Archibald winner Ben Quilty returns to Melbourne with a new exhibition that packs quite a punch. The Beach (showing at Tolarno Galleries online and in-person when restrictions permit) features works inspired by early 20th-century American painter George Bellows – who many know for his works depicting boxers in the ring.
The Beach takes Bellows' same mix of visceral brutality (not to mention vague homoeroticism) and combines them with the blood sport of now (Ultimate Fighting Championships) and images taken of the 2005 Cronulla riots.
In addition to the fluid, majestically grotesque paintings that appear to channel James Gleeson as much as Bellows, The Beach also features a new bronze sculpture, 'Freefall' (a personal response to Melbourne's sculptures of John Batman).
The Beach is showing at Tolarno Galleries until August 28. The exhibition can be viewed online during lockdowns.