London: Artemisia Gentileschi is coming to the National Gallery this April
The art of Artemisia is coming to London.
FOOD & DRINK, ARTS & CULTURE, LIFE & TRAVEL
Category: ARTS & CULTURE
The best French music festival, So Frenchy So Chic, coming to London
Australia’s home-grown French pop festival So Frenchy So Chic will travel to London for the first time next year, bringing the best of French vocals to France’s neighbour. The inaugural So Frenchy So Chic London will take place on 5 September 2020 in the exquisite grounds of the World Heritage-listed Old Royal Naval College at Greenwich. So Frenchy So Chic is the only festival dedicated to French music outside French-speaking countries. It started in Melbourne Australia, moved to Sydney and the festival that has hosted such vocal stunners as Camille – who headlined January’s all-female line-up – Émilie Simon, Moriarty, Lou Doillon, Féfé, The Dø, and Yelle, the festival’s heading home. For more and to get your tickets, go to the website.
The 2020 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras theme and program has been revealed and it’s magical
What Matters has been revealed as the theme for the 2020 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and it promises to be bigger and bolder than ever. The theme builds on the legacy of Mardi Gras – a platform for activism, encouraging the community to think about creating a more inclusive future. “This year we celebrate those at the forefront of the fight for equality. From ground-breaking queer artists to trailblazing thought leaders, Mardi Gras 2020 is an opportunity to visit the next destinations on our journey of diversity, inclusion and social justice,” says Mardi Gras Arts Interim CEO, Grant Lowe. Mark it on your calendars! Friday 14 February 2020 is when the festivities kick off, with a diverse program of events running until Sunday 1 March 2020. They’ll be dazzling dance parties, top-tier theatre, music, world-class workshops and family-focused fun, with the iconic Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade taking place on Saturday 29 February, 2020. The post-Mardi Gras Parade celebrations will continue with the iconic Mardi Gras Party happening at the Hordern Pavilion with the electrifying Dua Lipa headlining. The pavillion and its surrounding areas will be transformed into a brand-new adult playland with the party starting at 11pm – 8am. Fourth release tickets are on sale now. There’s a supersized program on offer including the pre-eminent vogue ball, Sissy Ball and iconic festival classics such as Fair Day and Laneway, the traditional closing event of Mardi Gras. There’s no shortage of thought-provoking workshops and community events, with Queer Thinking taking over… Read More
The Australian Brandenburg Orchestra is back with Vivaldi’s Four Seasons
Let the fabulous Australian Brandenburg Orchestra transport you to the Italian countryside for a few hours with Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons concert series commencing 1 November through to 15 November. With nine performances in total, six will be located at City Recital Hall, Sydney, two in Melbourne at Elisabeth Murdoch Hall and one performance at Parramatta Riverside Theatres, Sydney. The two-hour program includes Telemann Concerto for 4 violins in G major; Telemann Ouverture-Suite in C major, Water Music and Vivaldi’s magical, The Four Seasons. Vivaldi’s extraordinary four violin concertos were composed in the baroque period and depict the seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter. Each concerto has three movements, fast-slow-fast. The Brandenburg Orchestra – one of Australia’s favourite period instrument ensembles – will perform under the direction of the brilliant Artistic Director, Paul Dyer. Dyer co-founded the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra 30 years ago and has taken the orchestra from strength to strength. You can’t help but admire Dyer’s love and passion for his work and the orchestra, which is clearly evident when watching him perform on stage, smiling from ear to ear, as he plays along with the rest of the orchestra on his harpsichord. Concertmaster and Baroque violin soloist, Shaun Lee-Chen delights the audience with an unforgettable performance of one of Vivaldi’s most well-known pieces. Even those among us who aren’t staunch classical fans will enjoy The Four Seasons, a piece that has the ability to appeal and speak to a wide audience. With Christmas just around the corner, it’s also timely to… Read More
Sydney theatre review: Billy Elliot is in town
Dust off the tutu and slide on your tap shoes because Billy Elliot is back in town. Based on the movie of the same name which was released back in 2000, Billy Elliot the Musical is a celebration of dance, infused with comedy, drama and inspiring music by Elton John. Originally premiering in London’s West End in 2005, the musical first toured Australia in 2007 for two years. After a 10 year absence, the production is back in Australia, playing at the Sydney Lyric Theatre until December 15, 2019. It then plays at the Festival Theatre in Adelaide from December 2019, the Regent Theatre in Melbourne from February 2020, the Crown Theatre in Perth from June 2020 and QPAC’s Lyric Theatre in Brisbane from July 2020. The show opens by taking the audience back to 1984, to a small coal-mining village in Northern England just as the coal miners’ strike is unfolding under the Thatcher government. Billy’s mother is no longer with us, so Billy is being brought up by Jackie, his working class father who is a coal miner (played by Justin Smith) and Billy’s grandmother (played by Vivien Davies). The role of Billy Elliot is being shared by four young talented actors – Omar Abiad, River Mardesic, Wade Neilsen and Jamie Rogers. Also appearing in the cast is respected Australian actor Robert Grubb, who plays Billy’s hilarious boxing coach, George. We follow Billy on his life journey during some of Britain’s most turbulent times as it takes him out of the boxing ring… Read More
Buying art is possible – London’s Affordable Art Fair is in town
Walking around some of London’s most renowned galleries like the National Gallery, V&A or Somerset House, it’s easy to convince yourself you’ll never own anything nice for your own walls. Until, you stumble across quaint little (read: massive) art fairs like the Affordable Art Fair, that travels around the UK, and your thinking’s shifted. The Affordable Art Fair has revolutionised and democratised the art market with its fun and accessible approach, bringing art under £6,000 to its three UK locations: Battersea Park, Hampstead Heath, and Bristol, as well as an online shop. In fact, it was the Fair’s 20th birthday in early August 2019 and it doesn’t look like it’s slowing down. Every fair offers something different, with a diverse range of local, national and international galleries showcasing art in an array of styles. Pieces by household names sit alongside the latest emerging talent. The concept has become a global phenomenon with 14 fairs in 11 cities across several continents. There’s a Fair on in Battersea from 17-20 October.
