Art and Artists Blog – Melbourne, Australia – Page 5 – Melbourne ( Australia ) based Art Blog. Reviews, Artist profiles & more

by zhen - March 24, 2015

James Makin Gallery|Hayley Megan French & Georgie ROXBY SMITH

Last week I was lucky enough to go to a few different galleries. The stand out gallery was James Makin Gallery in Collingwood; there was a show by Hayley Megan French (12th – 28th March 2015) and Georgie ROXBY SMITH 'Uncensored Data Flow' (7th – 28th March 2015). The paintings by Hayley Megan French were very beautiful in person. 'Uncensored Data Flow' was a collaboration with Town Hall Gallery, a very interesting work worth playing in person, yes this work is interactive. Enjoy the images below.

iHayley Megan French, image courtesy of James Makin Gallery

Georgie ROXBY SMITH, image courtesy of James Makin Gallery

by zhen - February 22, 2015

Guest writer: What’s on in Queensland? Umi Arts Members’ Exhibition (Cairns)

Art and Artists blog is excited to introduce Jack Wilkie-Jans our new guest wrtier, I hope you enjoy his first post about the Umi Arts Members' Exhibition at Umi Arts Gallery (335 Sheridan Street, North Cairns, QLD, 4870) on 12th February – 25th March, 2015…

This year Umi Arts gallery celebrates their 10th anniversary of operation in representing A&TSI artists and with the inauguration of the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair in 2009, Umi Arts as the leading gallery in Queensland for representing and promoting Indigenous Australian art (contemporary and traditional) truly began to get noticed by larger galleries and serious collectors both at home and abroad.

The annual 'You & Me' Members' Exhibition each year for the past ten, showcases some of the region's best A&TSI artists and of course the eclectic combination of style, mediums and concepts they share between them. This year's line-up of artists features some of the most respected, enduring and promising established artists from the area such as Arone Meeks, Heather Koowootha, Paul Bong and Rosella Namok.

At this exhibition the viewer will be treated to a mini-maze of portable plinths and partition walls all decorated with the finest art & artefacts to represent the broader skills and style base of the gallery's numerous artists. While the 'You & Me' show for this year features only 16 of the gallery's rather expansive membership (including three works by yours truly) it reflects not only the diversity of the artists but also, and more significantly, highlights the enduring and ever-changing idea of what "Indigenous" art is.

So if you're a lover or learner of Indigenous Art and if you're considering an arts & cultural pilgrimage away from the big cities please be sure to head up to Cairns and visit the Umi Arts gallery. Of course many of the Umi Arts artists can be seen at the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair, the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair and the Biennale of Sydney, as well as around the traps at various other state and national public and private galleries.

Keep an eye out for the Umi Arts name and a finger on the rapidly growing pulse of creativity coming from the Far North!

Arone Meeks, Spirit Ark, 2012, Linocut on Arches BFK 300 gsm (Edition of 35), 110cm x 170cm, Photography by Michael Marzik

Sharon Karami, Bamboo Grove Path, 2014 Digital Photography, 42cm x 60cm, Photography courtesy of the artist.

Thomas Bosen, Magpie Geese laying eggs, 2014, Acrylic on Canvas, 122cm x 76cm, Photography by Michael Marzik

Bernard Singleton, Damarri Guyala-djada, 2014, Wattle/flat acrylic, feather, beeswax, (work 1) 250cm x 46cm x 10cm, (work 2- right of image) 250cm x 40cm x 10cm. Photography by Michael Marzik

Robert Tommy Pau, Bigo (Rain Making Bull Roar), 2014, Digital print on panel, 85cm (h), Photograph courtesy of UMI Arts

Author: Jack Wilkie-Jans
Jack is an artist and writer as well as an Alumni of the National Gallery of Australia's Wesfarmer's Indigenous Arts Leadership program from Far North Queensland.
www.jackandrewwilkiejans.weebly.com

by zhen - January 30, 2015

NEWER 15: Trocadero art space

Sometime you only have 5 mins to see a show… while I was in Footscray having dinner(yes I normally eat very early), I rushed over to have a look at the exhibition NEWER 15 (JAN 21 – JAN 31) at the Trocadero art space. I was happy to see two artist which I mentioned in my previous post 'Monash Grad show: 2014 MADA NOW'. I know there is only one more day to see it but it is a great little show and worth seeing and experiencing. Enjoy my photos…

Emily Yuting _ Chen Little Drop of Poison _ NEWER 15 Trocadero art space art and artists blog Emily Yuting Chen 'Little Drop of Poison'

Jack Brown_ Christina Wu PVC14 Anastaszia Ward Specimen A Specimen B Specimen C _ NEWER 15 Trocadero art space art and artists blog Anastaszia Ward 'Specimen A, Specimen B, Specimen C', Jack Brown 'Untitled', Christina Wu, 'PVC14'

Roynae Mayes_ Clan_ NEWER 15 Trocadero art space art and artists blog Roynae Mayes 'Clan'

by zhen - January 19, 2015

‘James Turrell: A Retrospective’ NGA Canberra

Happy New Year 2015! I have a few exciting posts coming up for 2015 and can't wait to share them with you. Expect more regular posting.

