91Èȱ¬

In a new exhibition Wendy breaks conventions, painting on walls and installing herself in the gallery, becoming part of the art.

Wendy Sharpe is an multi-award winning Australian artist working on a new exhibition Spellbound for the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney.
In this exhibition she breaks all the rules, by painting directly onto walls, hanging works upside down or touching and installing not only her studio in this museum, but also herself, as she paints a mural directly on the wall in front of the public.

Whilst there are many hundreds of artworks on display, they all merge to make a complete artistic creation or gesamtkunstwerk (a German word meaning ‘total work of art’).

Wendy won the Archibald Prize,a major event on the Australian arts calendar, being the first woman to take out the award with a self-portrait in 1996. In 1999, she became the first woman since the Second World War to be appointed an official war artist. She has had over 70 solo exhibitions.And along with her new exhibition there is a book being written about her influence as an Australian artist.

Regina Botros joins her as she works towards this immersive, labyrinth-like exhibition, where the lines between art and artist are blurred.

Guests: Wendy Sharpe - Artist
Natalie Wilson - Curator Art Gallery NSW
Elizabeth Fortescue - Art Writer
Anne Ryan - Curator Art Gallery NSW
Presenter/producer: Regina Botros for the 91Èȱ¬ World Service
Executive producer: Stephen Hughes

(Photo: Wendy Sharpe. Credit: Nikki McLennan)