New kind of Sri-Lankan Australian art in Sydney
There’s a Sri-Lankan Australian artist, Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran, who’s putting on an art show entitled The Self Portrait and the Masks. And you need to see it in Sydney.
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Tag: Arts blog
LONDON: Frantic Assembly celebrates turning 25 with a year of projects
They’ve just been announced as one of this year’s partners for the fifth running of the National Theatre’s River Stage, but that’s not all Frantic Assembly have up their sleeve in 2019. They’re a theatre company, known for their fearlessness and ambition; a set of skills that has them game enough to announce a years’ worth of work for them to look forward to. And that’s just the start. They’ve got a new website coming in July, heading theatre arena at Latitude Festival with a new show, Sometimes Thinking – celebration of the hours invested in daydreaming and fantasising about the people we could have been, the things we should have said, and who we might yet become – which will be performed at Latitude, 19-20 July. Not to mention, thought the full line up of what’s on offer for River Stage is yet to be announced, it’ll include a combo of works like Sometimes Thinking, the Frantic Megamix (a performance celebrating 25 years of Frantic Assembly) a movement demonstration from A Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Frantic Family workshops, a return of the Fatherland Chorus of Others and special performances from our Ignition Graduates such as DJ sets from Lewis Griffiths and Stefan Janik. Oh, and they’ve also formed a new creative think-tank, The Assembly, consisting of an evolving group of artists, creative practitioners and advisors invited by the Artistic Director, who will meet quarterly to discuss the vision and ambition of the company. For more on what’s to come from… Read More
The Art of Persuasion at the National Army Museum, London
Abram Games was one clever dude. Talk about a guy that knew the medium, smashed the message and did so with creative, desirable, artistic flair that very few possess. There’s a brand new exhibition of him and the artwork and posters he created while he was a poster artist for the Public Relations Department at the War Office from 1941 until 1945, and it’s seriously good. Thing art deco-like posters done with taste, muted 40s/50s colour palettes and messages delivered so effortlessly, they’re hard to forget despite their nowadays irrelevant message. He was the father of wartime graphic designers and just a straight-up genius. It’s a must-see exhibition – and the National Army Museum in general, as well – that will reinvigorate your appreciation of what a horrid time WWI and II were. At a time of immense social unrest, after the ‘war to end all wars’ had left hundreds of thousands of veterans and civilians on the poverty line, the country was to embark on a second world war with National Service an unthinkable necessity. Games made the message the hero and turned some small part of it around as best he could. See the exhibition at the National Army Museum London until 24 November 2019. Head to National Army Museum,Royal Hospital Road, Chelsea, London SW3 4HT.
Something new on Sydney Harbour: West Side Story by Opera Australia
It’s not often Opera Australia strays from the respite of centuries-old, well-loved scores by the likes of Puccini, Bizet and Verdi to try something more contemporary. But the latest production of West Side Story by Opera Australia that headlines this year’s annual Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour does just that, and has done so well. Complete with mid-way surprise fireworks as is now customary by the production company, and a range of 40-strong cast that can easily blur the lines between opera singer, dancer and actor, it’s a remade musical that pays homage to the original, the book and the tale; just makes it better. Directed by Jerome Robbins, the entire production of West Side Story is a shining testament to the classic story that’s given us some of the world’s most memorable show tunes. They were all there in the script. Think Maria, Tonight, America and Gee Officer Krupke to name a few. All of them just as hilarious as they are telling in the play about the horror to come. With OA names like Julie Lea Goodwin and Alexander Lewis as Maria and Tony; Mark Hill and Waldemar Quinones-Villanueva as Riff and Bernardo and Karli Dinardo as Anita, the musical adaptation is done wonders as the story of race hatred and a blossoming romance unfolds to the backdrop of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge. Opera Australia’s artistic director, Lyndon Terracini has been wanting to produce West Side Story on the HOSH stage for years. Something about the backdrop and the… Read More
Winners of the 2018 Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards are announced
One of the richest and most coveted awards in the performing arts in Australia, the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards winners have been announced and the results are tremendous. The winners of the prestigious Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards were announced by Ian Scobie AM, Director, Art Projects Australia at the Adelaide Festival on 4 March, and are: Bleach Festival (Qld) – Group Award Genevieve Lacy (Melb) – Individual Award Annette Downs (Tas), Facilitator’s Prize. What the prizes are about Group Award ($90,000) – Bleach Festival, Gold Coast Bleach Festival has transformed the arts on the Gold Coast. It has made a major contribution to the performing arts in Australia by filling a critical void in the nation’s sixth largest City. Through Bleach, the Gold Coast now has a growing sector of artists who are inspired to make distinctive, daring and unique art that crosses form and responds to unique Australian landscapes. Bleach in its short history is one of Australia’s leading and most exciting site-specific contemporary arts programs and has attracted close to 1 million people since inception. ‘Winning this Award is one of the most exciting rewards of recognition we have ever received for the Bleach Festival. The Board and team are thrilled to be acknowledged nationally for the work that we have done here on the Gold Coast. This is such a prestigious Award to win and this will enable us to be even more ambitious and adventurous in the new work we make with local artists. This is a real game changer for the Gold… Read More