In our new news series, here’s the latest news from the world of the arts…
In This Issue: Washington artwork to exhibit in Sydney, Sydney Dance Company announces new dancers, Strandbeest to roam Fed Square, Queens Street Stdio announces Residents, Alaska Project to present Samuel Hodge,
WASHINGTON ARTWORK TO EXHIBIT IN SYDNEY
To celebrate her involvement in the Sydney Festival, via Festival First Night and ‘Insomnia’ live at the Sydney Opera House, Megan Washington’s long time artistic collaborator Benjamin Portas will exhibit his artwork in Sydney for the first time. The exhibit will open on Thursday 19th January, for one exclusive week, at MART Gallery in Surry Hills.
Portas has worked closely with Washington on the artistic direction for her two major releases, the Platinum-selling ‘I Believe You Liar’ and it’s companion piece ‘Insomnia’ as well as the many EP’s, tour posters, digital and graphic elements that have provided the visual backdrop to Washington’s much-loved music and video performances.
The exhibit will feature Portas’ artwork from all of Washington’s various releases, alongside rare international prints and the recent ‘Insomnia’ work which has been influential in inspiring the set-design for the upcoming Sydney Opera House show.
SYDNEY DANCE COMPANY ANNOUNCES NEW DANCERS
Sydney Dance Company welcomes four new dancers to the company in January 2012 – Tom Bradley, Alana Sargent, Jesse Scales and Chris Aubrey – each of whom represents the best in the next generation of contemporary dancers.
STRANDBEEST TO ROAM MELBOURNE’S FEDERATION SQUARE
From February 1st until 26th, 2012, Fed Square presents the Australian premiere of Strandbeest, when the colossus Animaris Umerus, with its graceful rolling movements, roams Melbourne’s Fed Square plaza for the month of February.
Approximately twelve metres long, four metres high and two metres wide with wing-like sails, the wind-walking Strandbeest, could easily be mistaken for prehistoric mammoth skeleton.
Since 1990, Jansen has devoted himself to constructing animals that can walk powered only by the wind. What was at first a rudimentary breed has slowly evolved into increasingly complex creatures with a rotating spine, legs, stomach (plastic bottles for storing wind energy) and lengthening muscles (pistons within the plastic tubing). These machines are able to react to their environment, becoming increasingly better at surviving the elements.
Strandbeest means “beach animals” in Dutch, with the beach being the natural habitat for testing his creations. Eight Strandbeest ‘fossils’ will be on display in The Atrium, charting the evolution of the Strandbeest from simple structures, to complex forms with a highly developed nervous system.
SYDNEY: QUEENS STREET STUDIO ANNOUNCES “BONUS ROUND” VISUAL ARTIST RESIDENTS 2012
Thirteen individual artists and collectives will move into FraserStudios in Chippendale, Sydney, for the final “Bonus Round” of Visual Arts studio residencies from January – June 2012. With multi-disciplinary practises spanning painting, portraiture, installation, inter-disciplinary performance and digital arts, the successful artists from this highly competitive round are:
Aaron Anderson
Lisa Andrew
Tega Brain
Brown Council
Li Cui
Sarah Goffman
Yvette Hamilton
Bronia Iwanczak
Francesca Mataraga
Ben Morley
Parachutes for Ladies
Eddie Sharp, Kenzie Larsen & William Mansfield
Craig Waddell
MORE INFO: http://www.queenstreetstudio.com/vis-arts-residency.html
Meanwhile, Queen Street Studio are putting the call out for performing artists to apply for their 2012 Performing Arts Residency Program which will provide ten successful applications with up to three weeks of FREE rehearsal or development space. Applications close on Thursday, and you can apply HERE.
SYDNEY: ALASKA PROJECT TO PRESENT SAMUEL HODGE SOLO EXHIBITION
From Wednesday 11 January – Sunday 29 January 2012, Alaska Projects will present a unique solo exhibition from highly acclaimed photomedia artist and Romance Was Born collaborator Samuel Hodge in their converted mechanics’ office gallery space on Level 2 of the Kings Cross Car Park.
Since 2009, Sydney-based Hodge has established a practice which moves fluidly between gallery contexts and both print and online publishing mediums, with exhibitions at MOP, Chalkhorse and First Draft Gallery and his work collated in monographs “truth-beauty-cock”, “Sometimes I Just Need Quiet” and “Pretty Telling I Suppose”.
Hodge is currently working on projects in Sydney, Berlin and Oslo, and will soon release a new book of work in collaboration with infamous fashion label Romance Was Born.
