The Bricoleur marks something of a homecoming for Victorian born star of the international art scene Ricky Swallow, who represented Australia at the 2005 Venice Biennale, and now lives and works in Los Angeles.

His first major exhibition in Australia since 2006, The Bricoleur will feature several of Swallow’s well known, intricately detailed wooden sculptures as well as a range of new sculptural works in wood, bronze and plaster. It will also showcase two large groups of watercolours, including the NGV’s recent acquisition One nation underground (2007), a collection of images based on 1960s musicians such as Tim Buckley, Denny Doherty and Brian Jones.

The public programs around the exhibition offer further insights, but simply spending time in the exhibition space, and listening to the accompanying music selected by Swallow himself, should be enough to give you a greater understanding and appreciation of one of Australia’s leading and internationally-renowned contemporary artists.