Critically acclaimed American artist Matthew Barney's magnum opus 'River of Fundament' is a radical reinvention of Norman Mailer’s novel Ancient Evenings, a story of regeneration and rebirth, set in three major American cities – Los Angeles, Detroit and New York. The 5 + hour work is a collaboration between Barney and the composer Jonathan Bepler that combines traditional modes of narrative cinema with filmed live performances and sculpture. Following the project’s inauguration at Munich's Haus der Kunst earlier this year, the exhibition at MONA is Matthew Barney’s Australian debut in a singular national venue.
At a media lunch yesterday, David Walsh told us the story of how he first came across Barney's work with curator Nicole Duhring at Gladstone Gallery in New York, explaining that never before had an artwork moved him in this way.
The exhibition at MONA will include sculptures, drawings, and Egyptian antiquities from David Walsh's collection, a number of which were selected by Barney himself on his visit to the museum in June this year.
In a rare event, David Walsh and Matthew Barney will be giving a public talk at Hobart’s Odeon Theatre on November 22.
