Of the three exhibitions that are covered by the umbrella theme Paintings amongst other things, this one comes closest to the conceptual and minimalist orientation in art.

Its curator, Oscar Capezio, explains his rationale for this exhibition: “we conceive of painting not as a medium but rather a type of symbolic co-production that is experienced as always outside of itself, in a formed and contingent structure that does not belong to either the painter or the painting, yet which might still occasion an experience of self-reflection, as being always singular and amongst other things”.

To illustrates this idea, Capezio brings together six artists – Ian Burn, Vivienne Binns, Elizabeth Newman, Lucina Lane, Patrick Lundberg and Jelena Telecki. The exhibition appears more like a thought adventure, a cerebral exercise, than a visually engaging exhibition. The selected artists, from different perspectives, rather clinically approach the idea of art making and question the position of the artist and aspects of the outside world.

Ian Burn is Australia’s highest profile conceptual artist who moved from a minimalist art practice, where he was included in The Field exhibition in 1968, to settle in New York where he worked with Art & Language collaborative artist group, which included Joseph Kosuth, Mel Ramsden and Roger Cutforth. It is frequently said, with some justification, that Burn was “the only Australian ever to be central to an internationally significant art movement.”

In this exhibition, there are a number of Burn’s pieces that put the onus on the viewer to make sense of the work. These include Grey Reflex, 1966-67, painted on a standard-size sheet of plywood panel, instead of canvas, with an epoxy resin ground and painted with acetate and auto lacquer. In other words, it is a bit like a dull grey mirror in which you catch your own reflection through a glass darkly. Colour has been applied with an air gun, so that there can be no trace of the artist’s hand or the personal touch. There is no meaning beyond the form and colour presented to the viewer and the fact that you cannot look at the work without being reflected in it subverts the possibility of really seeing the painting.

Elizabeth Newman, the Melbourne-based artist and psychoanalyst, to some extent builds on the heritage of Burn, except her paintings betray more of the human touch in texture and design, while in other instances she employs fabric instead of paint to construct compositional structure. In a recent interview, she declared, “my art practice … comes from a place of not knowing – and not wanting to know. I like it to be about nothing. Because then I think you get something really subjective, and really true. So I never have an intention. I let the work do its own thing.”

Lucina Lane is another Melbourne-based artist who, like Newman, is also represented by Neon Park gallery. While also interested in the structure of paintings, she is somewhat lacking in Newman’s sense of refinement. Patrick Lundberg, the Swedish-born, New Zealand-based minimalist explores through his narrow strips of painted fabric or arranged painted pins the relationship between the macro and the micro worlds. The demands placed on the viewer make the viewing experience somewhat tedious.

Jelena Telecki is an artist from Yugoslavia who established an early reputation in Sydney through her paintings and has been increasingly moving into installation with a performance aspect. She is interested in the space between the various art forms and the narratives that emerge. Unfortunately, the small snippets from her art included in this exhibition make it rather difficult to form any real engagement with her work. Likewise, for a fuller appreciation of the work of Vivienne Binns, a journey to the exhibition at the art school gallery is required.

Although this exhibition seeks to illustrate a thesis about conceptual art and its implications, limited resources lead to a somewhat limited appreciation of the question.