Arts

Interview: Designer Misty Copeland on launching her new Under Armour Collection

Misty Copeland represents strength, courage and female empowerment, but now the Under Armour athlete and Principal Ballerina can add fashion icon to her bio. Copeland made the journey to Sydney to launch her new collaborative collection with Under Armour which is fashion-forward, transformative and transitional, celebrating her undeniable drive and unmistakable style. Why have you chosen to collaborate with…

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Theatre Review: There are more than a few laughs to be had with Violent Extremism and Other Adult Party Games (until 25 November)

With a title like Violent Extremism and Other Adult Party Games you can’t help but expect a few controversial laughs. But this new play by Sydney-based writer Richie Black is a cut above and a genuinely funny piece of work. Supported by a very good cast and strong production values, this is yet another triumph…

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Book Review: Hannah Jewell’s 100 Nasty Women of History will help you find your new favourite historical figure

Join The Washington Post’s pop culture editor Hannah Jewell as she plucks (almost) forgotten women from the historical cutting room floor. From artists to investigative reporters, scientists to queens, political firebrands to murderers, there’s no such thing as the delicate fairer sex here. Get in the kitchen and make you sandwich? Puh-lease. I’ve got an…

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Book Review: Alan Burdick’s Why Time Flies is an intriguing look into time and its many facets

Alan Burdick’s book, Why Time Flies: A Mostly Scientific Investigation is one with a fascinating premise that we can all relate to. A staff writer from the New Yorker, Burdick specialises in penning articles about science and technology. Here, he poses the question, “What is time and why does it speed up as we age…

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Feast Festival Review: Brodie John bares his soul in Burlesque by Force at Nexus Arts in Adelaide

On the same day that Australia voted “yes” to marriage equality, Brodie John presented his brave and personal account of childhood sexual abuse. Dressed in drag and playing to an imaginary audience side stage, we are plunged into an intimate moment of rapture with Brodie as he takes his final bow. He then begins the…

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Theatre Review: Silent Night brings an early dose of Christmas cheer (until 10th December)

What is Christmas like with your family? I can guarantee it’s not nearly as dysfunctional as the one depicted in Mary Rachel Brown’s new play, Silent Night. Chock-full of jokes and characters that have to be seen to be believed, this is a play that makes the final rush to the supermarket on Christmas Eve…

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Circus Oz launch a rock opera season featuring Europop duo Otto & Astrid

Circus Oz are mixing things up in their upcoming season by creating circus rock opera performance, The Strange and Spektakulär Lives of Otto & Astrid. Artist Director Rob Tannion has brought Otto & Astrid from the Berlin-based band Die Roten Punkte onboard to lead the instrumentals. The duo will perform alongside the evocative Circus Oz acrobats. A sneak peak…

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Claire Foxton talks blending fine art and graffiti ahead of Wollongong Wonderwalls Festival

No longer confined to the back streets of grungy inner-city suburbs, street art has really started to make it’s mark on Australia’s urban landscape. Among the artists who create these modern monoliths is Kiama-local Claire Foxton. Her realistic portraits, rendered in tremendous detail, pay homage to local heroes from across the country. Claire is one of…

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Perth Festival asks audiences to see art in a different light in 2018

Between February 9th and March 4th 2018 the Perth International Arts Festival invites audiences to see art in a different light, and revel in a smorgasbord of captivating cultural experiences, with something for everyone. 2018 marks Artistic Director Wendy Martin’s third year at the helm, as well as the Festival’s 65th Anniversary. To celebrate the…

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Book Review: The world’s greatest detective heads down under in Sherlock Holmes: The Australian Casebook

Find out what happens when the legendary Sherlock Holmes comes up against a distinctly Australian series of crimes, in Sherlock Holmes: The Australian Casebook. Commissioned by Holmes super fan Christopher Sequiera, The Australian Casebook sees the world’s greatest detective and his stalwart friend and chronicler head down under. Writers range from historical crime fiction mavens…

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Book Review: Craigh Wilson’s Intuitive is an empowering volume for those seeking change

The world is becoming increasingly complex and fast-paced. Many people are feeling out of touch with their spiritual sides and this can manifest itself in a series of mental and physical ailments. Intuitive is a book written by Craigh Wilson, an experienced medical and business intuitive who has spent decades working in an area that…

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Book Review: Living The 1960s is an exuberant collection of facts & personal memories from a wonderful chapter in history

The National Library of Australia’s publishers have managed to turn back time with their latest book, Living The 1960s. In the book, Australian actress and comedian, Noeline Brown takes us all for a stroll down memory lane through an important decade in her life, and in the lives of her contemporaries. Living the 1960s is a fun slice…

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Iconic Victorian Infrastructure turned Wearable Art at the MPavilion

Have you ever looked at a really pretty building and thought, ‘I wonder what that would look like as a dress?” Well, wonder no more my friend because Melbourne’s next generation of architects and designers are coming together to make your weird but wonderful day dreams come true. Gaining inspiration form famous landmarks around Melbourne,…

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Create NSW & Artspace NSW Visual Arts Fellowship Winner Announced

The 2017 Create NSW & Artspace NSW Visual Arts Fellowship winner has been announced as Claudia Nicholson. Starting in 1900, it is one of the nation’s oldest arts awards, and see’s the Sydney artist take home $30,000. Funding a self-directed program of professional development over two years, Nicholson will travel to Mexico and the USA…

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Theatre Review: She Rode Horses Like the Stock Exchange is a biting take on gender and power through the GFC

The GFC hit 10 years ago, yet it’s wave still lingers on. In a post GFC world, wages are stagnant, jobs are threatened, house prices skyrocket and global warming’s dark cloud hangs in concert. 10 years on, we’re still asking questions; how did this happen? Can it happen again? And, if so, who’s best equipped…