Raphael is coming to the National Gallery London
From 3 October 2020 to 24 January 2021, the National Gallery London will host the work of Raphael. He was a painter, draughtsman, architect, archaeologist, and poet who captured in his art the human and the divine, love, friendship, learning, and power, who gave us quintessential images of community and civilisation: Raphael’s life was short, his work prolific, and his legacy immortal. In the year that marks the 500th anniversary of Raphael’s death, the National Gallery will present one of the first-ever exhibitions to explore the complete career of this giant of the Italian Renaissance. In his brief career, spanning just two decades, Raffaello Santi (1483–1520) shaped the course of Western culture like few artists before or since. This exhibition will examine not just his celebrated paintings and drawings – but also his not so widely known work in architecture, archaeology, poetry, and design for sculpture, tapestry, prints, and the applied arts. The aim is to do something no previous Raphael exhibition has ever done – explore every aspect of his multimedia activity and in 2020, the Gallery will do just that. Find out more at the National Gallery’s website.
V&A Museum London: Guo Pei presents first runway show in the UK
First things first: Who’s Guo Pei? Remember the yellow gown that Rhianna wore on the red carpet of the Met Gala in 2015? She made that. And many other haute couture pieces as part of her work as China’s largest named couturier in the 21st century. She’s a big deal. And now, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London is hosting a landmark presentation by her, showcasing looks from her AW 2019/20 Alternate Universe Couture collection inside the museum’s iconic Raphael Gallery on Friday 1 November 2019. It’s all part of Fashion in Motion: V&A’s key fashion event enabling anyone to take a seat on the front row. It provides a platform for both established and up-and-coming designers, and presents – as part of its regular series – free-to-attend runway shows for the public. Its previously featured Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood and Yohji Yamamoto and other large names. “I am very pleased to be the featured designer of V&A’s Fashion in Motion 20th anniversary show. This will also be my first-ever show in the United Kingdom. The V&A is an historic platform, preserving and celebrating art and design in many forms, from many cultures and very often spanning many centuries. I feel fortunate to be included onto V&A’s platform and very much looking forward to the collaboration,” said Guo. Guo Pei has established herself as one of the most inventive designers working today. Showcasing the finest of traditional Chinese craftsmanship while incorporating contemporary innovation, her designs take inspiration from myths, legends, religious, architecture, and her… Read More
An interior designer’s dream: I-MADE at the Saatchi Gallery London
By many schools of thought, London’s the creative capital of the world. So, the Saatchi Gallery has brought many of the top designers and creatives in the world of interior design from Italy within its walls to celebrate I-MADE, London’s design exhibition; a first for the gallery. Designed by Guilio Cappellini the exhibition will not only present Italian innovation and craftsmanship but draw on the passion and traditions of iconic Italian brands and designers that are shaping the industry today. The whole exhibition has brought together over 50 exhibitors from all corners of Italy; from some of the most influential names in the world of design to emerging artisans. Each will display their works like pieces of art across the wondrous Saatchi Gallery during the annual London Design Festival. Check some out here or at the I-MADE website. On from 19-22 September.
Sydney Dance Company’s 2020 season: What it’s all about
Sure, it’s been 50 years of Sydneyside choreographic magic at the hands of Rafael Bonachela, but this forthcoming 2020 season is the last in a long line of awesomeness that takes them into the new decade. Next year, the Company’s exploring the thrill of pushing boundaries, both on stage and what they can do with the power of it, by partnering with other choreographers. The likes of William Forsythe and Bryce Dessner and Melanie Lane will join the resident director, Bonachela on an array of works, archival and new. Works along the lines of WOOF by Lane and ab [intra] by Bonachela will be presented as part of the lead-in to the next fifty years of dance magic at the hands of the Sydney Dance Company. As Bonachela says, “I look at 2020 as the start of the next 50 years for Sydney Dance Company. The year ahead is filled with national and international touring and it is always a great pleasure and privilege to share the performances of the extraordinary dancers of the company.” Keep your eyes on the Sydney Dance Company website for works coming up and how to get tickets.