Arthur Boyd and Shaun Gladwell: Man on Fire at Bundanon Art Museum

Bundanon Art Museum in New South Wales presents 'Man on Fire: Visions of Nebuchadnezzar', a two-person exhibition pairing Arthur Boyd's 1960s paintings with Shaun Gladwell's contemporary reinterpretations. Boyd's series, created during that decade, depicts the Old Testament king Nebuchadnezzar, who was exiled by God for pride and lived as an animal for seven years. Boyd used this allegory to explore themes of masculine inheritance and war protest. Gladwell, working across moving image, performance, and works on paper, reimagines Boyd's paintings, presenting a solitary man stripped of humanity and abandoned to nature, struggling with transformation. The exhibition runs from 4 July to 11 October 2026. Featured works include Boyd's 'Lion's head on fire and Nebuchadnezzar eating grass' (1968, oil on canvas, private collection) and Gladwell's 'A Nebuchadnezzar Cycle' (2026, 4K digital video), with credits to cinematographer Judd Overton, director of photography Evan Papageorgiou, editor Greg Ferris, and stunt coordinator George Saliba. The show is curated as a dialogue between the two artists, meditating on unbounded egos, human fragility, and the potential for change.