FOOD & DRINK

Discover the home of Australian whisky at Starward’s new distillery and bar precinct

16/04/2024

After winning 24 Double Gold medals in 2 years, Starward goes even bigger with its recent unveiling of a brand-new distillery tour and bar experience.

Adelaide Hills wineries worth a visit

12/04/2024

By James Banham

Renowned for its cool climate, this picturesque locale offers an ideal terroir for producing some of the most exquisite wines known to connoisseurs and casual enthusiasts alike.

A unique fusion of whiskey and art in Sydney

12/04/2024

By James Banham

The ‘Glenfiddich x Jordan Gogos Pop-Up Bar’, is an initiative set to enchant Sydneysiders from 17th April to 8th May, 2024.

Ruben’s Deli does good food in Melbourne’s Armadale

12/04/2024

By James Banham

What really sets this Melbourne gem apart isn’t just its delectable sandwiches; it’s the incredible catering service spearheaded by owner Amanda Ruben, that’s capturing the hearts of food lovers across the city.

Sweet Greek Delights in Melbourne

12/04/2024

By James Banham

Sweet Greek is offering the same beloved seasonal dishes with a fresh new look that promises to elevate your dining experience to new heights.

Tag: melbourne art

Unlocking the Beauty in Grey: Eser Gündüz’s New Exhibition

by THE F

Updated: 12/02/2024

Eser Gündüz, the Turkish contemporary expressionist artist, is set to captivate art enthusiasts once again with his upcoming exhibition titled ‘This is a Grey World, Nothing Good Happens Here’. The showcase, running from 16th to 28th February, is a profound exploration of the relationship between nature and urban life, challenging the conventional perception of the color grey and inviting viewers to uncover the hidden beauty within. Through 17 new works, Gündüz seeks to redefine the notion that the world is dull, desolate, and monotonous. The color grey, often associated with negative connotations in modern society, becomes a canvas for the artist to convey a powerful message of hope and beauty. Drawing inspiration from his recent move from urban Provence to rural France, Gündüz introduces a muted color palette that deftly captures the coexistence of nature and urban life. In a departure from his previous vibrant creations, the artist’s latest pieces reveal an innovative technical element, incorporating electronic components that illuminate his signature resin frames. This serves as a symbolic representation of the illumination of darkness, urging viewers not to be deceived by the mundane, but to seek out the hidden beauty that lies within. Gündüz’s journey to uncover the beauty in grey has been profoundly influenced by his newfound connection to nature. By witnessing its constant renewal despite human impact, he has embraced a new aesthetic that celebrates the harmony between the natural world and industrial elements. His works feature striking depictions of nuclear reactors and factory chimneys, emphasizing the inherent beauty that exists within… Read More

Category: LIFESTYLE, ART, ARTS & CULTURE

Tags: art, Art blog, Beauty in grey, best art, eser gunduz, melbourne art, what to see

Melbourne Design Fair 2023 launches at Melbourne

by James Banham

Posted: 20/05/2023

Design enthusiasts in Melbourne are in for a treat, as the annual Melbourne Design Fair has launched at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) and will run until May 21. This year’s event is set to be bigger and better than ever before, featuring the work of more than 150 designers across 60+ presentations from all Australian states and territories. Visitors will have the chance to view and purchase one-of-a-kind, limited edition, and small batch design production, including furniture, lighting, and contemporary jewelry. The fair showcases some of the most cutting-edge designs from established and emerging designers, providing an impressive range of designs that appeal to both collectors and the general public alike. The Melbourne Design Fair features several feature group presentations, including Agency, ALM, Australian Tapestry Workshop, Craft Victoria, C. Gallery, Leonard Joel, MARS Gallery, Modern Times, OIGALL PROJECTS, Origine, Sophie Gannon Gallery, Stanley Street Gallery, Broached Commissions, and Sullivan+Strumpf, among others. Visitors can expect to see a wide range of exciting and innovative designs from these groups. One of the highlights of this year’s Melbourne Design Fair is the new section dedicated to contemporary jewelry presentations. The fair also includes an NGV-curated exhibition, FOCUS, which brings attention to the work of five accomplished Australian female designers and makers. Visitors will have the opportunity to learn about their creative processes and inspirations. In addition to the exhibitions, the TALKS series, presented by Major Partner Mercedes-Benz, offers visitors the opportunity to gain a deeper appreciation of the culture of collectible design while learning how… Read More

Category: LIFESTYLE, ART, ARTS & CULTURE, CITIES, MELBOURNE

Tags: melbourne art, melbourne design, Melbourne Design Fair, national gallery of victoria, ngv

