Month: May 2020

It’s reconciliation week and we walk along with artist and curator Djon Mundine OAM, to discover a little known artwork at the Armoured Casement in Mosman. Three senior Indigenous women artists from East Kimberely share their lifeworld in Connected to the Land, an immersive presentation of work at Cross Art Projects. How to navigate online art sales with Suzanne Derry, Senior Solicitor at Arts Law. See it now; From My Window is an online exhibition of new works by nine artists from NSW for AGNSW.

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Buying and selling art online
Senior Solicitor at Arts Law, Suzanne Derry talks us through some the issues arising from art being bought and sold online. In what we should be aware of and what to be weary of. For legal advice on art sales online contact Arts Law.

Their email address is Artslaw@artslaw.com.au
Web site

Connected to the Land
Connected to the Land comprises works by three senior Indigenous women artists and their younger colleague, artist and curator Angelina Karadada Boona. The exhibition honours the late Mrs. Taylor and Mary Punchi Clement and presents their immersive work with a distinctive armoury of brush marks in a rich, ochre palette. Jo Holder, Director of Cross Art Projects giving us a little insight. Curators: Angelina Karadada Boona in association with Kira Kiro Arts, Kalumburu and Waringarri Aboriginal Arts, Kununurra. Connected to the Land exhibition is on until 4 July 2020

Connected to the Land: Cross Art Projects
Official website

The Armoured Casement in Mosman
We take a special walk through the Armoured Casement in Mosman, with artist and Curator Djon Mundine OAM, to experience a little known artwork Gabba Gabba. Three Views an exhibition at the Casement was curated by Djon as part of the Sydney Festival and presented by the Mosman Art Gallery at the beginning of the year at the Casement.

From My Window at AGNSW
The first series of new works has launched by AGNSW with the online exhibition From My Window. The exhibition features works on paper by nine artists from New South Wales including Mitch Cairns, Tom Carment, Emily Hunt, Jumaadi, Thea Perkins, Tom Polo, Jude Rae, Marikit Santiago, and Jelena Telecki. The series is part of the Gallery’s Together In Art online social project that aims to connect people through art. Assistant International at AGNSW curator Lisa Catt gives us a reflection.

From My Window: Together In Art AGNSW
AGNSW web site

What can you ‘do’ to participate in ‘it’? Kaldor launches Project 36. Participating Sydney based artist Brian Fuata talks us through his work. Jess Scully, Deputy Mayor of Sydney speaks on how cities can use their resources to support artists, culture and creativity through times of lockdown and recovery. In Caroline Zilinsky’s exhibition Titanic, there is a pervading sense of dark humour articulated.

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Kaldor Public Art Project 36: do it (Australia)
Kaldor Public Art Projects has launched Project 36: do it (Australia), which is a series of new commissions by 16 Australian creative practitioners across a range of disciplines. Initiated by Hans Ulrich Orbist in the early 90s, do it is considered the longest-running artist led project n the world. The project asks to create simple instructions that generate an artwork, whether an object, a performance, an intervention, or something else entirely. While we are in a global lockdown do it Australia invites audiences to follow an artist’s instructions, and enter their world and realise an artwork of their own.

Presented in partnership with Serpentine Galleries, London, Independent Curators International Google Arts & culture, Project 26, will see more than 50 new artworks commissioned and shared online globally. I spoke to John Kaldor about do it Australia, and bringing such a project about in times of a pandemic and Sydney based artist Brian Fuata, who is one of the participating artists. We apologise for the poor quality of John’s phone interview.

Excerpts of instructions are from Ian Milliss, Lauren Brincat and Rafael Bonachela.

Jess Scully, Deputy Mayor of Sydney
Jess Scully, Deputy Mayor of Sydney speaks on how cities can use their resources to support artists, culture and creativity through times of lockdown and recovery.

Caroline Zilinsky – Titanic
Ralph Hobbs, Director of Nanda Hobbs Gallery speaks to arts reporter Chris Virtue on Caroline Zilinsky’s exhibition, Titanic.

The ethics of the pandemic and the arts. ‘Not young or free’: an online exhibition inspired by the 250th anniversary of Cook’s landing at the Boomalli Art Gallery. Wrap yourself around Clothes of Death by Polish photographer Anna Bedynnska. We pay tribute to environmental and social activist Jack Mundey.

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Festival of Dangerous Ideas
Dr Matt Beard, Ethics Centres Fellow was part of a panel discussion last weekend for FODI – the Festival of Dangerous Ideas. The talk was on the Ethics of the Pandemic, the day-to-day dilemmas and crucial lessons, and hidden costs of our choices. The two other panelists were Eleanor Gordon-Smith and Bryan Mukandi. He talks through his thoughts on the arts role in these extraordinary times.

Not young or free at Boomalli
‘Not young or free’ is an on-line exhibition with a theme inspired by the 250th anniversary of Cook’s landing. The curator Kyra Kumsing walks us through the exhibition which is available on-line. Arts reporter Chris Virtue with this story.

Not young or free

Clothes of Death
In Poland, the tradition of preparing clothes for death is becoming less followed with most people choosing to continue the tradition are aged 70 and over. Polish photographer Anna Bedynnska has extensive experience as a press photographer documenting social projects. In her latest exhibition, Clothes of Death, she documents the Polish customs of death and burial. Story produced by arts reporter Bronwyn Rennex.

Anna Bedynnska: Clothes of Death

Jack Mundey
The environmental and social justice activist Jack Mundey died at the age of 90 in Sydney this week. Mundey has been widely celebrated for his internationally pioneering role in the green bans movement of the early 1970s. These green bans reflected Mundey’s visionary view that radical movements for social justice should encompass an ecological awareness.

Jo Holder worked with Jack on the Kerrawong project and the Green Bans Art Walk. Holder is the founder of the Cross Arts Projects, and is a well respected Sydney curator and writer working with contemporary artists, scholars and activists, she spoke with me to pay tribute to a great man who provided for many a lifeline to many of Sydney’s residents.

How two directors are navigating their festivals online: The Festival of Dangerous Ideas has launched a digital platform and the Head On Photo Festival a major arts festival in a metropolitan city to an online playing and educative digital field. We point you towards The Covid Shutdown Series – an online exhibition of digital artworks by four Sydney-based artists, the second is Chips Mackinolty’s provocative postage stamps of Captain Cook’s arrival.

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The Festival of Dangerous Ideas
The Festival of Dangerous Ideas (FODI) is going to live stream their panel discussions. FODI will be presented as a series of conversations with expert speakers and commentators held over two days. Festival Director Danielle Harvey, talks about the transition.

Festival of Dangerous Ideas

The Head On Festival
The Head On Festival had this year’s official online launch last Friday night with the announcement of the winners along with the official opening address speeches. We’re now in day six of the Festival, Moshe Rozenveig the Festival Director talks us through its change of course to an online digital platform.

Head On Photo Festival

The Covid Shutdown Series
The Covid Shutdown Series is an online exhibition of digital artworks by four Sydney-based artists: Chips Mackinolty; Toby Zoates; Wendy Murray and Toni Warburton and is curated by gallerist Damian Minton with new artworks going online each week. The show is a transparent breakdown that reflects the cooperative nature and the trust now necessary for a post-covid visual arts industry with its circular energy, where artist, agent and the viewer meet and link arms for a common purpose.

The Covid Shudown Series