We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art stands and recognise the creative contribution First Australians make to the art and culture of this country.
Ben Quilty / Australia b.1973 / Captain Kate Porter, after Afghanistan 2012 / Oil on linen / 180 x 170cm / Gift of the artist through the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art Foundation 2018. Donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Ben Quilty
Ben QuiltyCaptain Kate Porter, after Afghanistan 2012
Not Currently on Display
This caring portrayal of Captain Kate Porter following her time spent in Afghanistan’s war zone, is a striking acknowledgement of the lasting emotional and psychological impacts of such exposure.
As part of the larger ‘After Afghanistan’ series, this work is also emblematic of the wider experience endured by many Australians at war and performing peacekeeping missions. The legacy of such conflicts on individuals, their families and their communities, is often underrepresented in the media and historical account. The lasting stresses of fear and exhaustion, violence and destruction, can plague these heroic personnel throughout their lives. In that regard, this major work is not merely a formal and technical feat — but representative of a greater cultural maturation regarding the depiction of war within the Australian cultural context.
‘My work is about working out how to live in this world, it’s about compassion and empathy but also anger and resistance.’1 — Ben Quilty
Ben Quilty is one of Australia’s most acclaimed contemporary artists. He is best known for his rich impasto paintings that explore the powerful relationship between personal experience and public narrative. His subjects are bold and confronting yet highly considered, often questioning his own identity, reflecting on the artist’s role as witness and art’s power to make sense of the world.
‘Instead of simply focusing on his heavy application of paint and rapidity of execution, one becomes conscious of the intelligence that underpins the action. Quilty may slap on paint like a berserk warrior, but he plans his themes and motifs in the manner of a general mapping out a campaign.’2
Endnotes:
1. Ben Quilty, quoted in Sasha Grishin, ‘A noisy, passionate show from an artist in ahurry, Quilty has just one emotional pitch’, The Conversation, 6 March 2019, <https://theconversation.com/a-noisy-passionate-show-from-an-artist-in-a-hurry-quilty-has-just-one-emotional-pitch-112943>, viewed May 2019.
2. John McDonald, ‘Rev-head drops down a gear’, Sydney Morning Herald, 3 October 2009, pp.14–15.
Dicussion Questions
Compare Quilty’s painting of Captain Porter to Hilder Rix Nicholson’s Two soldiers 1918 and the work of Sir John Campbell Longstaff (official war artist and five-time winner of the Archibald Prize). What are some of the similarities and differences between the two? Do you think the depiction of war and soldiers in Australia has evolved over time?
Activities
Create a timeline of images including artworks, news items and other forms of documentation to visually map the history and contributions of Australia’s official war artists.
Begin your research with the Australian War Memorial website.