  He is the most comprehensively represented artist in the collection of the Ararat Regional Art Gallery. 'Making Time: The Art of john corbett 1974-2013' traces John's development from off-loom weaving in the 1970s to deeply personal and political text based textiles and sculptures of the 1980s and 1990s, including those which poignantly and pointedly address the AIDS crisis.

John's art was forged during the heady era of experimentation in the 1970s when an anything goes approach to materials and form was emerging in reaction to high modernism.  This exhibition explores the artistic and social context and rich sources of influence which have forged his unique visual language. John's art and career has principally been aligned to the Australian craft movement, but this exhibition seeks to position his powerful vision in fibre in the wider sphere of Australian and international visual arts practice since the 1970s.

John's exhibition was opened on Saturday 22 June 2013 at 2pm and was attended by family, friends and members of the Ararat community.  John was born in Hopetoun, but is a long time Melbourne resident, and it was nice to see his regional connection reflected in the attendance at the opening of family and friends.

Download a PDF of the exhibition catalogue here.