Children’s Encyclopedia, 1993

Encyclopaedias

Physical material comprises sculpture. This is how I began as a sculpture student. In my first post-college works, however, circular connections passing from three-dimensional physicality to two-dimensional representation and back again circumscribed the work (e.g. This Performance: A Passing Thought, Room for Love and Floorplan: Empty, except, amongst others).

Spatial circumscriptions encapsulate the sculpture. Without them, there is no sculpture, even though physical components comprising the sculpture continue to exist. 

Until then, I hadn’t seen this in art before. 

Soon after, in 1992, while fossicking in a secondhand store, I found a children’s encyclopedia from the 1950s. Scuttling home with the complete set, I was easily ensconced in the black-and-white figurative watercolour reproductions with a gap of a millimetre or two between the background and frame. 

The encyclopaedic notion of encapsulated knowledge somehow spoke of the spatially encapsulated sculptures I was making.

The encyclopedia’s 1950s nostalgic view of family life didn’t, however, escape the 1970s reality in Australia as addressed by the Family Law Act Gough Whitlam’s government introduced; and of which one of my first encyclopaedic pages makes reference.

The encyclopaedia as a notion, nevertheless, worked in a two-fold manner. First, as a page from an encyclopaedia; and second, by recognising the physical space in front of the encyclopaedia from which a person reads themselves into the encyclopaedia’s floor plan, as the circular movement from three- to two-dimensionality and back again. 

The incomplete list, below, of encyclopaedic pages since 1992, as either standalone or part of a bigger sculptuation, includes the name, year and place seen.

space Tendency: Encyclopaedias

Encyclopaedia of Spatial Probabilities 1993 Anna Schwartz Gallery, Melbourne, 1993

Encyclopaedia of Time and Communication 1993 Store 5, Melbourne, 1993

Encyclopaedia of a Moment’s Evidence 1993 Anna Schwartz, Melbourne, 1993; University Art Museum, Brisbane, 2003

Children’s Encyclopaedia 1993 Anna Schwartz Gallery, Melbourne, 1993

Encyclopaedia of Love 1993 artists’ page, Circular #1

Adults Encyclopaedia 1993 artists’ page, Circular #2

Encyclopaedia of Waiting 1993 Plimsoll Gallery, Hobart, 1994

Encyclopaedia of Drawn Lines 1994 Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane, 1994

Encyclopaedia of Meetings in Movies 1994 Anna Schwartz Gallery, Melbourne, 1994

Encyclopaedia of Missing Rooms 1994 Anna Schwartz Gallery, Melbourne, 1994

Encyclopaedia of Movie Directions for Secret Agents 1994 Anna Schwartz Gallery, Melbourne, 1994; David Pestorius Gallery, Brisbane, 1997; Museum of Modern Art at Heide, Melbourne, 1998; Goddard de Fiddes, Perth, 2000

Encyclopaedia of a Movie Movement 1994 Anna Schwartz Gallery, Melbourne, 1994

Encyclopaedia of Movie Movements 1994 Anna Schwartz Gallery, Melbourne, 1994; Metro Arts, Brisbane, 1999

Encyclopaedia of Movie Plots 1994 Anna Schwartz Gallery, Melbourne, 1994

Encyclopaedia of a Movie Set 1994 Anna Schwartz Gallery, Melbourne, 1994

Encyclopaedia of a Movie 1994 Anna Schwartz Gallery, Melbourne, 1994

Encyclopaedia of a Movie 1994 caption: fig. 4 — library: spot of afternoon sun on the pavement outside the State Library, Melbourne; Anna Schwartz Gallery, Melbourne, 1994

Encyclopaedia of Spatial Specifications 1994 Anna Schwartz Gallery, Melbourne, 1994

Encyclopaedia of Stairs 1994 Anna Schwartz Gallery, Melbourne, 1994

Encyclopaedia 1995 David Pestorius Gallery, Brisbane, 1995

Encyclopaedia 1995 blue-grey-green, 1995, David Pestorius Gallery, Brisbane, 1995; red-pink-beige, 1995, David Pestorius Gallery, Brisbane, 1995; green-grey-green, 1995, David Pestorius Gallery, Brisbane, 1995

