Adam Cullen merges social satire with technicolour excess. An ‘enfant terrible’ of the art world, he launched onto the Australian art scene by chaining a pig’s head to his ankle for two weeks. This punk stunt was followed by a career spent painting tough, uncompromising and challenging subjects, captured with a pop art twist.

What does this work’s title refer to? ‘9481 11 11’ was once the hotline for fast food chain Pizza Hut, sung as a jingle across Australian televisions. There are no allusions to pizza in Cullen’s work, just two skeletal figures pivoted towards one another, slight against a white backdrop. It would not however, be unlike Cullen to superimpose a fragment of Australian nostalgia over a serious subject, his artistic voice arcane and cutting.

Exploring masculinity, crime and animalism, Cullen’s work is imbued with an unexpected vulnerability. In his lifetime, he was a winner and multi-time Archibald Prize finalist, honoured with a 2008 retrospective at the Art Gallery of New South Wales and an Art Hotel in Prahran, cementing him as one of Australia’s foremost contemporary artists.

Hand-signed, framed and limited edition, this original etching will add an edge to collections of pop and contemporary art. It is represented in the collection of the National Gallery of Australia.

Adam CULLEN (1965 - 2012)
'9481 11 11' 2002
Etching on paper
Edition of 6
Image Size: 60 x 79 cm
Dimensions: 64 x 84 x 3 cm
Signed: Editioned, titled, signed and dated in bottom margin
Comes with Letter of Provenance

An impression of this work is represented at the National Gallery of Australia, accession number: 2007.1549.37
 
Condition: Excellent

(c) Adam Cullen / Copyright Agency