"In my mind that expression “Art for life” is a summation of the work of Ken Done and why people all over the world respond to it in the way they do. Done celebrates the every day life of Australians; at the beach, on the harbour, underwater on the reef. Water and what it represents is a link for generations of Australians who travel to it to play and to enjoy themselves. Water, whether in the form of the sea or the rivers, represents play, fun, and freedom to the people of the driest continent on earth."

Philip Bacon

June 2005

extract from 2005 exhibition catalogue