Gary Willis 1972 - 1982

'Along with that of Peter Kennedy, Mike Parr and Kevin Mortenson, Gary's early work was seminal. He had grasped the key concepts of the avant-guard very early on; the cross-overs between art & the everyday.'
Dr. Anne Marsh - Head of Visual Culture, Monash University.

The Situationalist Collaborations

As an exhibition 'The Situationalist Collaborations of Gary Willis' at MASS Gallery 2000, could never hope to bring back the tactical surprises, the conceptual impact or the avant-guard edge of the work of that period. Responding to an invitation to revisit the work of the '70s, Willis put together an installation, which evidenced an attitude, a modus-operandi. Rather than trying to revive the ephemeral art of an extinct avant-guard, this exhibition remained firmly focussed on the present. Period posters and photographs were displayed, audio and videotapes played, manifestos, diaries and detritus were piled into glass cabinets. Exhibits 'A', 'B' and 'C', damaged documentation evidencing an attitude and an era, it's not art - it's history.

Diary of a Dead Beat Modern Art Type

'Arguably the most important and detailed record of '70s art that has been written. Hopefully it will encourage other artists to write the record of their own practices, as substantially.'
Terry Whelan - Private archivist of Australian Art, Melbourne.

Most importantly a book was published; 'Diary of a Dead Beat Modern Art Type'. It includes an introduction to the ethos and the era, by Dr. Anne Marsh, 'Experimental Art - An Impossible Profession', and a forward by Damian Smith, 'The Impossible Dream', along with 40 illustrations in colour and 108 pages of text and black and white images.
The Diary itself runs a wide-ranging account of the period from 1970 to 1982. From an art student in Canberra and Melbourne, through the collaborations and performances of the early '70s, to the proto-techno activities of the early '80s. Through the philosophic considerations of an artist, to those of a Zen monk in Japan, a punk in the culture clubs of New York in the late '70s and eventual return to a studio based painting practice in Sydney in 1982. Written from a personal perspective Willis' account of the times, shifts between theory and practice, winding in and out of the very real encounters implied by his activities during those volatile times and the interior life of his dreams. The Diary references Willis' professional influences, associations and activities as an artist and the impact these events had on his personal life. In many respects, The Diary reveals a cultural predicament still facing many artists today. The problem of global influences and local audiences, where artistic aspirations lead to a culture beyond the ability of ones own community to support.

'Trumped by the Market'.

'Gary's work challenged the boundaries of art with a volatility which transgressed notions of identity - pushing himself and his art to breaking point. This book questions the sustainablity of such practices!'
David Harley - Artist, Victoria University.

Although aspects of this era, including Willis' work, have been documented and also entered certain archives, there remains insight to be gleaned from a closer look at the issues arising from the period for the student of art. With the death of the avant-guard we witnessed the burial of this era, but with the birth of cool, its influences remain seminal and a close examination of the philosophical and tactical strategies of such practices are worthy of examination. Today, we are witness to a sharp division between the 'audience for art' and the 'market for art'. A division between the dispassionate overview of an expanding museum industry; which privileges the popular over the cultural, and the interests of the art market; which is becoming increasingly secondary in pursuit of the bankable commodity. In this conflict of interests the contemporary artist is caught in a crisis. On one hand a museum industry driven by its turnstyles, on the other the gallery business marketing for only the most materialistic outcomes.

'SIGN OF THE TIMES - Gary Willis was an anarchic performer in the days when it mattered...like many artists who tried to subvert the art market by making ephemeral, unsaleable art, Willis found himself subverted by the market triumphant'
Peter Timms - 'The Age' ,Nov 2000