Veteran arts patron and benefactor John Kaldor, who made international headlines in 1969 by commissioning artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude to wrap Sydney's Little Bay coastline in fabric, is now transforming how art is displayed at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. His latest project represents a revolutionary approach to gallery exhibitions, suspending artworks on massive ceiling-hung panels rather than traditional wall displays.
The collaboration began two years ago when Maud Page, then-deputy director of the Art Gallery of NSW, approached Kaldor with a proposal to showcase some of the more than 200 works he has donated to the museum over the years. Kaldor's response was characteristically innovative: rather than accepting a conventional exhibition, he wanted to create something that would blend his two greatest passions – art collecting, which he began in his early twenties, and making transformative art projects.
For this 38th Kaldor Public Art Project, titled "The Object Lesson," Kaldor partnered with German contemporary artist Thomas Demand, with whom he previously collaborated in 2012. The exhibition takes place in the stunning Isaac Wakil Gallery within the museum's new building, Naala Badu. Kaldor specifically chose this venue to showcase its architectural beauty and impressive scale, describing the space as "enormous" and wanting visitors to experience its full grandeur from end to end.
Demand's radical solution involved suspending selected artworks on vast panels, some exceeding 30 square meters, hanging directly from the ceiling. This engineering feat required careful planning to safely support heavy works while creating a visually stunning display. The suspended panels allow visitors to see the entire gallery space while experiencing the artworks in an entirely new context. Artists featured in the exhibition include Christo, Gilbert & George, Andreas Gursky, and Francis Alÿs.
The monumental design draws inspiration from a drawing by American artist Sol LeWitt, which is prominently displayed at the exhibition entrance. Demand explains that visitors literally walk through the drawing as they navigate the space, creating an immersive experience where architecture, art, and movement converge. As a sculptor and photographer with deep architectural interests, Demand deliberately designed the exhibition to allow visitors complete freedom in choosing their path through the artworks.
This approach represents a departure from traditional gallery design, where architects often direct visitor movement through predetermined routes. Instead, "The Object Lesson" encourages personal exploration and discovery. Demand describes the experience as a kaleidoscope, where each movement reveals unexpected color combinations and spatial relationships, creating a unique journey through the gallery space for every visitor.
Kaldor's willingness to embrace risk and find innovative solutions has characterized his projects since the legendary Wrapped Coast project over five decades ago. Reflecting on that groundbreaking 1969 installation, where Christo covered 2.5 kilometers of Little Bay coastline with fabric and rope, the now 89-year-old Kaldor acknowledges both the audacity and the risks involved. The project proceeded without modern safety equipment like safety ropes or helmets, with hundreds of volunteers helping on site, yet remarkably, no one was injured.
Revisiting the Little Bay site three years ago, Kaldor marveled at his younger self's boldness, admitting he "must have been cotton-picking out of his mind" to even attempt such an ambitious project. However, he credits youthful fearlessness with enabling such groundbreaking artistic endeavors. The Wrapped Coast project launched what would become the renowned Kaldor Public Art Projects series, bringing major international artists to Sydney for more than five decades.
While "The Object Lesson" has the quality of a career-spanning retrospective for the sprightly 89-year-old Kaldor, he remains characteristically open to future possibilities. He credits art with keeping him young and admits he cannot sit still by nature. Although he currently has no specific projects planned, he notes that this latest collaboration wasn't planned either – it emerged from Page's initial proposal and evolved into something entirely unexpected.
Kaldor Public Art Project 38: Thomas Demand's "The Object Lesson" runs from August 30 through January 11 at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, offering visitors a unique opportunity to experience art in an entirely reimagined gallery setting that challenges traditional exhibition conventions.
