Balance, it’s something we all struggle with.
As the year rolls on, it seems like our weeks get more and more booked. From dinners with friends, brunch dates with loved ones, repeated Avengers Endgame screenings and contentious conversations about how Game of Thrones will end. We all have a lot going on. But it’s always important to remember to make time to see a little bit of art, and with so much going on around Australia, there’s no better time to go out and see some!
1. No Place To Hide by Al Stark (Melbourne)
3 – 19 May, Backwoods Gallery, 25 East St, Collingwood
Prolific Melbourne artist Al Stark is back with No Place To Hide! Using his minimalist inspired style, Stark explores society’s fascinating relationship with surveillance capitalism and profit:
“Today we exist within a transitory state, separated by the humanistic contractions of the past, while being increasingly filled with anxieties and longings of dislocation toward a universal culture that engulfs all of us. Within surveillance capitalism then, which is predominantly driven by a neo-liberalist rubric, we witness a challenge to the age-old notion of sanctuary, where the mining of natural resources by large companies has begun to include data and behaviour. Surveillance capitalism turns its attention to the rich natural resources of human action and behaviour itself, declaring the internet ‘terra nullius’ and ruthlessly colonising the riches within. Humans are a profitable entity much like the physical resources of the industrial revolution, and in effect, our conceptions of the personal and the social are becoming increasingly distorted”.
Find more info here.
2. Head On Photo Festival: Launch & Announcement of Winners (Sydney)
4 – 9 May (Opening night 3rd May), UNSW Arts & Design, Greens Rd, Paddington
The Head On Photo Festival is back! As the leader in promoting and celebrating Australian photography, Head On acts as an amazing way for both established and aspiring photographers to become more widely recognised. What better way to showcase Aussie photography than with a celebration spanning the better part of May:
“Head On Photo Festival is a bridge between Australian and international photographic markets. The festival has toured in America, China, India, Europe and New Zealand. This has introduced the international photographic elite to the wealth of photographic talent Australia possesses.
Head On is proudly inclusive. We work with people from indigenous backgrounds, young people, older people, disabled people and people of diverse cultural backgrounds. Over the years, Head On Photo Festival has put $500,000 in cash and products back into the industry through the Head On Awards”.
The near month-long celebration kicks off with a night of unique images, food, drinks and over $60,000 in prizes! Don’t Miss it!
Roger Grasas’s 2018 Festival winning piece
Find more info here.
3. Church In The Wild(Sydney)
8th March ,GOODSPACE, 115 Regent St, Chippendale.
Goodspace is back with a banger of a group show curated by Neva Hosking! consisting of an eclectic lineup of Aussie artists who look to explore their relationships with nature and the world around them:
“Church in the Wild is a group show that explores the romantic notion of the sublime in nature through a contemporary lens. As our world becomes increasingly urbanised, the need to strengthen our connection to the natural world becomes even more essential.
Featuring: Rory King, Sophie Joyce, Richard Healey, Kim Phan, Francesca Zak, Nyssa Sharp, Caitlin Shearer, Nick Mckinlay, Rosemary Lee, Samantha Gregory, Lisa Broms, Jeremy Plint, Daniel Bockanic and curated by Neva Hosking.”
Along with the works, a variety of plants and a collective zine will be available to purchase! Find more info here.
4. 4A Club Night (Sydney)
25th May, Dynasty Karaoke, 63 Dixon Rd, Haymarket
4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art is shattering art’s traditional confinements of the white walls and bringing it to where it belongs, the club! For one night only 4A sets to trick out Sydney landmark Dynasty Karaoke into one of the most unique experiences you’ll have this year:
“Curated by Mathew Spisbah and Rainbow Chan, Club 4A will host an evening of adventurous performance and audio visual art at Dynasty Karaoke, Chinatown. For the second event in this series, launched by 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art in 2018, we welcome the avant-garde club sounds of headlining Chinese artist Rui Ho”.
Don’t play yourself and make sure you get tickets before they sell out, find more info here!
5. Other Worlds Zine Fair (Sydney)
26th May, Marrickville Town Hall, 303 Marrickville Rd, Marrickville
Created originally in opposition to the MCA Zine Fair, the Other Worlds Zine Fair has blossomed into one of the most anticipated Aussie art events of the year:
“Other Worlds is back! Join us at Marrickville Town Hall on Sunday May 26th for Sydney’s biggest alternative zine fair!
Other Worlds was born out of the 2014 Biennale boycotts of Transfield (the service providers for Australia’s offshore immigration detention centres). Other Worlds has been collectively organized since 2014. We are a progressive organization that hopes to provide a space for marginalised voices. We acknowledge that Other Worlds takes place on the stolen lands of the Gadigal and Wangal people of the Darug nation.”
With a plethora of DIY goodies available from some of Australia’s most exciting artist and creators, how can you even think of giving this one a miss? If you need more convincing check out our MAD LOVE coverage from 2017!
Find more info here.
