art « james o'brien

Tagged: art RSS

James 9:23 pm on October 25, 2009 Permalink | Reply
Tags: art, sydney (67)

Rainy Sunday

A view from Drummoyne on a wet day in Sydney.

It rained again today in Sydney.

Rain is something we don’t cope with all that well, as it usually happens so infrequently.

But when it rains, it rains heavily.

So despite the stereotypes about Melbourne’s appalling weather, Sydney’s annual average rainfall is almost twice that of Melbourne. In Melbourne they have a lot of rain regularly – okay, maybe not so regularly since the drought – whereas in Sydney, we have lots of sunny days, but heavier rain when it does fall.

And in Sydney, we don’t cope very well.

As I travelled to Drummoyne today, the gutters were overflowing, there was some flooding on both the Anzac Bridge and the Iron Cove Bridge, and traffic was brought to a halt. Part of the problem has been the rapid expansion of Sydney along roads which were built around early colonial tracks. But it’s also because the rain comes down in bucket-loads so infrequently that, in between the sunny days, we forget what to do when it rains.

I was in Drummoyne for a meeting of our art group, Hawkesbury One. We’re a group of friends who decided in about 2001 to pool our limited resources to buy art together we could otherwise not afford. We share the works around on a six-month roster, which means you always have something interesting on your wall. Along the way, it’s been a journey of learning more about art, and about collective decision making.

The big point of excitement for us at the moment is a commitment given by the Newcastle Regional Gallery to curate an exhibition of our works over a three month period in 2011.

The connection with Newcastle is a strong one for us, with almost everyone in the group having come from Newcastle (or surrounds) or currently living there.

So today, there was much to discuss about how we prepare for this exhibition, and in particular, what we do with our collection over the next few years.

One of the members of the group is also speaking at a conference soon about what we do, in the hope others might be similarly inspired.

As part of this, I’ve put together a “video compile” of three minutes duration to play in the background as she speaks.

A brief catchup with Damo followed the Hawkesbury One meeting.

And now I’m at home getting on with Sunday night domestics. Unfortunately my washing machine is acting up at the moment, so I’m back to hand-washing, hoping that a power-down and re-power in a few days time might resolve the washing machine issue.

“Are You Being Served?” is on Foxtel shortly… so I’d better head off.

Sandra in Sweden 8:22 pm on October 27, 2009 Permalink | Reply

We are having parallel blog lives again. I just posted on rainy Stockholm.
- James 10:00 pm on October 27, 2009 Permalink | Reply
  
  There’s a difference though. The weather WILL get better in Sydney over the next few months :)

James 6:45 pm on October 4, 2009 Permalink | Reply
Tags: art, art and about, city life, laneways, sydney (67)

Public Art

Theresa and her photograph in City Life.

One of the great dilemmas of public art is the idea of what art you should put in public.

Unfortunately, a lot of the major debates about art – in the newspapers at least – centres around extravagant, obscure, and expensive art works being placed in public spaces.

I’m a great believer in all types of art being in public spaces, and as much as possible.

And so today, Patrick (visiting from Canberra) and I went for a bit of a walk around the city to look at the City Life Exhibition in Hyde Park and the City Laneways Installation PIeces.

The City Life Exhibition is always a popular one and last year I was lucky enough to go on a walk where the philosophy of the exhibition was explained in a guided tour.

“The photographs need to say ‘Sydney’ without resorting to cliche”, was the summation of the woman who did the tour.

As we walked around the exhibition this afternoon, we both felt that brief was met. I think my favourite piece is called “Applause”, which features a sea of people at a rock concert – presumably – clapping. The photograph was taken from “on high”, and in some ways resembled one of those great Aboriginal “singing” works. Dorothy Napangardi’s work sprang to mind.

We also chatted for a while with Theresa, who was photographed for the exhibition. I’m guessing she’s one of Sydney’s great eccentrics in the genuine, honest sense of the word. There’s nothing contrived about her. She just is who she is, from what I could see. As we chatted – for about ten minutes or so – she told us a little about the photograph, her work as a performer, including singing at The Menzies, and of her concerns for her grand-children.

You could just tell though she was extremely proud to be in the exhibition.

“Would you mind if I took a photograph of you with the photograph”, I asked.

Sensing a group of German backpackers were keen for their photograph, we bid her a farewell and headed off to the Laneways Exhibition.

Theresa and her photograph in City Life.

Inside the Silver Birch Forrest in Laneways

Looking to the Silver Birch Forrest in Laneways

Hanging Birdcages in Laneways

Making people get closer to each other in Laneways.

Human Bar Code in Laneways

Even though I read the explanation, I thought this still made no sense.

