Despite their vibrancy, Adam Cullen’s work is undercut with the darker sides of human existence. In ‘Bongos’ a melting woman lounges beside bongos, the phrase “I was thinking of becoming a wino and playing the bongos full-time” hanging above her. She is carnivalesque, at once dejected and captivating. With humour and off-colour glamour, Cullen looks beneath the neon lights to expose how society objectifies women.

Cullen was central to Australia’s grunge art movement in the early 1990s. In 2002, he represented Australia at the São Paulo Biennial and in 2008 a major survey exhibition of his work, ‘Let’s Get Lost’, was held at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney. He is included in most public collections, was an Archibald Prize finalist and the subject of a major monograph.

A friend of controversy, Cullen’s legacy lies in its punk sensibility. For him, no subject was too ‘lowly’ for his paintbrush, wielded like a spade cutting through issues of gender, economic and racial inequality. Bold, sensuous and irreverent, ‘Bongos’ is the kind of image that commands a second look, as only then can you see the pathos stewing beneath the glamour. 
 
For collectors of important contemporary art, pop art and Cullen, ‘Bongos’ is a boisterous find. It comes with a Certificate of Authenticity for your documentation.
 

Adam CULLEN (1965 - 2012)
'Bongos'
archival pigment print on paper
Edition of 99. Work of art illustrated is a representative work from the edition. Any number from the edition may be supplied.
Image Size: 64 x 71 cm
Dimensions: 80 x 65 cm
Signed: signed, titled and numbered in margin
Printed on Somerset 255gsm Acid Free Archival Rag Paper
Comes with Letter of Provenance

Condition: Excellent

(c) Adam Cullen / Copyright Agency