Artist of the day: Artist of the Day, February 28, 2022: Adam Cullen, an Australian contemporary artist, painter (#1508)

Monday, February 28, 2022

Artist of the Day, February 28, 2022: Adam Cullen, an Australian contemporary artist, painter (#1508)

Adam Frederick Cullen (1965 – 2012) was an Australian artist, most known for winning the Archibald Prize in 2000 with a portrait of actor David Wenham. He was also known for his controversial subjects and his distinctive style, sometimes referred to as "grunge".

Adam Cullen was passionate about drawing from a very young age, and as a teenager drew cartoons for a local newspaper. He first gained recognition in the art world when he chained a decomposing pig's head to his ankle for two weeks. Cullen was associated with the Grunge art movement in the early nineties. During this time he exhibited alongside artists such as Tony Schwensen, Mikolo Dwyer and Nike Soovos. In 1997, much to the surprise of his contemporaries, he entered the Archibald prize.

He was hung as a finalist in 1998 and went on to win the prize in 2000 with o portrait of actor David Wenham. He entered the Archibald Prize regularly after winning and was subsequently hung as a finalist nine times. Cullen was instrumental in changing perceptions about the conservative nature of the Archibald Prize.

Cullen's studio was located at Wentworth Falls, in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales. He had stated that he had painted to the music of punk bands such as the Meat Puppets, Black Flag and the Butthole Surfers. Cullen painted such things as dead cats, 'bloodied' kangaroos, headless women and punk men, many of which represent what he termed "Loserville". The artist used a highly personal visual language to address a broad range of topics including crime, masculinity and cowboy culture. He merged high and low cultural influences in works which are defined by their iridescent colours and bold gestural marks. His works combine irreverent humour with an astute sensitivity to society.

The Cullen (Art Series Hotel) opened in Melbourne November 2009 and remains on ongoing tribute to the artist's work. The artist died at home in the Blue Mountains. Cullen graduated from the City Art Institute with Diploma of Professional Art in 1987 and received a Master of Fine Arts from the University of New South Wales in 1999. The artist's work has been exhibited widely throughout Australia and abroad since the early 1990s. His work has been include in the following selected exhibitions: Australian Perspectoa, Art Gallery of New South Wales; Fluxibelstructures, Kunsthaus Oerlikon, Zurich, Switzerland; Preambles, Australian Perspecta, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney; Art in the World, Pont Alexandre Ill, Paris, France; Video-Solon, Week of Art and New Media, Brussels, Belgium; 25th Bienale de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil; BiHer Sweet, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney; Identity and Desire, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide; CRASH (and other worldly pleasures) Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery, University of Western Australia, Perth.

Cullen often employed the image of infamous and iconic Australian bushranger Ned Kelly in his artwork. He also portrayed the killers of 1986 murder victim Anita Cobby, and illustrated the underworld figure and convicted criminal Mark 'Chopper' Read's fairy tale book called Hooky the Cripple.

The artist used a highly personal visual language to address a broad range of topics including crime, masculinity and cowboy culture. He merged high and low cultural influences in works which are defined by their iridescent colours and bold gestural marks. His works combine irreverent humour with an astute sensitivity to society.

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