Noel McKenna
Michael Pup Clarke with Lara Bingle 2008—10
synthetic polymer paint on canvas
150 x 150 cm
© Courtesy the artist, Niagara Galleries, Melbourne; Darren Knight Gallery, Sydney; Greenaway Art Gallery, Adelaide; and Heiser Gallery, Brisbane
Photo: Paul Green
Michael Pup Clarke with Lara Bingle 2008—10
synthetic polymer paint on canvas
150 x 150 cm
© Courtesy the artist, Niagara Galleries, Melbourne; Darren Knight Gallery, Sydney; Greenaway Art Gallery, Adelaide; and Heiser Gallery, Brisbane
Photo: Paul Green
Noel McKenna works in a variety of media, including painting, ceramics, sculpture and printmaking. McKenna’s works centre on key moments in different sporting histories. In one of three new paintings for the Basil Sellers Art Prize, McKenna honours the Australian cricket team by listing the test records, bowling and batting averages of Shane Warne. However, the numbers themselves can be somewhat lifeless. Those columns of figures add up to an astounding career but can never convey the gob-smacking achievement of Warne’s ‘ball of the century’ in the 1993 Ashes series.