Inaction on Climate Change in Laneways

Hairy, human like installation with a corresponding heartbeat in Laneways. Loved it!

Some of the installations were a little obscure even for my tastes. Some of them just didn’t work, in my view. But I loved the hanging birdcages (and the birds sounds), and I loved the silver birch forrest installation.

You walk into a large wooden container with mirrors on the wall and in which there are birch trees in pots. And just for a moment, you have a wonderful sense of serenity in anotherwise noisy city.

On the way home, we caught up briefly with Sam for a beer and a chat at The Green Park.

The grand final was on the screen there, and that’s when I noticed how bad the result was going to be.

Closer to home I peaked in the window of the Carrington Hotel which had been adorned with Parramatta’s colours. Sad faces all around.

Arriving home, I saw a terrific comment on Twitter…. “Oh no, looks like Parra forgot about daylight saving. They’ve started playing an hour late”

Anyhoo, better head out. Meeting some people for dinner at 8.30. And frankly, the sound of doof-doof from Parklife is giving me the trotts.

James, Victor, cottonward and one other person are discussing. Toggle Comments
- cottonward 1:33 pm on October 6, 2009 Permalink | Reply
  
  OMG, that’s hit and miss. Hey, stop bagging out discussion about art in newspapers — it’s not like I ever bag out the ABC! ;-)
  You don’t peak in a window – you peek! That’s a homophone. tee hee.
  - James 3:23 pm on October 6, 2009 Permalink | Reply
    
    I didn’t mean yours!
- Victor 4:27 pm on October 6, 2009 Permalink | Reply
  
  I didn’t find the City life photographs as interesting as last year.
  - James 9:59 pm on October 6, 2009 Permalink | Reply
    
    Agree with you on that Victor. Still good though.
James 11:30 pm on September 27, 2009 Permalink | Reply
Tags: art, primavera, white rabbit, white rabbit collection

White Rabbit

Mental Patients by Lu Zheng Yuan

“This is a REAL gallery”, I said to my friend Kate today, as we wandered around the recently opened White Rabbit Collection.

While I like pretty pictures, I also really like challenging art work, and there was plenty of it to be found at the White Rabbit Gallery, just off Regent Street in Chippendale.

The gallery specialises in Chinese art.

And we started off our exploration of the gallery today by watching a film on Chinese performance art in the 80s and 90s.

There was some genuinely weird stuff – by mainstream tastes – with lots of bleeding, body suspension, and that kind of stuff – possibly with far too many naked bodies – but it’s stuff I really like.

I really like my art to challenge, to be off the beam, to show me and tell me about things outside my life and perspectives.

And there was plenty of that in the film.

My favourite work was a piece called “Mental Patients” by the artist Lu Zheng Yuan. The fibreglass sculptures appear to have been crafted from mud. They tell an amazing and yet tragic story. And as you walk around the room in which they’re located, you can’t help but look at them, and think about the people they represent.

It’s definitely a gallery worth checking out.

Kate and I also went to the MCA today to see Primavera, which you would hope was equally challenging, as it generally features work from young up and coming artists.

We walked around, we looked, but unfortunately there was nothing which either of us found to be challenging or interesting.

There were videos without much purpose, and installations which, seemingly, were put together with bits and pieces found in a Newtown share-house.

On the way out, we noticed a sign which said, “This collection contains images which may challenge or offend….” (or words to that effect).

“I must have missed those”, Kate reflected with a wry grin…
James 11:20 pm on September 26, 2009 Permalink | Reply
Tags: art, guan wei, wireless house

Art Crawl

Wireless House at Glebe

I woke early this morning and noticed we had another dust storm in Sydney, though not nearly as dramatic as it was the other day.

I loved the way it was described by Tom125 on Twitter as “More dust. And it’s not even a pretty colour this time. Pffft. Going back to bed”.

My sentiments exactly and so I did the same until about 10.30.

Kate and I had plans to meet at about 11 at Foley Park in Glebe, as Kate knew one of the people involved in the shindig for the launch of the Wireless House.

I’ve known about this for a few months, since first hearing about it, oddly enough, on the wireless.

The story is quite an interesting one, according to a blurb I found…

In 1933 a suggestion was put to the Council to establish a Wireless House in the public rest park on the corner of Glebe Point and Bridge Roads for the purpose of community entertainment. Commissioned in November of 1934, Wireless House was officially opened in February the following year with a wireless set donated by Grace Brothers. The Wireless House operated from 10am until 10.15pm on a daily basis.

Wireless House at Glebe

Radio broadcast was making considerable changes to Australian society during this time and as a domestic social event, entire family groups would gather around a radio set for communal listening, even taking turns wearing headphones and narrating the events to the rest of the group. However during the depression access to radio equipment was restricted to those of comfortable means.

