Cover image of the review
Installation view of Temptation to Co-Exist: Janet Burchill and Jennifer McCamley, Heide Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne. Photo: Christian Capurro.

Janet Burchill and Jennifer McCamley: Temptation to Co-exist
  • Francis Plagne


15 Jun 2019
Heide Museum of Modern Art 6 Apr - 14 Jul 2019

It is a somewhat disconcerting experience setting out to review an exhibition when one has the distinct feeling that whatever might be said about it has already occurred to the artists and is already, in some sense, factored into the work itself. This is precisely the feeling one has moving through this well-curated retrospective of the work of Janet Burchill and Jennifer McCamley—their most extensive exhibition to date, containing a generous selection from their collaborative work over the last three decades. Perhaps as a result of the hyper-referential yet opaque nature of their work, which the artists themselves describe as ‘highly condensed’, criticism—especially in the form of critical judgment about the success or failure of individual works—risks being superfluous.

Sign in to read for free

Sign in for free to read the archive and get the latest review each Saturday morning. With our readers subscribing to our free weekly exhibition review, Memo Review can continue to publish quality, independent weekly art criticism.

Consider becoming a Patreon supporter or making a donation.

24