Len Lye and Gordon Walters Reimagine Form at 1301SW

Works by Len Lye (1901–1980) and Gordon Walters (1919–1995) are experiments in movement, colour, and form.

The New Zealand artists’ exhibition at 1301SW in Melbourne, Len Lye, Gordon Walters (11 April–13 May 2023), does something exciting. The work reimagines different motifs and forms of energy found in nature, communicating the artists’ curiosity for the world around them.

In Walters’ acrylic on canvas compositions, restrained colours come together in a gridlock of rectangles that accentuates the works’ rigidity. Neutral hues, the interplay of positive and negative space, and an awareness of Walters’ preceding Koru series, suggest his desire to, in 1301SW’s words, ‘translate natural form into a purely abstract language’.

Lye’s Fountain (1959–60) consists of a spray of stainless steel rods that sway, shimmer, and chime as they rotate on their plinth. The work’s rapid flashes of light cause optical illusions, challenging one’s perception of where the work begins and ends. Lye’s mesmerising work imitates the sight and sound of lightning and thunder.

1301SW’s presentation is the first two-person exhibition of the two artists.

Main image: Len Lye, Fountain (1959–60) (detail). Stainless steel rods, motor, Formica base. Dimensions variable. Exhibition view: Len Lye, Gordon Walters, 1301SW, Melbourne (11 April–13 May 2023). Courtesy the Len Lye Foundation, the Gordon Walters Estate and 1301SW, Melbourne.