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Book Review: The Not So Subtle Art Of Being A Fat Girl shows that you can succeed by embracing imperfections

Tess Holliday is a woman that knows all about obstacles. Standing at five-foot-five and wearing a size 26 in clothes, there was a time when if she’d told people she was an aspiring model their reactions would have been laughter and/or scorn. But these days she can thumb her nose at her detractors, because she…

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Book Review: Claire Aman’s Bird Country is a debut collection with considerable weight

It is rare these days that a complete collection of short stories can sustain a sense of breathless wonder throughout each and every piece included in its pages. In a modern age of mobile phones and social media, short stories present us with an interesting challenge. While they are short enough to cater to our…

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The 2017 Helpmann Academy Competition recipients have been announced

The winning emerging artists from a range of creative disciplines for the Helpmann Academy competition have been announced. In its second round of competitive grants for 2017, a total of $46,000 has been awarded to support a total of sixteen projects. The projects include professional development opportunities such as international residencies, workshops, exhibitions, performances, film projects,…

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Theatre Review: Belvoir’s Atlantis is a quirky comedy about love, climate change and psychics

To some people, “Atlantis” is a utopian city lost underneath a wall of water. For Lally Katz it’s a semi-autobiographical play about her mid-30s trip home to America as a newly-single girl. The results are like Bridget Jones played by Kathy Lette. With a panther thrown into the mix. Because you can. Katz is no…

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Photos: Behind-the-Scenes with Mamma Mia! Cast Rehearsals in Sydney

It might be a few months before Sydneysiders will get their chance to see the new rendition of Mamma Mia! The Musical live on stage at the Capitol Theatre, but the cast are hard at work in the city rehearsing. That’s because before arriving in Sydney on February 11th, they’re kicking off their tour in…

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Singaporean creatives have transformed Sydney’s Kensington Street into a mini art festival

This weekend Chippendale’s vibrant Kensington Street precinct will be hosting various works from a diverse group of artists, chefs, designers, filmmakers and photographers from Singapore. Singapore: Inside Out, a multi-sensory creative showcase which has seen enormous success in cities like New York and Tokyo, will be stretched across three days, kicking off tonight with a…

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7 Shows & Events not to miss in Australia this November

Ready for November? We can’t believe it’s that late in the year either – but thankfully, with Summer right around the corner, incredible entertainment can be found all over the country. Here’s just 7 such shows and events to get excited about this month…. Future Park (Sydney) Combining science and imagination to create a futuristic…

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Win a double pass to see Robert Mapplethorpe: The Perfect Medium at the Art Gallery Of NSW

Sydney’s Art Gallery of NSW (from 27 Oct 2017 to 4 Mar 2018) is about to celebrate one of the most renowned photographers of the 20th century, an artist who understood the medium’s ability to alter perceptions and push boundaries. The comprehensive survey of Robert Mapplethorpe’s career, features more than 200 works, from still lifes…

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Book Review: Tackle the taboo with Corinne Fisher and Krystyna Hutchinson’s F*cked

Corinne Fisher and Krystyna Hutchinson, the voices behind Guys We Fucked: The Anti-Slut Shaming Podcast, have travelled from the podcast to the page with F*cked: Being Sexually Explorative and Self-Confident in a World That’s Screwed. Put down the rom-com and stick the rosé back in the fridge because you don’t need a man, and Fisher…

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POPSART: Fake art is an epidemic we must stop!

80% of Indigenous souvenirs sold in this country are fake! Adding insult to this injury, much of this product is being manufactured overseas as part of a very damaging unregulated industry going on in Australia around the Fake Art trade of Indigenous art. Through the hard work of advocates like Nancy Bamaga, managing director of…

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We sit down with the cast of Darlinghurst Theatre Company’s Silent Night

Christmas is coming early to the Eternity Playhouse with Darlinghurst Theatre Company set to host the world premiere of Silent Night. In the directorial hands of Glynn Nicholas and featuring some of Australia’s best comedic actors, we figured the rehearsal process has been an absolute riot. We asked cast members Amanda Bishop, Aaron Glenane, Michael…

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Review: Grace Under Pressure highlights the need for change in the medical industry

Grace Under Pressure examines workplace and training within the health industry and presents a verbatim theatre project in which four performers recite transcripts from real interviews with healthcare professionals at varying stages of their careers. Created by David Williams and Paul Dwyer, in collaboration with the Sydney Arts and Health Collective, Grace Under Pressure presents…

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Review: Tammy & Kite beautifully articulates the resilience of childhood and the enduring power of friendship

How much do children perceive of the world around them? How do children cope with sadness? Hannah Cox and Caitlin West tackle these tricky questions in Tammy & Kite, a play about two sisters whose love for each other appears to be stronger than anything the world can throw at them. The performance opens with…

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Art Gallery of NSW’s Robert Mapplethorpe: The Perfect Medium is a visceral and stunning study in bold contradictions

It is clichéd to say that a picture tells a thousand words. But there’s also some truth to this and one photographer who certainly knew and appreciated how an image could confound or shape one’s perception is Robert Mapplethorpe. He is the late artist, photographer and former muse to Patti Smith. The Perfect Medium is…

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Book Review: Graphic memoir Eyes Too Dry explores mental illness, lasting friendships, and the healing power of art

A true tale of mental illness told from the perspective of both the sufferer and the bewildered friend, Eyes Too Dry is a joint venture from Alice Chipkin and Jessica ‘Tava’ Tavassoli. Switching between Tava, a medical student slipping into a deep depression, and housemate Alice, losing herself in her friend’s darkening struggle, this graphic…

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