Category: ART

A world first for art: Caldera Festival introduces world first custom immersive art festival

Caldera light

Caldera Festival is the activity that encourages the audience to actively engage with their environment from the moment they enter the event space. And it’s wild. Guided only by light and sound, visitors are invited to search for artworks, discoverable within the Caldera 360º digital playground. Chase each down in turn, click to open, and take charge of the camera angle to tailor your own art experience. Once discovered, each artwork can be visited over and again via an easily accessible menu, for a quick breath of creativity, and the opportunity to try out a new viewing perspective. The Caldera Festival’s been conceived, created and filmed especially for the 360-degree medium and the Caldera 360º performances and artworks are scattered across the site in such a way as to require members to immediately engage and play. Sign up now for the world-first Caldera 360º art experience at 360.caldera.sydney A once-off $10 fee includes unlimited access to the existing five artworks and is also an investment in the creation of future experiences, acting as a kind of crowdfunding to get a second round of content off the ground. For a limited time – until June 30, 2021, new subscribers can enter the promo code FIRE to access a 50% discount.

Get your art fix: the work of Yang Yongliang at Sullivan + Strumpf Sydney

Yang Yongliang art

Born in Shanghai in 1980, at the dawn of China’s open door economic policies, Yang Yongliang has, throughout his lifetime, witnessed the relentless transformation of his surroundings. Now an artist who channels traumatic erasure of his personal history. Decades ago, his own birthplace, an ancient water town with traditional houses, a famous pagoda, and old humpbacked stone bridges over quiet canals, was swallowed by the ever-expanding Shanghai suburbs. So much so that when he returned from university, almost everything he remembered had vanished. On and on, an unceasing expansion, bulldozers tearing up and destroying the landscape, ancient villages replaced by endless rows of high-rise apartment blocks lining eight lane highways. Very movingly, his work’s as if he is constantly revisiting the moment of shock, returning home to find no trace of the familiar. At once fascinated and appalled by this transformation, his work is a lament for all that has been lost, and a warning for the future. And now you can see it digitally courtesy of Sydney’s Sullivan + Strumpf gallery in Zetland

Cinderella on stage is coming to Sydney!

Santino Fontana and Laura Osnes Original Broadway Production of CINDERELLA (c) Carol Rosegg

Opera Australia and the Gordon Frost Organisation are teaming up to bring us the Rogers & Hammerstein masterpiece Cinderella on stage in Sydney this year. Continuing their wildly successful collaboration of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s timeless musicals, most recently The King and I, Opera Australia and The Gordon Frost Organisation are uniting again to produce the Tony® Award-winning Broadway production for the first time in Australia, with support from the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency Destination NSW. One of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s most popular titles, Cinderella was written for television, debuting in 1957 starring Julie Andrews, who was nominated for an Emmy Award for her performance. More than 100 million viewers saw the broadcast, more people than any other program in the history of television at the time. Cinderella was re-made for television in 1965 starring Lesley Ann Warren in the title role, Ginger Rogers and Walter Pidgeon as the King and Queen, and Celeste Holm as the Fairy Godmother. A further television remake followed in 1997 with Brandy as Cinderella, Whitney Houston as the Fairy Godmother, Bernadette Peters as the Stepmother, Whoopi Goldberg as the Queen and Jason Alexander as Lionel. And now, it’s on stage in our fair Sydney with tickets on sale on 30 April, with pre-sales from 26 April – join the waitlist now at cinderellamusical.com.au.