The Wireless House was revolutionary in that it catered to large crowds including many unemployed, who congregated to enjoy the daily programmes. The initiative, although hailed as unique in Australian municipal history, attracted criticism from the church and sporting organisations both sharing concerns about a loss of patronage. The Wireless House eventually succumbed to accusations that it encouraged the unemployed to idleness and was subsequently de-commissioned.

I was on time – of course – and Kate was – as ususal – late. So I had a mini-gelato and lemonade thanks to The City of Sydney. I had a look at the Wireless House and I found myself a nice spot in the sun – safeguarded from the wind – where I listened to the music.

The music was quite good actually. A three piece featuring guitar, piano accordian and vocal. The highlight for me was their version of “Those Were The Days”, a song I first heard sung in the late 1960s by Mary Hopkin. The band, today, though sang it in the original Russian language which was loads of fun, and not terribly difficult since much of the chorus consists of la-la-la.

Guan Wei at Kaliman Gallery at Paddington

And then after a bite to eat at a nearby cafe, we went to an artist talk at Kaliman Gallery about contemporary Chinese-Australian and Australian-Chinese art which featured, amongst others, the artist, Guan Wei

The talk co-incided with an exhibition of Guan Wei’s work at the Kaliman Gallery.

Kate has been working in Beijing on and off for the last couple of years which is also where Guan Wei is spending more of his time. There was a lovely look of surprise on his face as he noticed Kate arriving at the gallery.

The talk also featured John McDonald, Sydney Morning Herald art critic, Dr Thomas Berghuis, Lecturer in Asian Art, The University of Sydney and Dr Yiyan Wang, Chair, Department of Chinese Studies, The University of Sydney.

Guan Wei at Kaliman Gallery at Paddington

Over the course of about ninety minutes they spoke about issues of identity, the art market, the thousands of year traditions of both Australian (indigenous) and Chinese art.

It was a really interesting discussion which never got boring.

And it was great to sit in the midst of Guan Wei’s work as the discussion developed.

His latest work at the Kaliman Gallery take on two different themes. There are “traditional” Buddha style cloud sculptures which show a lot of humour. I especially liked the Buddha with its head in the clouds, but my favourite was the Buddha with a cloud on his back.

There are also cloud-shaped paintings which encompas elements of traditional Chinese painting – the way the sea is portrayed, for example – but, as the panel noted, with lots of references to Australian colours.

“Most Australians wear a lot of black”, one of the panelists noted, “which is interesting for a country with so many bright colours”.

Late in the afternoon we popped over to Danks Street to see what was happening in the galleries there, thus ending our art crawl.
James 11:55 pm on September 25, 2009 Permalink | Reply
Tags: art

Seeing Kate

Catherine Croll at Gallery 4A in Sydney

It’s been seven months since I’ve seen Kate. For the last few years, she’s been spending roughly half of each year in China.

In fact, she’s been living in Beijing for most of this year year, running the Artist in Residence Program at Red Gate Gallery.

She also curated a really amazing exhibition called Coming Home which featured the works of thirty-seven Australian Chinese artists.

“Do I look different?”, she asked. “Not a bit”, I told her. Though she remarked that I looked different since I’m now wearing glasses.

Given how she has spent most of her year, I guess it was not surprising that we chose to catch up tonight – her first time since arriving back – at Gallery 4 at an exhibition opening called “SpeakEasy”.

Tonight’s exhibition was “Stories of Indigenous and Asian history are explored in this exhibition of contemporary Indigenous and Asian art, curated by Vernon Ah Kee and Aaron Seeto.”

My favourite works included a didjeridoo in a guitar case and a series of photographs of a group of young men from Palm Island.

Catherine Croll

Current Exhibition at 4A Gallery, Sydney

Current Exhibition at 4A Gallery

Current Exhibition at 4A Gallery

Catherine Croll

Capital Theatre view from 4A Gallery

Along the way tonight I got to chat to some interesting artists doing interesting works.

One in particular was interested in the centuries old link between Indigenous Australians and Chinese Australians. He is an artist from Melbourne who showed me his work and spoke with passionate interest about this connection. I also chatted with a film-maker who has been following him around communities in Arnhem Land.

Another was interested in the psychological impact of the Cultural Revolution on Chinese artists. She too was interested in the idea of going back to China with a film crew to examine some of these issues in a truly meaningful way.

After the exhibition we joined a large group of people and feasted on a wonderful banquet of food in nearby Chinatown.

Kate and I will catch up again tomorrow, checking out a few galleries together, and generally just hanging out.

Kate – it’s good to have you back.