Melbourne’s Affordable Art Fair is back this September

View from up top 2 inc Art to Art and Fenton and Fenton

by James Banham

Updated: 19/08/2022

Returning to Melbourne this September 2022, Uniting trusted galleries with avid aesthetes, the famed Affordable Art Fair aims to help people discover new artists and galleries and demystify the conventional art buying experience with highly visible and relatively affordable pricing. For a few days this September (1-4), the Fair will collate myriad art forms including painting, sculpture, photography and limited-edition prints. With something to suit all budgets, prices will start from $100 and cap at $10,000. Similar to the Affordable Art Fair of 2021, buyer’s will walk away with select pieces or arrange for delivery of larger or bulkier buys for their homes, places of work and collections. Exhibiting galleries include the coveted Martinich&Carran on Victoria’s Surf Coast, Prahran’s Fenton & Fenton, Studio Gallery founded by Melbourne artist Kerry Armstrong, and all-female collective, Tits & Co. Leading Australian online gallery Bluethumb will return for its second year with M Artist Collective making its Fair debut alongside JUMBLED and BlackCat Gallery. London’s Rebecca Hossack Gallery (RHG) headlines the list of international galleries with The Gallery Eumundi travelling from Queensland. The full list of exhibiting galleries can be viewed on the Affordable Art Fair website.

Category: ART, ARTS & CULTURE, CITIES, LIFESTYLE, MELBOURNE

Tags: Affordable Art, Affordable Art Fair, Art Fair Melbourne, Australian art, Best places to buy art Australia, Melbourne Affordable Art Fair, melbourne art

What to see at the NGV: Summer exhibitions of Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat

by James Banham

Updated: 19/04/2019

From 1 December, the National Gallery of Victoria will have two of the most influential artists of the 20th century on show. Until 13 April 2020 and exclusive to Melbourne, the NGV will present more than 300 works in an exhibition that will offer new insights into Haring and Basquiat’s unique visual languages and the many intersections between their lives, practices and ideas. This of course off the back of the NGV’s winter Friday Night Series, which in 2019 stars a tonne of leading and emerging singers and performers, really rounding out what the Gallery has to offer. Oh, and plenty of dumplings, courtesy of Hutong Dumpling Bar. “We felt there’s been enough time to pause and reflect on just how powerful their (Haring and Basquiat’s) aesthetic has become worldwide, particularly in Melbourne, which is famed for its street art scene,” said Tony Elwood, director of the NGV. The Gallery is known for their leading and renowned exhibits, which this year and to round-out summer, will highlight the artists’ idiosyncratic imagery, radical ideas and complex socio-political commentary that changed the art world of the 1980s. See more about the exhibitions on now and in summer at the NGV at the Gallery’s website.

Category: ART, ARTS & CULTURE, CITIES, LIFESTYLE, MELBOURNE

Tags: Jean-Michael Basquiat, Kit Haring, melbourne art, Melbourne NGV, national gallery victoria, National Gallery Victoria Melbourne, ngv, NGV exhibitions, ngv melbourne, NGV summer, NGV Tony Elwood, Summer art

ARTS & CULTURE

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Shooshfest: Australia’s first ever silent short film competition

17/04/2024

By James Banham

The Resurrected Art of Silence: Shooshfest—Australia’s First Silent Film Festival In a bold leap for Australian cinema, the inaugural Shooshfest promises not only to showcase art in film but also to redefine what it means to tell a story without words. The brainchild of a trio of avid cinephiles, Rebecca Zemunik, Daniel New, and Maddison Costello, Shooshfest stakes its claim as Australia’s first-ever silent short film competition. Unlike traditional film festivals, this groundbreaking event invites creators from all walks of life—beyond just filmmakers— to weave cinematic magic without uttering a single word. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Shoosh Fest (@shooshfest) The Silent Era Redefined Far from the silent film era of the past, where the medium was defined by technological limitations, Shooshfest asks participants to engage with silence as a narrative choice and a powerful tool for emotion. Through the absence of spoken words, this silent film festival beckons creators to rediscover the raw and visceral storytelling methods of the 1920s mavericks who defied the standards of their time. The festival’s vision is clear: to inspire and challenge modern filmmakers and non-filmmakers alike to innovate and connect on a deep, emotive level with audiences using the silent canvas. Innovation in the realm of storytelling is at the core of Shooshfest, with a clear goal to bridge past traditions with contemporary creativity. A Silent Revolution in Australia’s Film Scene Set in the heart of Sydney, Shooshfest aims to celebrate the very essence of cinematic storytelling. On the hallowed stage of the historic… Read More

4 reasons to get excited for ‘Frontiers: Choreographers of Canada’s at Sadler’s Wells

11/04/2024

By James Banham

This exceptional triple bill showcases the extraordinary talents of three distinguished Canadian choreographers: Crystal Pite, Emma Portner, and James Kudelka, promising an unforgettable journey through the world of contemporary ballet.

