Exhibition opening: Sidney Nolan, Sheela Gowda & John Stezaker

Born in Australia, Sidney Nolan (1917–1992), is one of the most important artists of the twentieth century. This exhibition, part of a nationwide programme presented by the Sidney Nolan Trust to celebrate the centenary of Nolan’s birth, brings to light a selection of extraordinary spray painted portraits dating from the 1980s. It includes a series made in 1982 for an exhibition at the Nolan Gallery at Lanyon just outside Canberra, depicting individuals that had strong personal significance for Nolan, including his brother (tragically killed in the Second World War), close friend Benjamin Britten, Francis Bacon and fellow Australian artist Brett Whiteley.

Ikon presents an exhibition of new installation works by Indian artist Sheela Gowda in response to Ikon’s gallery space. Sheela says the works ‘anticipate, counter or are inspired by the space to begin with; the elements could take on other variants in other spaces’. The result is a dialogue between what the artist finds in the gallery, and ideas and observations informed by her experience of living in Bangalore.