SPOTLIGHT ARTWORK

ARTWORK RECEIVED THE YVES HERNOT 

AWARD FOR ENCOURAGEMENT

 

 Title: “Afternoon of a Faun”(after Nijinsky) 2021

©️Arts Law Australia

Artist: Neville Williams / Model: Charles

Size: 44cm H / Base 33cm square

Media: Fired clay, lacquer, red bole 

gold leaf on wooden base

POA

This seductive harlequin has been through so many manifestations I have lost count. I think though that here he has finally found his place. In his latest incarnation he appears as a Nijinsky figure wearing the costume from the dancer’s own choreographed ballet “Afternoon of a Faun”. The original ballet possesses erotic, guttural expression and startled audiences.

An extraordinarily gifted dancer and choreographer Vaslav Nijinsky eventually took on too much for his fragile being to be able to handle. He didn’t know his own limitations. He ended up in an asylum which did no one any good most of all Nijinsky. His partner/lover Sergei Diaghilev who established the famous Ballets Russes based in Paris fell out of love with his paramour. Difficult to love someone who has lost it. 

Diaghilev eventually didn’t want to have anything to do with what Nijinsky had become…as the French say…an ‘enfant terrible’. Though Diaghilev wouldn’t have been an easy character to be with either. I guess the lesson is keep your feet on the ground, enjoy what yoo can do or perhaps better as Socrates said “Know thyself”.  Neville

An overview of the artwork 

"WHEN THE SPIRIT OF BENNELONG RETURNS"

Panel (4) detail “When the Spirit of Bennelong returns” (1991-1999)

Artist: Neville Williams & many others ©️Arts Law Australia

Total Size: 510cm W x 110cm H x 5cm D 

(4 panels + 1 maquette sculpture)

Medium: Mixed Media

Following are Thomas Keneally's words 

from Panel 4 of the complete artwork (shown below). 

Mr. Keneally did mention that Peter Garrett had input here.

“WHEREAS THE AUSTRALIAN PEOPLE ARE DRAWN

FROM A RICH DIVERSITY OF CULTURES

YET ARE ONE IN THEIR DEVOTION 

TO THE AUSTRALIAN TRADITION OF EQUALITY

THE FREEDOM OF THE PERSON

AND THE DIGNITY OF THE INDIVIDUAL;

WHEREAS AUSTRALIA IS AN ANCIENT LAND 

PREVIOUSLY OWNED AND OCCUPIED

BY ABORIGINAL PEOPLE

WHO NEVER CEDED OWNERSHIP;

WHEREAS AUSTRALIAN PEOPLE LOOK TO SHARE FAIRLY

IN THE PLENTY OF THE COMMONWEALTH;

WHEREAS AUSTRALIA IS A CONTINENT 

OF IMMENSE EXTENT AND UNIQUE IN THE WORLD

DEMANDING AS OUR HOME LAND OUR RESPECT

DEVOTION AND WISE MANAGEMENT.”

Thomas Keneally

PROPOSED PREAMBLE TO A NEW AUSTRALIAN CONSTITUTION

Wording reprinted here with Mr. Keneally's expressed permission.

This complete artwork was given to and kindly received as a gift by 

NAISDA – National Aboriginal Islander Skills Development Association.

There were many contributors to the artwork.

 CLICK ON IMAGE TO SEE MORE DETAIL

After the Storm - Bondi  (1993)
Size: 120cm W x 110cm H

Medium: Acrylic, gold leaf, sand grounding, 

collage on stretched canvas, framed

PRIVATE COLLECTION

There is some pathos associated with this artwork. 

It was inspired by the loss to us of a young man in his 20's who turned heads 

wherever he went not only for his natural good looks 

but his unpretentious, simple, honest, genuine open nature.

The finished painting shows him walking alone along an empty Bondi Beach 

following a storm.

Actual flotsam and jetsam collected from this beach 

has become the landscape of Bondi in the artwork.

There are metaphors that can be drawn from this canvas.