New gallery in Sydney: A Secondary Eye opens

05/04/2024

By James Banham

Sydney, Australia is set to welcome a profound addition to its art scene as A Secondary Eye announces the launch of a new gallery space nestled in the arts district of Woollahra. Opening its doors on Friday, 3 May 2024, this new venture promises a fresh perspective on Australian Indigenous and contemporary art. Founded in 2020 by Jesse-Jack De Deyne, a seasoned specialist in the secondary market for Australian Indigenous art, and Boris Cornelissen, formerly of Sotheby’s London and Hong Kong, A Secondary Eye has quickly established itself as a key player in the art world. Their focus on developing the secondary market for art and collectibles in Australia has led to the exhibition and sale of works by prominent artists like Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Sidney Nolan, and Fred Williams, among others. The gallery’s efforts have not gone unnoticed, with several pieces entering the collections of Australia’s most prestigious art institutions. Strategically located in Queen Street, a spot historically linked with the crème de la crème of secondary market art dealers, the new gallery is poised to continue its tradition of excellence. The inaugural exhibition will shine a spotlight on Rover Thomas, a luminary and trailblazer in the Australian art landscape. Known for his significant influence on the East Kimberley school of painting, Thomas’s works are lauded for their modernist abstraction and profound connection to ancestral land and Indigenous life. The exhibition, titled “Rover: Master of the Kimberley”, marks the first solo presentation of Thomas’s work in Sydney in nearly two decades. It will showcase… Read More

Momentous moment in art at National Gallery London

05/04/2024

By James Banham

In 2025, the art world will witness a remarkable event at the National Gallery as “Siena: The Rise of Painting 1300?1350” opens its doors in spring, marking the 200th anniversary of the institution. This exhibition promises an unprecedented reunion of paintings by some of the most celebrated Italian artists of the 14th century, artworks that have been scattered across the globe for centuries. Highlighting this unique collection are masterpieces in gold ground, many originally part of larger compositions, offering visitors an opportunity to experience the innovative spirit of Western painting tradition from this era. The spotlight of the exhibition is the coming together of several panels from the revolutionary double-sided altarpiece, the Maestà, painted by Duccio di Buoninsegna for the cathedral in Siena. Recognized as the first double-sided altarpiece in Western art, this narrative shift in art will be showcased along with other significant pieces from the ensemble. Notably, the National Gallery’s panels from the Maestà will be reunited with works like “Christ and the Woman of Samaria” from the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid, and “The Calling of the Apostles Peter and Andrew” from the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC. Another focal point is the reunion of the Orsini Polyptych by Simone Martini, a folding piece created for private devotion, likely for Cardinal Napoleone Orsini. Dispersed between prestigious institutions – the Louvre in Paris, the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp, and the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin – the exhibition will bring together all six panels for a rare presentation. Besides these reunifications, the exhibition… Read More

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Carmen is coming to Sadler’s Wells in London

04/04/2024

By James Banham

In an event that harmoniously blends tradition with contemporary flair, Sadler’s Wells Theatre unfolds its red carpet for Acosta Danza, as they present the UK premiere of Carlos Acosta’s version of Carmen from the 2nd to the 6th of July, 2024. This adaptation by the dance legend Carlos Acosta gives a new lease of life to Georges Bizet’s opera, stirring the soul nearly two centuries after Prosper Mérimée penned the original story. Carlos Acosta himself steps onto the stage, not just as a creator but as a performer, embodying ‘The Bull’ – a symbol of fate and destiny. This role, specially crafted by Acosta, emerges from his deep-seated desire to encapsulate the essence of the narrative while marking his departure from the Royal Ballet. His rendition of Carmen holds onto the timeless and universal appeal of the tale yet introduces a fresh perspective by minimising the setting to its core elements. Joining forces with Acosta Danza are Principal dancers Laura Rodriguez, Enrique Corrales, and Alejandro Silva, alongside guest stars from the Birmingham Royal Ballet – Yaoqian Shang, Javier Rojas, and Lachlan Monaghan, who will portray Carmen, Don José, and Escamillo, respectively. This cast embodies the spirit of the characters they portray, bringing to life the tragic tale of love, passion, and jealousy. Carmen’s story has always captivated the imagination of many, attracting a variety of choreographers such as Marius Petipa and Roland Petit to its fiery core. The opera’s enchanting melodies like the ‘Toreador Song’ and ‘Habanera’ continue to resonate, underscoring the opera’s enduring popularity… Read More