Surrealism - llewellyn

Surrealism: The Poetry of Dreams

11 June - 2 October 2011

The current major international exhibition at Brisbane’s Gallery of Modern Art charts the historical development of the 20^th Century cultural movement of Surrealism. Borrowing from the Musée national d’art moderne of Paris, Surrealism: The Poetry of Dreams, contains work from the major proponents of the movement, including Salvador Dali, Rene Magritte, Joan Miró, Max Ernst, Luis Buñuel and Man Ray.

Still from Un Chien Andalou, 1929, Luis Bunuel and Salvador Dali

Collating film, photography, sculpture, painting, collage and written work, Surrealism: The Poetry of Dreams leads the viewer through a series of chronological and theoretical developments introduced primarily through the writings of Surrealism’s founder André Breton. In this fashion, the width and breadth of the movement of Surrealism is chartered through brief summaries of its philosophical and historical trajectory, setting up groups of work that without contextualization could not be appreciated as revelatory by an uneducated contemporary audience. In this way the exhibition operates primarily as an illustrated educational tour, guiding a passive and presumably ignorant audience through a series of narrow twists and turns, aiming ultimately for a transformation of the customer into a knowledgeable, culturally savvy appreciator of art.

Brisbane’s Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art describe their institutional vision as ‘Increased quality of life for all Queenslanders through enhanced access, understanding and enjoyment of the visual arts’, their strategic plan for cultural tourism being ‘to secure significant international exhibitions exclusive to Queensland and increase the profile of the Gallery as a cultural tourism destination’ (Queensland Art Gallery Annual Report 2009-10, p.3). Surrealism: The Poetry of Dreams is a clear and successful manifestation of these goals, presenting an accessible survey of an internationally canonical group of artwork, art theory and philosophy. By providing an accessible education driven program, and placing education and historicism as a guiding curatorial vision, GOMA’s Surrealism: The Poetry of Dreams creates the opportunity for members of the public to meaningfully engage with a significant philosophical/ fine art movement. By putting on blockbuster shows like Surrealism, GOMA commercializes philosophy, subversive culture, and modern history, commoditising and making attractive Surrealism to a mass audience through popular culture. Although the viewer remains a passive consumer, and the culture and philosophy of Surrealism is concretely distanced from contemporary reality through its positioning as history, the placement of a historical and philosophical analysis of Surrealism within an accessible, bright tourist destination is a significant gift to the public.

Surrealism: The Poetry of Dreams presents more than 180 works by 56 artists, at $20 entry for adults, GOMA has cut off a portion of potential gallery visitors, but I presume customers respond well to the prestige and aura of this system. A certain degree of intellectual investment and interest is required to get anything out of any exhibition, and paying a substantial entry fee would definitely encourage me to try to get the most out of it.