Classic high marks, grassroots footy, sponsorship and nostalgia are amongst the themes in this year’s Footy Art show at The Artist’s Garden in Fitzroy (just a few hefty Butch Gale hit outs from the old Fitzroy ground).
Famous marks by Alex Jesualenko, Laurie Nash, and Royce Hart are captured in acrylic on board by Martin Tighe.
Local footy gets several guernseys, in multiple works by Kate Birrell (suburban footy), Susan Sutton (country footy) and Yvette Wroby (women’s footy).
Gerard Mahony’s view of sponsorship is made abundantly clear in Sponsors Round – featuring a framed Richmond jumper not just adorned but covered in sewn-on sponsors’ logos.
There is plenty of nostalgia on show, including Jim Pavlidis paying homage to Scanlen’s footy cards, photographer Carmel Riordan’s two collages about the Whitten Oval, and Rodney Walsh’s tribute to Fitzroy’s Chicken Smallhorn.
Contemporary themes are reflected in artworks about Essendon’s and Melbourne’s current travails, while Bill Hay’s Political Football sculpture uses a wooden footy trophy to make a strong point about Australia’s refugee policy.
Scoreboard Pressure was delighted to see scoreboards feature prominently in Kate Birrell’s painting of action at the Murrumbeena ground, and in Debbie Mourtzios’ Last Game (at Victoria Park).
The 55 artworks are on show upstairs at The Artist’s Garden, 390 Brunswick St, Fitzroy until 5pm Sunday 6 October.
Scoreboard pressure 