The art of existence

The art of existence is a major survey exhibition that reviews the 40 year career of artist Les Kossatz. A practitioner who has worked in painting, stained glass, sculpture, printmaking, drawing and installation, Kossatz has taken a consistently experimental approach to media and techniques.

Spanning the 1960s to today, the exhibition presents wide-ranging examples of the artist’s work. These include his early success with pop-style paintings on the subject of disenfranchised war veterans and the symbolism of memorabilia, as well as the celebratory lights and flags of the 1960s. Recent sculptures reflect Kossatz’s sharp observations of society, through various travel objects, tools of trade, religious iconography, organisational symbols and scientific knowledge.

Visitors will recognise the familiar life-size sheep sculptures and maquettes for large-scale commissions featured in the gallery spaces and outside in the Connie Kimberley Sculpture Park, along with two and three-dimensional works inspired by the artist’s surrounding environment.

Bringing together over 100 works sourced from public and private collections throughout Australia, the exhibition conveys Kossatz’s multifar