ALASDAIR MACINTYRE’S DINKY-DI

It sounds like a Robert Altman ensemble piece starring a who’s who of Australian art world icons … until you see the end result. Brisbane artist and Wynne Prize finalist Alasdair Macintyre has plumbed his vault of art documentaries and his enduring love for dioramas in Dinky-Di, a miniature smorgasbord of figurines made from wood, polystyrene and plastic set in the imaginary world of ‘Splatsville,’  (which the artist describes as Sesame Street meets The Shock of the New). You sense that this is a true homage borne from heartfelt fan-dom, but it comes across as somewhat ludicrous and most certainly humorous; a gob-less Rosalie Gascoigne holds up her trademark found-material planking; John Olsen beams with a wine glass in hand; Brett Whitely is entirely face-less while Charles Blackman dopily offers up a daisy. According to legend (and Macintyre’s footage seems to back this up), these are real-life scenarios: Drysdale drunk, Whitely spitting the dummy, Olsen’s ditty about Dobell. It’s the cheekiness afforded to one that is so close to his subject that a little gibing is allowed; indeed, preferred. For an arts community that so often refuses to take itself a little less seriously, this is a welcome breath of fresh air. (AB)

Until Aug 13, Sullivan + Strumpf, 799 Elizabeth St, Zetland, 9698 4696, ssfa.com.au