I was very lucky to have been able to go to Canberra recently to visit family and see some amazing exhibitions. Today I want to talk about James Turrell's show "James Turrell: A Retrospective" 13 December 2014 – 8 June 2015 at the National Gallery of Australia (NGA), Canberra. This is a paid exhibition costing $20.39- $45.88. The more expensive premium tickets are for experiencing 'Perceptual cell', which I unfortunately didn't get to do because it was booked out when I was there. Also note that 'Within without' is part of the permanent collection and can be viewed for free, this work is best viewed at dawn or dusk to fully appreciate the lighting effects.

So what did I think? I really loved seeing & experiencing both his earlier works through to his more recent immersive works. I also loved seeing other visitors have a sense of curiosity and wonder about the work. I loved the show so much I plan on seeing it again when I go back up to work on a commission and I hope to be able to get a ticket to the 'Perceptual cell'. Premium tickets are selling out fast so if you plan on going to Canberra try and book the tickets now otherwise you might miss out.

As photos were not allowed in the exhibition, here are some images and a video provided by NGA.

James Turrell
Within without 2010
Skyspace: lighting installation, concrete and basalt stupa, water, earth, landscaping
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
© James Turrell
photograph: John Gollings

James Turrell
Shanta II (blue) 1970
Cross-corner construction: fluorescent light, built space
Dimensions variable: 106.6cm (max height of aperture)
Image: National Gallery of Australia

James Turrell
Afrum (white) 1966
Cross-corner projection: projected light
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
© James Turrell
photograph © Florian Holzherr

James Turrell
Virtuality squared 2014
Ganzfeld: built space, LED lights
800 x 1400 x 1940.5 cm (overall)
Collection James Turrell
Image: National Gallery of Australia

James Turrell
Bindu shards 2010
Perceptual cell: fiberglass and metal. Light program
420.8 x 653.1 x 607.1 cm (sphere)
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, purchased 2014
Image: National Gallery of Australia

by zhen - December 17, 2014

Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery: Ken Smith, Arthur Boyd, Richard Simpkin

Last week I went to the Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery (MPRG) to see three exhibitions, 'Ken Smith: Walking by water', 'Arthur Boyd: An active witness' and Richard Simpkin’s 'Richard & Famous'. All three exhibtions run from 5 December 2014 to the 15 February 2015.

I was also able to attend the artist talk by Ken Smith about his exhibition and method. I have been following Ken’s career for a while now (long before he was my supervisor at Monash). As an art collector (okay I only have few pieces), I get very excited when I see artwork that is amazing and I get even more excited when I find out that the prices are quite reasonable (because the secret of the artist's awesomeness isn’t out yet). So if you want to get a hold of his work I highly recommend to do it sooner rather than later.

So a few key things I took from Ken’s Artist talk:

– It is okay to use black when mixing paint especially if it is for the Australian landscape (you can’t get the right colour otherwise)

– Digital screen cannot interpret as many colours as the naked eye

– Ken worked in an artist paint factory (where they create and mix paint) when he was younger which taught him a lot about how to mix colour.

– Everyone has a different level of colour perception (the ability to distinguish between different colours and tones)

So what did I take out of this wonderful show/talk? Yes, colour is not the same on the screen (*sigh* the difficulty of photographing this show… the photos just don’t do the work justice) this show must be seen in person to see the subtlety of the colour and light he creates.

Also, Ken will be running an exciting painting workshop on January 28th 2015, see here for details.

Please enjoy the following photos from the exhibitions:

'Ken Smith: Walking by water'

Ken Smith, '9 headlands' 2013, oil on canvas (detail)

Ken Smith, 9 headlands, 2013, oil on canvas (detail)Ken Smith, 9 headlands, 2013, oil on canvas (detail)

Ken Smith, 9 headlands, 2013, oil on canvas (detail)

Ken Smith, 9 headlands, 2013, oil on canvas

Ken Smith, Six times Six days, 2007, oil on paper

Ken Smith, 10 days 10 horizons, 2012, oil on panel

'Richard & Famous'

Richard Simpkin, 'Richard & Famous'

'Arthur Boyd: An active witness'

Arthur Boyd Jonah on the Shoalhaven - outside the city 1976 _ art and artists Blog Arthur Boyd, Jonah on the Shoalhaven – outside the city, 1976,oil on canvas, Bundanon Trust Collection (Image provided by the gallery)