Chromatopia

An exploration of how and why artists use colour.

Francis Bacon famously wrote that ‘all colours will agree in the dark’. The painter’s enigmatic quip hints at the effect that colours have on each other, and on us. This display explores how and why artists use colour – for personal, political, philosophical or perceptual purpose.

Chromatopia features recently acquired works by international and Australian contemporary artists, including Virginia Cuppaidge, Jitish Kallat, Tracey Moffatt and Gareth Sansom, but was inspired by a rarely seen work acquired more than half a century ago. Harvest, painted by Dame Laura Knight on the cusp of the Second World War, is a tonic for our times and the inspiration behind this spectral journey.