Encyclopaedia for Writing the Time 1995 David Pestorius Gallery, Brisbane, 1996

Encyclopaedia at the Heart of Art 1995 David Pestorius Gallery, Brisbane, 1996 and 1998

Encyclopaedia of Time 1995 David Pestorius Gallery, Brisbane, 1996; Metro Arts, Brisbane, 1999

Encyclopaedia of Broken Patterns 1995 David Pestorius Gallery, Brisbane, 1995; Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery, NSW, 1996

Encyclopaedia of changing patterns 1995

Encyclopaedia of Flops 1995 David Pestorius Gallery, Brisbane, 1996; Haus am Waldsee, Berlin, 1997

Encyclopaedia of Forgetfulness 1995 David Pestorius Gallery, Brisbane, 1996; Art 1997 Chicago — Navy Pier 1997; Statements Art 28‘97 Basel – Basel Messe 1997

Encyclopaedia of Possibilities 1995 Ausstellungsraum Thomas Taubert, Düsseldorf, 1995 ; Ausstellungsraum Thomas Taubert, Düsseldorf, 1995; Galerie Köstring/Maier, Munich, 1997

Encyclopaedia of Straight Lines 1995 David Pestorius Gallery, Brisbane, 1996; RMIT Gallery, Melbourne, 1996

Encyclopaedia of Unseen Time 1995 David Pestorius Gallery, Brisbane, 1995; National Gallery of Victoria and national tour, Melbourne, 1996

Encyclopaedia of Thoughtful Art 1995 Ausstellungsraum Thomas Taubert, Düsseldorf, 1995

Encyclopaedia of Words 1995 artist’s pages, Z International magazine; Museum of Modern Art at Heide, Melbourne, 1995; Metro Arts, Brisbane, 1999

Encyclopaedia of Broken Patterns 1995 David Pestorius Gallery, Brisbane, 1995; National Gallery of Victoria and national tour, Melbourne, 1996

Encyclopaedia of Silent Art 1996 Galerie Köstring/Maier, Munich, 1997, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra and national tour, 1998


Encyclopaedia of Calculated Time in Art 1996 Anna Schwartz Gallery, Melbourne, 1996

Encyclopaedia of Contemporary Art 1996 Art 1997 Chicago — Navy Pier 1997; Anthony Meier Fine Arts, San Francisco, 1998; green; Pestorius Sweeney House 2000

Encyclopaedia of Time in Art 1996 Navy Pier, Chicago, 1996; David Pestorius Gallery, Brisbane, 1996; University Art Museum, Brisbane, 1996; Statements Art 28‘97 Basel – Basel Messe, Basel, 1997; Galerie Köstring/Maier, Munich, 1997, pestorius sweeney house, Brisbane, 2001; Metro Arts, Brisbane, 1999

Encyclopaedia of Forgetful Art 1996 Sarah Cottier Gallery, Sydney, 1996

Encyclopaedia of Timeless Art 1996 Artspace, Sydney, 1996; Experimental Art Foundation, Adelaide, 1996; David Pestorius Gallery, Brisbane, 1996

Encyclopaedia of an Art Opinion 1997 art berlin — Messe Berlin 1997; Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, 1998; Metro Arts, Brisbane, 1999; David Pestorius Gallery, Brisbane, 1998; Villa Merkel/Bahnwärterhaus, Esslingen, 1999

Encyclopaedia of Coincidence 1997 Anna Schwartz Gallery, Melbourne, 1997

Encyclopaedia of Difficult Art Decisions 1997 art berlin — Messe Berlin, 1997; Australian Centre for Contemporary Art and national tour, 1998): wall six, 1998; art berlin — Messe Berlin, 1998

Encyclopaedia of Areas in Art 1997

Encyclopaedia of Ideas in Art 1997 Art 1997 Chicago — Navy Pier 1997

Forgotten Encyclopaedia 1997 Halle Eins, Munich, 1996; 24 Chruch Street, Fortitude Valley, Brisbane, 1997

Encyclopaedia of Site Specific Art 1997 LA art fair — Chateaux Marmont, 1997; Anthony Meier Fine Arts, San Francisco, 1998; no. 21; Ausstellungsraum Thomas Taubert, Düsseldorf, 1997

