Art Never Sleeps - While fashion takes a Nanna Nap!

Yes while the art galleries and artists of Sydney are hard at work making and showing art; my inbox has been strangely void of invitations to fashion events save for an invite to a 'socks' launch I sadly failed to attend last Thursday. (sorry guys next time I promise). All the while my gallery list just keeps on listing more and more shows every week; sure its not all work by the same artist but if you think of the much vaunted 'new turnovers-of-range' à la Zara; ART and Galleries are turning around and 'dropping' new Art even faster! Try thinking of the gallery as the Brand, Art as the Range.. So all this art activity VS not-so-much fashion activity has had me thinking about the nature of both these pursuits, and not just in terms of how you market yourself but also in terms of creative output and work put in - how you go about it. And last night a close friend and working/exhibiting/professional artist brought up the hoary old question (in a perfectly nice way) of the gulf between the amateur who would be a professional and the Artist who is; and the difference that does involve.

Of course, as you would,  I am putting this downturn in fashion's largesse of event and party to a downturn in trade and perhaps minding a pre-decimal currency penny while waiting for the customers to 'drop' (and-spend) like a new range 'drops' (perhaps with below average look-books shot by well meaning amateurs not the professional who could... to save a penny) or so they say - and maybe we will have a little launch party when the next range really does 'drop'. Which also brings me to the world-wide-runway-juggernauts known quite simply as brought-to-you-BUY this Brand Fashion Week. Now I love a runway show as much as the next person but I do sometimes think that these big shows have become a bit of a one-stop-marketing-shop, a wonder drug and a fashion panacea that has taken some of the creativity out of the fashion marketing game and gobbled up a large proportion of smaller players budgets. No its not cheap to participate in. Not to mention - and I will, the love of the 'like' button (yes please do like and share this post; ah the sweet irony) and social networking... is this all... So its great to go to art openings and they are happening all-the-time regardless of budgets. And I do know that probably no-one works harder than people in fashion, though many artists work very hard too; but a downturn does not slow down art's parties; though sales may be a little slow; the trade goes on, the celebration continues; now that's something I like - pun intended; something to think about while I await my next fabulous Fashion Event to Drop!

So here's how Art fared last week (tip of the iceberg really), and what people wore, style wise; mouse over for details, gallery and show info links below..

China Heights

Fire Gallery

Plump Gallery

Sexes - Carriage Works

Frasers, CUB development site

Sheffer Gallery

My picture from China Heights...

www.chinaheights.com/ A Study of Hands.
Fire Gallery (Anna Wheeler) 22 Enmore Rd Newtown Sydney - Facebook
Plump Gallery, 240 Enmore Road, Enmore, Sydney - Facebook
Sexes, www.carriageworks.com.au/
http://www.sheffergallery.com/ Gilbert Grace - Luminous
My own little 'luminous landscape' taken from the window at China Heights. Composite Image..

Comments welcome.

All pictures made with the inimitable Fujifilm X-Pro1.

Kurt Sorensen 'into the unknown' - Plump Gallery 'Matters of the Heart'

It's been an interesting week for art & fashion already; & with the Bill Henson show tonight.. well it is no where near over yet, and its only Thursday. But so far it's two/three photography exhibitions and it would probably be fair to say that all three are at the beginning of their art careers. That said; Kurt is a fair way down the track and already at or beyond the pivotal launch point of what I think is going to be a solid career in art photography with a focus on the landscape and history. This is Kurt's unique approach to photography and its the sort of simple yet sophisticated idea that has you saying to yourself. "I wish I had thought of that!' I first saw his work at MCAP 2011 and again, 'historically' based portraits with landscape triptych at MCAP 2012. This show 'into the unknown' was produced in part from an Artists Residency at Hill End, a residiency that seems to be helping artists to produce some really splendid work. Of course Kurt also has some stylin' friends who were kind enough to let me photograph them for Street Fashion Sydney, including Kurt himself, in the artist portrait below.

Collaboration -  'Matters of the Heart' - Plump Gallery..

'Matters of the Heart' by El Cesana along with the photography and installation work of Aaron Stathi was a very different art show with both artists, Aaron in particular at the very beginning of their public art journey.
I do think they had the bad luck of the weather being particularly miserable on Tuesday night but the smaller turnout (at least while I was there) gave me plenty of room to view the art and meet and photograph the artists. I am not sure the general public realise what a big call it is to put your work up on a wall in a public space, gallery, cafe, wherever; and then have people come down and take a look. But it does take courage and commitment, much much more than simply posting your work on the internet! We need more of it.

www.kurtsorensen.com/

www.dickersongallery.com.au/

Kurt Sorensen 'into the unknown'
19 Sep 2012 - 14 Oct 2012


Matters of the Heart - Plump Gallery
Tuesday the 18th September until Tuesday the 25th of September

Artist and fashion pics shot with the Fujifilm X-Pro1.