Victoria and Albert Museum London’s got an exhibition of Fabergé eggs and more

Faberge 1

Opening this November, the V&A announces Fabergé in London: Romance to Revolution, the first major exhibition devoted to the international prominence of the legendary Russian goldsmith and the importance of his little-known London branch: Fabergé in London: Romance to Revolution Gallery 39 and North Court 20 November 2021 – 8 May 2022  With a focus on Fabergé’s Edwardian high society clientele, the exhibition will shine a light on his triumphs in Britain as well as a global fascination with the joyful opulence of his creations. Three of his legendary Imperial Easter Eggs will go on display for the first time in the UK as part of the exhibition’s dramatic finalé. Who or what is Feberge? Carl Fabergé is the man which is now synonymous with his internationally recognised firm that symbolised Russian craftsmanship and elegance – an association further strengthened by its connection to the romance, glamour and tragedy of the Russian Imperial family. Highlights to see: A miniature of the Imperial Regalia, lent by the Hermitage Museum, made for the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle will capture Carl Fabergé’s role as official goldsmith to the Imperial family a figurine portrait taken from life of the private bodyguard of the Dowager Empress will be on display – a sculpture on a level of rarity with the Imperial Easter eggs A prayer book gifted by Emperor Nicholas II to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna on his Coronation Day will also sit alongside early photography of the Imperial family with their prized possessions, and more! For more information and to book your visit, head to… Read More

Life drawing art classes at the Sydney Opera House

Opera-Australia-Tosca-life-drawing

Forget hundreds-year old operatic productions on the Joan Sutherland Theatre stage in the Sydney Opera House: this month it’s all about art. A one-time-only event on 12 March, the most beautiful set in Australian musical production, the first act scenery for John Bell’s acclaimed production of Tosca, will open to the public for the first time ever for a one-off life drawing class. Teaming up with Darlinghurst Life Drawing, Opera Australia is offering budding artists the opportunity to attend a two-hour drawing class, located right on the set of Tosca in the Sydney Opera House. Designed by Michael Scott-Mitchell, Act l of Tosca is a spectacular reproduction of Rome’s stunning Sant’Andrea della Valle church. So warm up those fingers, get those creative juices flowing and prepare for one of life’s once-off experiences like never before. For more info and to book, go to the Opera Australia website. Time: 7:00-9:00pm Cost: $125 + booking fee

Perrier collaborates with renowned Japanese artist and filmmaker Takashi Murakami

murakami

The latest artist to restyle the recognisable Perrier bottle is renowned Japanese artist Takashi Murakami. Incorporating his famous flowers and characters Kaikai and Kiki, the original range of bottles will be made available through select retailers and two highly collectible Limited Edition Perrier screen-printed glass bottles will be available to win through competitions.  The Perrier x Murakami collaboration continues the long-standing creative relationship between Perrier and some of the world’s greatest and respected artists, including Andy Warhol, Salvador Dalí, Bernard Villemot, Raymond Savignac, Carlu, and Jean-Gabriel Domergue. Murakami is considered one of the most important Japanese artists of our generation. Drawing from traditional Japanese painting, sci-fi, anime, and the global art market, Murakami creates paintings, sculptures, and films populated by repeated motifs and mutating characters of his own creation. His wide-ranging work embodies an intersection of pop culture, history, and fine art. He also has a history of collaborating with major brands such as Louis Vuitton, Supreme, Vogue Nippon & Commes des Garcons, Google, KAWS, Vans, UNIQLO and PANGAIA.  Murakami says, “When Perrier first approached me I felt extremely lucky to have the opportunity to collaborate with this sparkling water brand with such a long history. It held many positive associations for me. For example, when I was 32 and started living in New York, I used to drink Perrier a lot.” “I also wonder if today, when we can no longer unthinkingly hug, kiss, or shake hands, the stimulating sensation of the Perrier bubbles on our tongues will be even more heightened as one… Read More

