As head of painting and then dean at the VCA, and across 50 years of practice, Melbourne-born artist Gareth Sansom has made an indelible mark on the city's art scene. This massive survey exhibition at NGV pays tribute to his powerful, idiosyncratic and enduring vision.
The title of the exhibition references the peripatetic nature of Sansom's practice (which has traversed performative photography, collage, print-making and painting) as well as his evolving aesthetic. Looking at the exhibition as a whole, the one thing that seems to have endured is a bright colour palette, and the disparate influences of both Francis Bacon and Pop Art.
Taking time with Sansom's works is recommended, as they often contain a pastiche of references, from ancient myth to classical painting to modern literature and contemporary pop-culture. Film buffs should look out for nods to Citizen Kane and Hitchcock's Psycho, amongst other easter eggs.