Unless you have been living under a rock without crystal-set-WiFi; you
will have certainly noticed that there is a new kid in town. Or maybe 151 strange cartoony kids, or maybe just smart phone wielding kids running through your garden. If you are wondering what it is? It's called Pokemon Go; and it has apparently uprooted couch potatoes, reunited parents with their formerly sullen, phone-communication-only children - all the better to travel to new places safely to hunt Pokemon with - and burnt goodness knows how many thousands, hundreds of thousands of kilos of human fat, off the face of the earth already!!
Apart from Pokemon Go being much more friendly than playing chess online (but that's another story) seeing these Pokemon pop up all over the place including art shows... Reminds me of the
Cottingley Fairies that famously duped Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, famed author of Sherlock Homes into believing
there really were Fairies at the bottom of the garden - maybe he just needed a Galaxy 7 or iPhone 6 to prove to the world they were real. Not fake or imagined at all.. I for one am more than happy for a return to simpler times with the aid of 'smart' technology.. If it helps unchain me from behind the computer. Now if you can scroll past
the next 4 'proofs' that Pokemon's really exist and are amongst us, there is a round up of some superb art shows - painting and photography - and then a little more banter about the positive side of Pokemon Go. Go on, keep scrolling, you might be surprised! Art & Gallery links below!
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| A Pokemon Doduo crashes an Art Opening at Folonomo Gallery. |
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| A Pokemon Pidgey crashes and art opening at KUDOS Gallery. |
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| A Squirtle prepares for Pokemon battle near the 'Pokestop' at Gallery 9 Darlinghurst. |
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| The ubiquitous Pokemon Zubat hangs out at Canvas Bar for a casual art opening in the Sydney CBD. |
Getting back to the art - Two weeks ago I attended a Friday night opening of Scott Gardiner's 'Disappear Here' at Palmer Art Projects.
It is still on and is a curious blend of seascape abstraction and geometric rendering. Scott explores the nature and power of the ocean combining his art with his love of being in the ocean (the floor was already painted..). Nature was also vividly on show in Sarah Ducker's mandala like photographic observations of alpine flora in the New Zealand Alps. Both artists drawing their own visual meta of landscape.
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| Scott Gardiner 'Disappear Here' at Palmer Art Projects. |
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| Off the Wall by Al Poulet at KUDOS Gallery |
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| Sarah Ducker at Barometer Gallery. |
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| Brett Hilder and friends at the Habana Story book launch, Badger and Fox Gallery Surry Hills. |
If you are fortunate enough to have seen or better yet, own a copy of Brett Hilder's
Another Time, Past Created you will be aware of the beauty of both his photography and his prose. Always a man of the times Brett has side-stepped traditional publishing and is offering his new book
only as a PDF at $10.00. Email him directly at bretthilder@gmail.com The Cuba photographs are for sale too though not at quite that price point..
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| Portrait of Kate Farquharson at KUDOS gallery for her exhibition Disintegration. |
Sensitivity for the subject, especially in portraiture should be a given and Kate has it in spades in this exhibition which examines a life lived and the effects and
affects of ageing - by only photographing the space lived in and the objects therein. I was very moved by this series of photographs created over a four year period.
On now at KUDOS Gallery.
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| Anne Lynam speaking at her show 'Arcana' Barometer Gallery, Sydney. |
What to say about
Anne Lynam's show 'Arcana' at Barometer Gallery.? I first meet Anne when she was showing at the
Chrissie Cotter Gallery, Camperdown Sydney, 2004 and later at Point Light gallery. Forget the rapidity of modern photography. There's fashion, street photography, nudes somehow fitting together. Anne's works are unrushed, meticulously constructed images, the result of a disciplined eye and a creative and often witty mind. The work delivers a feeling of familiarity and is yet quite unique. And I usually feel like
throwing in the towel after seeing one of Anne's shows.. Nothing has changed, the work just keeps on getting better. On until the 7th of August.
So some wonderful painting, some stunning photography by four vastly different photographers. And that bloody game you already love or hate. I have picked it up in the interest of seeing what it's all about; if the CIA are reading Street Fashion Sydney they should already know what I am up to anyway. Other than doubling my daily walk
and discharge of my phones battery. Pokemon Go (PG) is a boon for anyone that has painted a mural, made a public sculpture, or for buildings of, historic significance. Now not all artworks I have seen popping up as Poke Stops are credited but this one by Anthony Lister in Newtown that I came across today is. I presume the image was put up on google maps as a credited image at that GPS location. Something for (legal) Street Artists to think about. PG may not be the hot game forever, in fact its quite unlikely; I do think its the start of a form of everyday virtual reality, and something for all artists to have a look at, even if only with their kids or some friends; after all, Pandora never went back in the box, those Pokemon's are out for good too.
https://palmerartprojects.com/
https://www.facebook.com/KUDOS/Off the Wall Al Poulet
http://www.barometer.net.au/ &
http://sarahducker.com/
https://www.facebook.com/KUDOS/Kate Farquharson/
http://www.barometer.net.au/ &
http://annelynam.com/
Telling Stories in Pictures all over Sydney..
Kent Johnson, Sydney, Australia.
0433 796 863
