SUSAN JACOBS: THE ANTS ARE IN THE IDIOM

03 June - 30 October 2022
The ants are in the idiom is a presentation of newly commissioned work by Australian-born, London-based artist Susan Jacobs, curated by Jacqueline Doughty.

 

 

A meditation on the relationship between language and matter, the exhibition is an expansive sculptural environment that draws the viewer into a web of visual riddles. Jacobs’ poetic approach to materials is underpinned by research into systems of thought that have shaped – and mis-shaped – human knowledge. Playful allusions to science, psychology and mythology jostle with visual puns and word games. Enlivened by the imaginative potential of misinterpretation, the exhibition is a rhizomatic sculptural network that stimulates a process of associative looking in the viewer.  

The artist has developed this work over several years, experimenting with materials in her studio to articulate a sculptural language informed by cumulative layers of environmental observation and historical research. The ants are in the idiom could be read as an allegory for a way of working as an artist or, on a more universal level, for the human drive to make meaning of our surroundings.

The development of this exhibition was supported by an Australia Council for the Arts Fellowship 
All works courtesy of Sarah Scout Presents, Melbourne

Susan Jacobs: The Ants are In the Idiom is on view at Buxton Contemporary from Friday 3 June until 30 October 2022 on Level 1, with Still Life exhibition on Level 2.

Downloadable Resources

Large format wall labels
View a sensory map of this exhibition
View Buxton Contemporary’s social script

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Melbourne’s major new art museum draws upon the Michael Buxton Collection as a springboard for exhibitions, events, research, publishing and ideas.

We respectfully acknowledge the Wurundjeri people of the Eastern Kulin nation, the traditional owners of the land on which Buxton Contemporary is situated.

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