Sometimes your ability to be everywhere you want is destined to be denied you. However on other occasions the art-god smiles and guides you on your way. Thursday night was certainly one such night, and in an evening of compelling art possibilities I was able to make it to five shows which may be a personal best, at least for shows not mostly on the same block, more-or-less.. and I created three artists portraits too! So here's a round up about art last
Thursday night.
I know it's unfashionable but the B&D, and S&M scenes have never appealed to me, however I found Sarah Contos's,
Total Control show at Roslyn Oxley9 immensely enjoyable. The soft and sometimes hard sculptures and quilts playfully punning on the scene at every turn, or are they? Well worth a look for the use of vintage imagery alone. Thanks Sarah for the portrait and thank you for a great show.
Square Series by Sam Holiday, an immersive art experience also requiring a QR reader, Spotify and of course your 'smart' phone; making the immersive part a bit too clever for me on the night; I will have to return, phone and apps in hand. I wonder what happened to all those portable cassette players the AGNSW used to have for virtual tours?
Speaking of returning to an art show, there was just
too much work to see at Frank Ockenfels 3 at Black Eye Gallery and that was not a bad thing at all. I will be back for a slow perusal of all 266 5"x4" Speed Graflex camera portraits. I have always fantasised that a show like this would one day be mine; is it too late! A wonderful show curated by Tom Evangelidis, a selection of nudes by Frank as well as the superb celebrity portraits. A must-see for all people photographers and anyone with an interest in photography, hello picture desks, hello Aussie photo editors.
While chatting with friends at Black Eye we learnt that The (Ray) Hughes Gallery was showing until nine that night, which is of course how I managed to make five. This was my first time going up in the lift at The Hughes Gallery; stepping out on the top floor of that famous Sydney warehouse and art institution, was a beautiful painting show in very attractive gallery rooms. Nick Collerson; Everything Must Go. Sometimes you step into a gallery not knowing what you will be seeing and, although no-one says it, you just go
'oh thank god it's painting' and enjoyable painting at that. Nick's paintings were a perfect end to a highly varied night of art, fresh figurative work with a touch of Hockney in the mix.
And where is the fifth show? it was a group show ‘OUTSIDERS, IMPOSTERS AND ALIENS’curated by Bev Shroot and Louise Thoeming, sorry time did not allow for pictures! On now at
http://www.dominikmerschgallery.com/
In blog post order,
http://www.roslynoxley9.com.au/
http://galleriesbygkje.co/
http://blackeyegallery.com.au/
http://www.rayhughesgallery.com/
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