Melbourne: the NGV Triennial EXTRA festival returns

NGV Triennial 1

Art lovers rejoice! The National Gallery of Victoria’s Triennial EXTRA, its free late-night festival, returns in 2021 featuring a program stacked with live performances, DJs, dan ce, food, pop-up bars and after-hours access to the NGV Triennial exhibition, launching Friday 15 January and running nightly until 14 February. Here are some highlights to add to the diary. AS SHE FLOATS BY SCOTTY SO – Tue-Sun, 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm – Exhibiting NGV Triennial artist Scotty So appears across the Ground Level of NGV International silently lip syncing a Chinese Opera inspired by the myth of the Chinese moon goddess Chang’e. Dressed in a holographic Tang dynasty style Hanfu robe with hair and makeup styled after the traditional images of the moon goddess, So performs as an offering to the spirits of the space. SCARLETT NIGHT BY SCOTTY SO –Tue-Sun, 8:30 pm – 9:00 pm – Scarlett So Hung So, artist Scotty So’s drag persona, takes visitors on a journey through time in Adam Nathaniel Furman and Sibling Architecture’s NGV Triennial installation Boudoir Babylon 2020, paying homage to Japanese actress and singer Yoshiko Yamaguchi, 60s songstress Rebecca Pan, Greek diva Maria Callas and Australia’s queen of pop Kylie Minogue. OPENING WEEKEND DJS – 15, 16 & 17 Jan, 6.00 pm – 9.00 pm – Setting the scene on the Forecourt and in the Garden, local DJs performing during EXTRA’s opening weekend include emerging talent Millú; local nightlife mainstay Andee Frost; disco, funk and electronic specialist Edd Fisher; and multifaceted classical house DJ and curator Merve. JEFF KOONS ON ICE BY HAMISH MCINTOSH – Mon, Wed & Fri, 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm & 7.00… Read More

Masterpieces from Buckingham Palace: the December exhibition you need to see

Masterpieces from Buckingham Palace

This December, the Queen’s Gallery at the inner sanctum of Buckingham Palace is opening its post-Corona doors again, putting on a show that is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience Her Majesty’s collection. Bringing together 65 of the most spectacular paintings in the Royal Collection, which usually hang in the Picture Gallery, one of the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace, guests will view paintings widely acknowledged to be among the highlights of the Royal Collection, including spectacular works by Titian, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Van Dyck and Canaletto. The exhibition has been made possible by the removal of the paintings from the Picture Gallery to allow for essential works to take place as part of the Buckingham Palace Reservicing Programme. These works will include the replacement of electrics and pipework, some of which has not been updated since the 1940s. A team of art handlers and conservators have spent four weeks carefully emptying the Picture Gallery of paintings and decorative arts from the Royal Collection. Old Master paintings have hung in the room since it was first created for George IV in the 1820s. While the display of paintings is occasionally refreshed, the Picture Gallery has not been entirely emptied of its contents since it was last redecorated in 1976.  For more, to book a visit and explore more, visit the Royal Collection Trust’s website.

Guggenheim Bilbao: See Kandinsky until May 2021

Kadinsky

Got the travel bug and feeling inspired by the creative? Then, it’s worth knowing the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao presents Kandinsky, a comprehensive exhibition of paintings and works on paper of artist Vasily Kandinsky (b. 1866, Moscow; d. 1944, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France) drawn primarily from the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation’s rich holdings.  The exhibition traces the aesthetic evolution of a pioneer of abstraction, a renowned aesthetic theorist, and one of the foremost artistic innovators of the early twentieth century. In his endeavor to free painting from its ties to the natural world, Kandinsky discovered a new subject matter based solely on the artist’s “inner necessity” that would remain his lifelong concern. See the whole exhibition in 33 minutes here!

Am I art? I don’t know: see inside the latest works by Queensland artist Michael Zavros

Sydney art gallery, Sullivan+Strumpf in Zetland have partnered with Michael Zavros to present something truly unique. A  Guy Like Me is the latest body of work by Zavros, opening Thursday 15 October until 14 November.  Best known for his beautifully realised award-winning paintings, this upcoming exhibition marks a detour into new and exciting territory, in which Michael introduces us to his avatar: a plastic mannequin modelled on himself but better –  6 foot 3, broader, more cut, a bit younger and a whole lot smoother.  This fascinating creature, which Zavros refers to as “Dad” may also be a better human being, as the artist ponders the improvements that are possible in constructing art to imitate (and enhance) his very life itself.   Captured in a series of sumptuously styled large-scale magazine-style photographs, Dad is perfectly at home stepping into Michael’s designer shoes. Head to the Sullivan+Strumpf website for more.