Maxx & I went to view the Francis Bacon 'Five Decades' exhibition yesterday at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. If I wasn't already feeling unhinged before I walked amongst the grotesque paintings, I certainly was afterward. Whether the distorted figures, mouths agape screaming rustled the nerves of many a viewer like myself, I don't know. Perhaps they dredged up fleeting memories of horror movies I've seen over the years; like the frothing sinister head of Jack Nicholson peering through an axed doorway in 'The Shining' or the chained and detained figures of the 'Saw' movie franchise.
I gotta stop watching horror films! The portraits Bacon executed (mostly of his lovers), must have been unflattering to the sitter but could be pardoned in their deeply complex emotional states which saw the artist's fame rise over several decades.
'Francis Bacon is a towering figure of 20th-century art. His paintings are gutsy, controversial and unforgettable. With painful beauty Bacon lays bare the struggles of the human condition.'
Earlier in the day when we had only just arrived at the gallery, we ran into a friend who works with the staff on reception; Chris informed us that moments before we arrived, a tourist in a group had sat on an art installation in the Australian art galleries section for a photo opportunity and the entire sculpture collapsed! I just hope the Gallery posts the CCTV footage on Youtube for us all to laugh at.
Felicity Jenkins
Cementa_13
Felicity Jenkins and I travelled to Kandos NSW for the inaugural Cementa festival which ran from 1st Feb to the 4th Feb 2013. There was a distinctive vibe upon entering the small town & the excitement grew as we collected our map from 'Cementa Central' in the main street and tried to make sense of & a plan as to what to see on our first day. Navigating the smorgasbord on offer was confusing, but thankfully, I relied on Flic's erudite skills in map reading to get us around.
Bill Moseley taking a 'Tintype' photograph of me.
'Cementa_13 is a biennial contemporary arts festival which took place in the post-industrial town of Kandos NSW. Over forty artists exhibited video, installation, sound, 2d and 3d artworks in venues and locations across the town. Venues included shop fronts, vacant lots, a disused school, scout hall, local pub, the local museum, golf-course, people’s homes, the surrounding bushlands, etc. The work addresses the identity, history, and current social, environmental and economic context of the town.'
Jacquelene Drinkall 'Weatherman UFOlogy'
We stayed in Rylstone overnight which is a 10 minute drive away. The accommodation was not exactly what was depicted on the website, so we made the most of a dull room and tired evening by playing a game of 'Whats in Flic's Bag' which entailed emptying her burdensome handbag, lining up the contents, photographing and laughing at the oddity of innards which included toe seperaters!
Andrew Frost & artist panel at the Railway Hotel, Kandos.
We met artist Peter Williamson the next morning for breakfast before heading back to Kandos to see the remaining exhibits. Particularly fun was Sarah Goffman's 'Wabi-Sabi Tea in Kandos' where people were welcome to participate in a tea ceremony. Sarah's stunning outfit was made from Aussie tea towels.
The Kandos Museum was an absolute treasure trove and deserved a full day of reading and documenting on its own.
Sarah Goffman 'Wabi-Sabi tea' in Kandos
MONA
My first trip to MONA (Museum of Old & New Art, Hobart), was everything and more than I had expected. A veritable Disneyland for adults; a cavernous & labyrinthian delight to keep one spellbound for an entire day. We caught the 9.30am ferry from Hobart docks for a 30 minute commute. Pre-booking the ferry and MONA entry is recommended as the queues are horrendous during peak season.
MONA is 3 levels of theatrically lit galleries which juxtapose, as the museums title suggests, contemporary art alongside treasures from history. Some of my favourites from the collection were the 'Mummy and Coffin of Pausiris', 'The Fairy Horde & the Hedgehog Host' & 'Trash blower 2012'.
Exploring the space is a curious treat with a portable device (I suspect an Ipod in a clever casing), which allows you to navigate to information relevant to your position in the gallery. Artworks hang without a numbering system or distractingly placed blurb which coerces you to interact with the device. It certainly is a different experience from your traditional gallery visit.
The entire viewing experience and 'voting' for like/hate of an artwork is saved to the MONA server and retrievable upon returning home as along as you entered your email address on the site. A nifty way of remembering your tour. I would definitely recommend a trip to this ambitious and totally jaw-dropping gallery. 5 out of 5!
Spirit in the Land
Maxx and I set off for the Penrith Regional Gallery to view the works of a touring exhibition titled 'Spirit of the Land'.
'Spirit in the Land explores the connection between eleven Australian artists, historical and contemporary, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, and their special appreciation and engagement to the spiritual ethos and power of the land.'
Lorraine Connelly-Northy
I especially enjoyed the artworks by Lorraine Connelly-Northy whose skill in harnessing interesting form from weathered, discarded industrial materials of yesteryear, hung beautifully as a reference to narrbongs(string bags).
Lorraine Connelly-Northey is a Waradgerie woman, who was raised along the Mallee and Riverina bush area of north-western Victoria
Emily Kame Kngwarreye