Encyclopaedia of Looking at Contemporary Art 1997 Galerie Mark Müller, Zurich 1997; Goddard de Fiddes, Perth, 2000

Encyclopaedia of Patterns in Contemporary Art 1997 Haus am Waldsee, Berlin, 1997; Ausstellungsraum Thomas Taubert, Düsseldorf, 1997; Neues Museum Weserburg Bremen, 2002

Encyclopaedia of Order in Art 1997 Statements Art 28‘97 Basel – Basel Messe, 1997

Encyclopaedia of Spontaneous Art 1997 David Pestorius Gallery, Brisbane, 1997; Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide 1998; Museum of Art, Melbourne, 1998

Encyclopaedia of an Art Idea 1998 Bahnwärterhaus, Esslingen, 1998; Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin, 1999

Encyclopaedia of Somewhere 1998 University Art Museum 2000

Encyclopaedia of Art Historical Documents 1998 Anthony Meier Fine Arts, San Francisco, 1998

Encyclopaedia of Missing Art 1998 Anthony Meier Fine Arts, San Francisco, 1998

Encyclopaedia of Interference in Art 1998 Anthony Meier Fine Arts, San Francisco, 1998

Encyclopaedia of Thoughts Lost in Art 1998 In the studio of Michael Wesely, Munich, 1998

Encyclopaedia of Views in Art 1999 Canberra Contemporary Art Space 1999

Encyclopaedia of Unnoticed Things 1999 David Pestorius Gallery, Berlin, 1999

Encyclopaedia of Reflections in Art 1999 University Art Museum, Brisbane, 1999

Encyclopaedia of Entrances 2000 Goddard de Fiddes, Perth, 2000

Encyclopaedia of a Tricky Situation 2000 Goddard de Fiddes, Perth, 2000; pestorius sweeney house, Brisbane, 2001

Encyclopaedia of Colour’s Addition 2000 Goddard de Fiddes, 2000

Encyclopaedia of Repetitions in Art 2000 Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 2000

Encyclopaedia of This Work of Art That Isn’t, Quite Yet 2001 Penthouse & Pavement, Melbourne, 2001

Encyclopaedia of An Unfinished Painting 2002

Encyclopaedia of a Work of Art Yet To Be 2002-2004 Heide 1, Heide Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne, 2003; The Cross Art Projects, Sydney, 2003

Encyclopaedia of Circles In Art 2002 Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery 2002

Encyclopaedia of Plans in Works of Art 2003 Heide Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne, 2003

Encyclopaedia of Art That Is Present, But Missing 2003 The Cross Art Projects, Sydney, 2003

Encyclopaedia of Invisible Art 2003 The Cross Art Projects, Sydney, 2003; Anna Schwartz Gallery, Melbourne, 2005

Encyclopaedia of A Missing Picture To Enter, To Leave 2003 The Cross Art Projects, Sydney, 2003

Encyclopaedia of Observing Art Observations 2003 Mornington Peninsular Regional Art Gallery 2003

Encyclopaedia of secret works of art 2004

Encyclopaedia of the Art Missing in Art History 2005

Encyclopaedia of Art in Missing Moments 2007 Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney, 2007

Encyclopaedia of Difficult Art Decisions 2007 Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney, 2007

Encyclopaedia of Art on Walls Never Made 2007 Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney, 2007

Encyclopaedia of Actual Art 2007 Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney, 2007

Space tendency: Encyclopaedias

  • Tendencies

    The medium of a sculptural situation is space. Unlike other art mediums bound by a definite limit — space isn’t. Where a space begins is as invisible as where a space ends unless a wall or barrier blocks it in place. In a sculptuation, space is blocked in place through certain tendencies that define space by making its bounds apparent as heterogenous, as separate, to the space of a room surrounding it. These include:

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I acknowledge the Kulin Nation’s Yaluk-ut Weelam clan of the Boon Wurrung people as custodians of the lands, waterways and skies where I live and work. I pay my respect to their Elders past, present and emerging, and to Elders of Australia’s First Peoples other communities who may be visiting this website.
Gail Hastings

@ Studio Gail Hastings 2024