Ivan Durrant (D)

Episode of Series “Survey (National Gallery of Victoria)”.
Australian artist Ivan Durrant is infamously known for killing a cow and depositing it at the entrance of the National Gallery of Victoria in the late 60’s. It was to accompany another of his well-known art pieces, “The Butcher Shop”, housed at the gallery in their permanent collection. One of Australia’s most accomplished photo-realist artists, Durrant’s paintings are featured alongside his sculptural works in this documentary. His subjects stem from childhood memories and mostly centre around images of cattle and pigs, with man’s violence against animals featuring in more esoteric ways in works like, “the quality meat show”. Looking broadly, his work is preoccupied with perception and how we choose to box or see things, or refuse to consider the more difficult truths about ourselves. Contained within this video are some images of cruelty against animals, with excerpts from Durrant’s film “Chopping Blocks” that is particularly disturbing in content. Please note: both U-matic and VHS copy have poor quality sound.