Abstraction is a way of art making that goes beyond the physical appearance of things to express a hidden meaning. It is non-representational, meaning the artwork does not depict the way things look in real life. Instead the artists in Direction Now want us to look at paintings in a different way. They want us to question what happens when colours are mixed together, when they are brushed on, dissolved, scratched into or wiped away. If the marks that remain do not look exactly like something that is real, can they still evoke a sense of it, a feeling?

In 1956 the Macquarie Galleries in Sydney held an exhibition promoting an interest in abstract Australian art, titled Direction 1. The exhibition of painted abstractions demonstrated the growing interest of post-World War 2 Australian artists in the spiritual explorations offered in structure, line and space. Following in the tradition of Direction 1, Direction Now showcases the work of ten artists who demonstrate the vibrant and lively existence of abstraction in Australian art today.

Mostyn Bramley-Moore, Terri Brooks, Michael Cusack, Miles Hall, Anton Hart, Anthony T O’Carroll, Claire Primrose, Amanda Ryan, Peter Sharp and Ann Thompson represent a cross-generational group of Australian artists who have explored the emotional quality of abstract forms, lines, colours and textures. Their work ranges from the bold and complex to the delicate and minimal. Some images feel serious and contained – others cheerful and free. Several works engage with the deconstruction and identity of the urban landscape. Above all Direction Now offers new ways of seeing and interpreting the world, ways where art can portray not only how things look, but also how they feel.