Robert Owen: a different kind of modern

When Robert Owen returned to Australia in 1975 after living in Europe for twelve years he found there was no real context for his work, though this may not have seemed to be the case on the surface. His work was accepted well, being selected to represent Australia at the 1978 Venice Biennale. It was more that Owen felt no connection between dominant accounts of the nature and purpose of art circulating in Australia and how he saw his work communicating with viewers and contributing to the world.