Daniel MacCarthy

The Peace of Wild Things

The Sidney Nolan Trust is delighted to present a major solo exhibition by painter Daniel MacCarthy. MacCarthy was the Trust's Resident Artist in 2021 and the exhibition is a testament to twelve-months focus and development.

The Peace of Wild Things is the culmination of my year spent as artist in residence at The Rodd, the former home of Sir Sidney Nolan. The work depicts a kind of communion with the natural surroundings of The Rodd. However, it is a natural world not idealised, or made nostalgic in the manner of a more traditional landscape painting, but rather one in which uncomfortable realities seep in; a search for belonging, a presentiment of loss, anxiety and entropy. So too it is a natural world relished for all its complexity, its spiky quagmires and unkempt beauty. The cast of characters within this wild landscape can be found hacking at nettles and brambles, tending to the unkempt gardens of their own inner landscapes. - Dan MacCarthy, 2022

In tandem with the exhibition, artist and writer Llew Watkins has composed thirteen mini-essays about MacCarthy's work that are published below.

In tandem with the exhibition, artist and writer Llew Watkins has composed thirteen mini-essays about MacCarthy's work, four of which are published below. These can be purchased as a small publication during the exhibition.