The painting makes me wonder what sort of a legacy we are leaving 

for the young people who are following us.

AFTER A STORM COMES A RAINBOW FOLLOWED BY THE SUN.

HEAD OUT OF THE SAND

BONDI MIRAGE (Summer 2022)

ARTIST: Neville Williams 

©️Arts Law Australia

Size: 177cm (W) x 122cm (H)

Media: Mixed Media on stretched canvas (unframed)

$1600

We have our heads in the sand for what is on the horizon. 

In short what appears to be the case is that we have a reluctance to share 

the responsibilities of a youth nation.

We want to continue to play in the sand pit of life building our castles and laughing in the Sun. 

That’s not seeing a bigger picture of reality.

Look around. The sound principles of planning for our future have been forgotten. 

The focus on our humanity is being lost and as a result so will we.

You can’t “whack” a band aid on our future. 

The future has a way of rearing up when you don’t expect it and biting us on the backside.

We can either put an overarching vision in place or face the consequences of a volatile world that doesn’t give a tinkers toss about you and your family’s wellbeing.

In short we can’t live on a sunny island in the Pacific ignoring the rest of the world. 

That is the bigger picture. We need to embrace this reality.

Previous Governments have not given us vision and so it was/is our duty to put people in charge who will plan for our future. A warning is being made not only to governments but the corporates and also each of us as individuals. If we don't set our own plan forward most assuredly others will.

Real leaders know what is needed to initiate vision. 

You can bet that quietly they have a huge question mark above their heads pondering whether you would help or support them in doing this. 

Wanting our problems to go away and sort themselves out is not being realistic.

It all comes down to work. There’s no other way. 

For a leisure programmed nation that appears to be anathema. 

That is why leaders hesitate. That is why too many others hesitate. Get used to being out of your comfort zone. The only choice is whether yoo want to be in charge of your life direction or whether you are going to let others drag you screaming in their decided direction.

Joe Biden when US President talked about finding a backbone. 

If you want a future that makes you happy then you are going to have to make it happen yourself.

We need a vision taking us forward. 

If we keep treading water we will drown. Neville

(EARLIER VERSION OF SCULPTURE SHOWN HERE 

ARTWORK IS NOW REVISIONED - see below)

"Pulcinello"(Punchinello) (2021) [DETAIL]

Artist: Neville Williams ©️Arts Law Australia

MEDIA: Fired Clay, polished brass rod, 

lacquer, gold leaf, indelible ink 

on varnished wooden base.

SIZE: 51cm (H)  Base:18.5cm square

$400

"What can you do,

Punchinello, funny fellow?

What can you do,

Punchinello, funny you? 

We can do that too,

Punchinello, funny fellow,

We can do it, too,

Punchinello, funny you!"

 

Choose not to be a clown. 

Find the harlequin in you and then you'll know YOO. NW☺︎

FINISHED VERSION - CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

The Stinker

Artist: Neville Williams ©️Arts Law Australia

Size: 42cm H / Base 24cm W x 28cm L

Media: Fired clay, acrylic on wood base
PRIVATE COLLECTION

This artwork is a parody of artist Auguste Rodin’s famous “Thinker”. 

It was also inspired by someone I knew who constantly smoked. 

He smoked so much his teeth were discoloured. 

He was still only in his twenties at that time.

The colouring of the whole sculpture 

is made to look like a lump of coal or 

a cancerous lung. 

This is somewhat difficult to appreciate 

in the shadow of this particular pic.

And yes too he could be taking a dump. Stinking up the place.

Our world is starting to smell rotten. 

When are we going to start caring about ourselves 

in the deepest sense? NW☺︎

🔴

 Theseus and the Minotaur(2020)

"Make the maze of life amazing"

(with a wink to Rosalie Gascoigne and a nod to John Coburn)

Artist: Neville Williams ©️Arts Law Australia

Size: 59cm (H) x 74cm (W)

Medium: Mixed media on cardboard jigsaw puzzle

PRIVATE COLLECTION

YOO are looking into a mirror.

