If you’ve visited Nathan campus in the last month, you may have noticed a new mural appearing through the trees. In fact, this impressive artwork has been a part of the Griffith University Art Collection since 1979!
The second public artwork commissioned by Griffith University and a consistent favourite of students and staff, Alun Leach-Jones’s Crossing to Capricorn (1979) has been installed in various locations over the years as Nathan campus has expanded – the last of which was within the now decommissioned N13 building.
This year, Griffith University Art Museum (GUAM) invited students of QCAD’s Live Art course and course convenor and artist Simon Degroot to work alongside the GUAM team to remake Crossing to Capricorn in a new and highly visible location, on the western facade of N06.
Originally painted on timber panels, the mural has been recreated in long-lasting all-weather materials to allow for it to be hung externally, and ensure it remains on Nathan campus for the enjoyment of students and staff for many years to come.
You can watch this project take shape in a short documentary film created by TAG Videography, uploaded online:
ABOUT ALUN LEACH-JONES
Emigrating from Wales in 1960, Alun Leach-Jones (1937-2017) became one of Australia’s most prominent abstract artists, celebrated for his hard-edge abstraction style and printmaking skills. He was also an influential teacher and mentor to many Australian artists, holding teaching positions at the Prahran College of Advanced Education, the Victorian College of the Arts and the UNSW College of Fine Arts.
Upon accepting the commission in 1979, Leach-Jones was invited to travel from Sydney and live on campus. This stay was an extension of Griffith University Art Museum’s artist residency program, which was the most sought-after artist residency in Australia at the time.
The resulting mural was painted after Leach-Jones first exhibited his preparatory sketches on campus for feedback from students and staff.
The commission fulfilled two criteria identified by what was then Griffith University’s Works of Art committee – that it had to be publicly accessible, and it added to the University’s growing collection of art by living artists.
A big thanks to Dr Simon Degroot, convenor of QCAD Live Art, Pro Vice Chancellor Professor Scott Harrison, and Alun Leach-Jones’s estate managers Nicholas Thompson Gallery, Melbourne, for their support in realising this important preservation project ahead of Griffith University’s 50th anniversary next year!
Images:
Alun Leach-Jones (1937-2017) ‘Crossing to Capricorn’ 1979. Griffith University Art Collection. Commissioned 1979. Remade by students of QCAD Live Art 2024. Photos: Carrie McCarthy and Patrick Lester
Alun Leach-Jones and Ben Peel painting ‘Crossing to Capricorn’ in its original location in 1979