The Esoteric & Erotic Art of Del Kathryn Barton.

The only previous time I have seen so many people crushing into the Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery was on the occasion of Bill Henson's first exhibition after the scandal of the 2008 vice squad shut-down show. His 2010 show was completely chockas-as with people there to support Bill, including myself; but really in a completely different way to the crush of people that were there to see the new Del Kathryn Barton (DKB) show 'angel dribble'.  What I find so fascinating about a DKB show is that it's feminine, heterosexual semi-surrealist post/Secessionist Klimt meets Schiele erotica; with a little H. R. Giger thrown in for good measure, and no one seems to notice... the erotica. Maybe it's the Kali-like abundance of eyes and breasts (in lieu of arms).. that bedazzles one and all compelling us to ignore the elephant in the room, the esoteric erotica. Well no-one seems to mention it much! They just love the pictures. But it is Del's "universe" and she has captured the zeitgeist of youth (real youth followers too), the coming of age and sexual curiosity; which, is a theme in much of Henson's work as well. Of course DKB also reverses through time and the erotic back to the absolute innocence and wonder of childhood which, while walking the tightrope of sentimentality and kitsch, never seems to slip into either. It is I believe an utterly unique creative position; though in this show DKB refuses to rest on her laurels and success. There is much new in this new show and when DKB says she "bled" for this show, I for one believe her.

Opening night portrait of Del Kathryn Barton at Roslyn Oxley9 gallery for the her show 'angel dribble'.

Previous DKB posts on SFS - http://streetfashionsydney.blogspot.com.au/2011/08/west-newtown-aka-enmore-paddington-too.html

ON NOW - untill September 10 - 2016.
http://www.roslynoxley9.com.au/

Telling Stories in Pictures all over Sydney..

Kent Johnson, Sydney, Australia.

0433 796 863

kent@artcommunication.com.au

www.kentjohnsonphotography.com.au

www.fashionphotographysydney.blogspot.com/

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West Newtown AKA Enmore + Paddington Too..

For our International readers I think its important to point out that in good Ol' Sydney town the term 'West' is often used in a pejorative sense. Western Sydney is not just a place west of the CBD it is a whole other world &, thank-whomever that Sydney University is only just west of the CBD because this writer at least has heard of people who have NEVER been further west than than those hallowed halls of education... Yes there is right here in Sydney something of a classic East West divide and while once it was more to do with wealth and possibly education it now plays out, so-I-believe along more international lines as well. And why am I telling you all this (quite dubious) information? Possibly its because while I have heard of North Newtown and South Newtown; I have never heard of East or West Newtown, and in a free association kind of way as-you-do or as I do anyway I started thinking about 'this' and 'that' and if you never went west of Sydney Uni you would probably never have the opportunity to try the amazingly lovely and tastey Gelato at the Moon & Cow Gelato bar on Enmore Road-now officially unofficially christened by me as West Newtown Road!!!

Anyway as you can see in the picture(s) above taken one recent evening at the 'Cow Bar' or 'Moon' if you more hipply prefer, ppl do wear a range of shoes, pants and leggings (yet to see Meggings) to the 'Cow' and as this is Street Fashion Sydney I thought it best I show you some of those shoes! And speaking of Street Fashion I managed to get-off a shot of Paul Adair at the launch of his show at Stills gallery in Paddington; I quite liked his Fred Perry polo shirt and dapper beret. His show as best I could tell was traditional film based photographs of fountains even more traditionally printed in a yellow colour. Possibly not a show you want to free associate the colour scheme and subject matter; at least if you are on the sensitive side when thinking of bodily function.

Paul Adir @ Stills

Continuing on with the footwear and Newtown theme; a friend recently returned from Argentina dropped by to visit wearing her new Argentine boots which (said with a lovely South American accent),
"have been getting a lot of attention from the other women when I go walking along King Street". Well no surprise there!



And a few weeks ago (sorry I really should have posted this one much earlier) I got to meet Del Kathryn Barton at her floor talk about her show at Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery. What a sweetie, not only did she allow me to snap a portrait of her with one of her works; I asked her if they were all self portraits of a sort & imagined I heard her reply "yes" though I think she really said nothing on the matter at all... And perhaps being a former resident of North-West Newtown (with a left hand turn) AKA Stanmore; she politely listend to my little theory about how she was totally on top of the game by bringing together busy (think what ppl do on facebook) and Classic art not to mention that Klimt Vienna Secession thing too..



And if you managed to read through all that and understood any of it at all, perhaps you would be kind enough to leave a brief synopsis of this post in the comments section below. I really don't know why we don't get more...

Cow and the Moon

Stills Gallery

Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery

sixtoeight review Del & Marley Dawson at, Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery

Till next time. Or maybe see you at the Cow!