The Minotaur and Theseus are both in us 

and it's quite a maze inside there!

To find his way out of the maze Theseus carried a string 

to mark the route and so find his way back to his own Eden. 

In this story Theseus comes to understand that facing  

the fears we all hold within us makes a more complete self.  

It's OK to have a shadow. 

The light and the dark are opposite halves of the same whole.

"Know thyself"*

...and you've found the source of your own happiness.

That's a Sun Tree to the left of artwork. 

Put simply this artwork is a contemporary retelling 

of the old adage "HOME SWEET HOME".  NW☺︎

*Socrates

🔴

 

AN EVOLVING ARTWORK 

🌟Version No. 7

TOWARDS PIERROT [free(me)]

ARTIST: Neville Williams©️Arts Law Australia

MEDIA: Fired Clay, lacquer, polished brass, 

indelible ink on wooden base.

SIZE: 72cm(H)  Base: 20cm square

NFS

Above is the seventh evolution of this particular sculpture. 

This is in fact a self portrait that parallels the journey of the artist's life. 

But it could also be a portrait of all of us. 

We are all walking the path of life with its many ups and downs.

It is noted in this particular version there is some hope. 

He has dropped his club (see the base of the sculpture).

His feet appear to need to come down to earth.

That rod up his arse doesn't help!

The ties that bind him are breaking away 

so there is more freedom in his life. 

He is reaching for the stars 

but still needs to understand that the stars he is looking for 

are not in the heavens but within inside himself. 

The universe inside us all is waiting for discovery. 19 Aug. 25

🔴

TOWARDS PIERROT (Version 6)

ARTIST: Neville Williams©️Arts Law Australia

MEDIA: Fired Clay, lacquer, gold leaf, 

polished brass, indelible ink on wooden base.

SIZE: 63cm (H)  Base: 20cm square

TOWARDS PIERROT

(On connection)

What is life without connection?

A shell of emptiness

An existence without purpose

Ambitions without foundation

A story without direction

Like waiting for Godot

I knew connection

A freedom from weighty thoughts

A quiet happiness

A peaceful bliss

The absence of internal struggle

Swimming amongst the stars inside

Out you go into the wild jungle

the oceans depth, the empty desert

the crazy world

So where to from here?

A new journey has begun

To overcome fear

Of the good inside.

Do we make a trial of it

Or a conscious adventure 

towards celebration?

Time for the never-ending circle

To become a whorl of life.

YOU discovering YOO.

꩜

[click on pics to enlarge]

...the history follows

CHANGE, DISAPPOINTMENT

AND BEING FLEXIBLE

IN OUR LIVES

Chameleon Harlequin 

(DEVELOPMENT OF AN ARTWORK)

This original sculpture has been reworked 

using the same sculpture. 

Each time he has either been knocked down, 

dropped accidentally, deliberately broken

or pulled apart I have needed to rebuild him. 

 

Each time he has been reworked he evolves …a bit. 

When we are broken we can put the pieces back together 

in a more interesting, fluid and creative way…

...or we can stay broken. There's a choice.

We can either be flexible, learn and grow or stay rigid 

placing ourselves behind defensive barriers and not budging 

from our small pond mindset.

 

Stay rigid though and sooner or later 

there'll be an almighty crack!

This is the voice of lived experience here.

Don't waste it. Live it and learn. NW☺︎

It has something to do with 

appreciation, acceptance, flexibility, humility and surrender. 🌈

🔹🔷🔹

Chameleon Harlequin

ARTIST: Neville Williams

MEDIA: Fired Clay, lacquer, gold leaf, 

polished brass, indelible ink on wooden base.

SIZE: 63cm (H)  Base: 20cm square

This Harlequin is still in a process of change.

He is feeling bound up. 

This is not uncommon to many at present.

It feels like a rationalisation is in process.

We are being made to look at ourselves and decide

what is important to us and what is not.

Quite a difficult time. NW☺︎ 3 Feb. 2023