Continuing MUMA’s ongoing series of survey exhibitions focussing upon the work of significant mid-career artists (David Noonan in 2005; Angela Brennan in 2006; Brook Andrew in 2007; Diena Georgetti in 2008), this exhibition presented a survey of Melbourne-based, New Zealand artist Richard Lewer.

Richard Lewer: Nobody Likes a Show Off covered the scope of this artist's practice to date, encompassing painting, drawing, animation, installation and performance. Marked by a sceptical humour and a focus upon the darker sides of human behaviour, place and social identity, Lewer's work involves close observation and highly subjective encounters with family, religious, sport and criminal subjects, leading to insightful and absurd narrative reflections on good and evil, life and mortality. This survey exhibition featured keys works from public and private collections in Australia and New Zealand.

Richard Lewer was born in New Zealand in 1970, relocating to Melbourne in 1996. His practice encompasses a broad range of media, including painting, drawing, animation, video and performance. He has exhibited regularly in Australia and New Zealand since 2001 and was awarded both the Colin McCahon House Residency, French Bay, Titirangi, New Zealand in 2008, and the prestigious Wallace Art Award, which provides the artist with a six-month residency in New York in 2010.

Lewer holds a Bachelor of Fine Art from Elam School of Fine Arts, Auckland University, and a Master of Fine Arts from the Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne. He has been a finalist and recipient of many awards, and has held many solo exhibitions and participated in numerous group shows over his prolific career.

Lewer’s work is held in the Monash University Collection, as well as collections of the National Gallery of Victoria, the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, the Waikato Museum Collection, the University of Auckland, University of Waikato, Victoria University, Waikato Art Society, The James Wallace Trust, Art Bank Collection.

Public Programs:
Free Public Discussion, Richard Lewer, Dr. Elizabeth Burns Coleman, Lisa Sullivan, convened by Rosemary Forde - Thursday 13 August

^{Image: Richard Lewer: Nobody Likes a Show Off, Monash University Museum of Art, 2009. Photo: John Brash}