108 pages
28.7 x 22.7 x 1.7 cm
Hardcover
Published by Penguin Random House and Lantern Press
ISBN: 9781761046834

Published in collaboration with Penguin Random house, this visually striking anthology presents a series of works that explore the centrality of violence, ritual and friction within Australia’s cultural identity.

Inspired by George Bellow’s infamous ‘boxing’ paintings, Quilty’s visceral vignettes of amorphous figures in the throes of combat present a poignant commentary on the violent coming-of-age rituals popular among young Australian men. His gestural impasto paintings are a reminder of Australia’s tendency towards violence. Be it through the frontier wars of the past, or the testosterone-fuelled riots of the present, Quilty brings to the surface a sinister undercurrent of Australian culture that is often sanitised by romanticised visions of a utopian beach-side society.

‘Free Fall’ captures the incredible detail and complexity of Quilty’s paintings through a series of highly detailed plates. The book also features an essay by Milena Stojanovska.