Exhibitions

Written in Wood: Kevin Perkins inspired by Richard Flanagan

Opens 06-12-2024,  closes 30-03-2025

‘Wanting’ bench (detail view), Kevin Perkins, 2023

Written in Wood; Kevin Perkins inspired by Richard Flanagan, features five monumental sculptural pieces by Tasmanian artist, master furniture-maker and wood craftsman, Kevin Perkins. Each work is based on a novel by the acclaimed Tasmanian writer, Richard Flanagan;  Death of a River Guide (1994), The Sound of One Hand Clapping (1997), Gould’s Book of Fish (2001), Wanting (2008), and his most recent work, Question 7 (2023).

Perkins uses the naturally occurring shapes of the timber as a starting point for both design and for the narrative inherent in all of his work. He contrasts their aged, organic surfaces and shapes with geometric planes of freshly exposed, luminous wood. Perkins is a master carver, and several works incorporate naturalistic carved elements that also draw on the found shapes of the timber. Complementing the organic, he inscribes the surfaces with carved text in a characteristically precise and beautiful serifed font.

Kevin Perkins and Richard Flanagan: ‘In Conversation’.

“When I grew up I didn’t know Tasmania was unique. I realised this when I travelled… I occupied a small vacuum that no-one had sat in before, and that local pantry of woods and our stories were special to me. Those wonderful Tasmanian novels of Flan’s I’ve re-interpreted out of great respect for his genius—he’s taken Tasmania’s uniqueness to a huge new awareness.” —Kevin Perkins AM

“Strange as it sounds, it was Kev, a furniture maker and designer, who taught me so much about writing—how to be a writer; how to fuse love and passion seamlessly with work; the necessity of never accepting imperfection; the need to resolve small details as well as large. He also taught me how to live well on little by valuing friendship over fashion, how all art is finally craft, and the importance of structure, as vital in a good cabinet as in a good novel.” —Richard Flanagan

Celebrate the exhibition Written in Wood: Kevin Perkins inspired by Richard Flanagan with these remarkable Tasmanians. Perkins, described by Romaldo Giurgola AO as an artist who makes wood sing for his work on Parliament House in Canberra, and Flanagan, the first writer to win both of Britain’s major fiction and non-fiction prizes, will reflect on craft, and their shared love for Tasmania’s uncommon beauty. The event promises a personal and insightful dialogue between two lifelong friends whose work has profoundly shaped how Tasmanians see themselves and their place in the world.

Held in TMAG’s Central Gallery amidst the sculptural pieces from Written in Wood, the event will be facilitated by Megan Perkins—Chair of Design Tasmania and Kevin’s daughter.

Please note, this event is now sold out.  A recording will be available following the event.

Written in Wood: Kevin Perkins inspired by Richard Flanagan continues at TMAG until 30 March 2025, proudly supported by the Mountain Air Foundation.

Image: Jesse Hunniford