Imants tiller biography
- Imants Tillers is an.
- Imants Tillers (born 1950), is an Australian artist, curator and writer.
- Born in Sydney in 1950, Imants Tillers currently lives and works in Cooma, New South Wales.
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Imants Tillers
Imants Tillers is one of Australia’s leading contemporary artists. Born in a Latvian émigré family in Sydney, he was awarded a Bachelor of Architecture degree from University of Sydney (1972). His interest in contemporary art emerged during his study years, when as a volunteer he became involved in the Christo and Jeanne-Claude project Wrapped Coast, the shrouding of Little Bay in Sydney (1969).
Imants Tillers is referred to as a ‘thought-provoking’ artist and his style is considered to be the quintessence of Postmodernism. The art of Tillers is intellectual, incorporating references to world cultures, the history of Western art, 20th century European literature and philosophy, indigenous Australian culture. Imants has always chosen for his works, topics that would stimulate meaningful discussions.
In 1981 Imants Tillers began using small-scale rectangular cartons covered in canvas for his painting, these are often combined into works of impressive scale. These ‘canvasboards’ have become a
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Imants Tillers
Australian artist, curator and writer
Imants Tillers (born 1950), is an Australian artist, curator and writer. He lives and works in Cooma, New South Wales.
Early life and education
Imants Tillers was born in Sydney in 1950,[1] the child of Latvian immigrants.[2] In 1973 he graduated from the University of Sydney with a Bachelor of Science in Architecture (Hons), and the University Medal.[3]
Career
Tillers held his first solo exhibition in the early 1970s. During the following decade, he started producing his paintings using a system of small canvas boards, with the individual boards either stacked, or hung in a grid-like fashion to create large tableaux.[2]
His artworks are complex, infused with intellectual references to a wide range of topics, including history, poetry and philosophy, as well as his own personal experiences.[2]
Tillers also produced a number of collaborative works with Warlpiri artist Kumantje Jagamara (Michael Nelson Jagamara, between 2001 and Jagamara's death in 2020
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Impossible to ignore: Imants Tillers’ response to Aboriginal art
It is possible to write a history of Imants Tillers’ engagement with Aboriginal art that sees it in progressive terms, reflecting at the same time a more general movement in Australia towards reconciliation and mutual understanding. In the beginning Tillers, without intending to, found himself at the heart of a controversy over the difference that was and still is located in some forms of Aboriginal art. Over time he developed a collaborative relationship with Aboriginal artists and at the same time Aboriginal art became incorporated more fully into Australian art discourse. In Tillers’ own terms, Australian art had moved from a pre-Aboriginal art phase to a post-Aboriginal one. It is worthwhile developing this argument before challenging some of the grounds on which it is based.
Imants TILLERS Terra incognita, 2005, synthetic polymer paint and gouache, 288 canvas boards, nos. 72142 - 72429, (overall) 304.8 (h) x 853.4 (w) cm, collection of the artist
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