Jonathan Jones – barangal dyara (skin and bones) @ Royal Botanic Gardens

19th September 2016 – 23rd September 2016

I had no idea that the Garden Palace existed in the area we now call the Botanical Gardens opposite the State Library of NSW.in the 1880s The artist Jonathan Jones has created a remarkable artwork using lots of white gypsum shields to map out the foundations of the outside walls of the Palace. Interwoven in the space are audio and musical elements to enable Jones to tell the story of the relationship between local indigenous people and their artifacts lost in the fire that consumed the Palace in the late 1880s

https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/kaldor-public-art-projects-jonathan-jones-barrangal-dyara-skin-and-bones-tickets-24642373001#

A few pics to sample the show

 

Zogas Sutherland Ortega @ ANU School of Art Foyer Gallery

2 June to 9 June 2016 featuring Mariana Ortega, Karlyn Sutherland, Tom Zogas,

Three artists in residence brought together this exhibition at the ANU School of Art Foyer Gallery.

Tom Zogas centred his art around a set of class containers that he created and then used them to be the basis of some photos of the containers through an almost Xray style process, The colours are transparent and black and white and all the images and objects are curvy and fluid.

Mariana Ortega has produced a series of tapestries made out of course wool representing women in various poses. They are accompanied by a set of tiny faces in tapestries.

Karlyn Sutherlandhas an interest in architecture and her contribution to this exhibition consists of striking black and white sketches, geometric glass architecture models and some layered cut out drafts for buildings.

 

There are images to give you an insight to the three artists work below with gallery materials.

Heroes and Villains – William Strutt @ National Library of Australia

Colonial history is fascinating. Primary sources are valuable. Strutt is an artist who lived in Australia for just 12 years but worked those years into a significant contribution to understanding the mid 1800s in Australia.
The exhibition brings together Strutt’s creative output from institutions in three states and the National Library’s collection. There are grand historical paintings, portraits, preparatory sketches, book illustrations and many other types of artworks.
The National Library pulls together wonderful historical exhibitions and this is up to their usual standard. I love the details about Strutt’s ambition to do big historical works that was thwarted. I enjoyed reading all the great material about his travels and his devotion to the research and preparation for his great paintings. The pictures, the drawings and the text material combine to create a great insight into the world of mid 1800s Australia and the work of one of our early artist.
There was a photography ban in the gallery. All the images in the exhibition are government owned works. Every image was created well before the death of the artist 100 years ago. I have included three of his major works taken from Google images.

https://www.nla.gov.au/exhibitions/heroes-and-villains

Janet Dawson – Paintings and Drawings @ Nancy Sever Gallery

1 – 30 August 2015
The great thing about visiting the Nancy Sever Gallery is that Nancy is there and she is always highly informed about the artists she shows. The show is about Janet Dawson. It is not a classic retrospective but it is Janet sharing her artworks as she is getting older. Most of the works on display are being exhibited to the public for the first time. The works range across sketches through small and large paintings. Their subject matter ranges through Janet’s many interests including vegetables, landscapes, urban Canberra, unposed still life and collages.
Here is a link to an informative Canberra Times article
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/canberra-life/janet-dawson-paintings-and-drawings-review-is-a-rich-harvest-20150805-gismqg.html
Some pics and the informative gallery sheet are below

The Sculpture Society @ The AMP Centre Sydney

29 June – 7 August 2015
I happened on a set of sculptures in the foyer of the AMP Centre on my visit to Sydney. Walking around the cathedral like foyer taking pics of the objects I bumped into a representative of The Sculptors Society who explained their rolling set of shows in building foyers. Currently there are three venues. The AMP Centre, NAB House 255 George St and Angel Pl 123 Pitt St.
The sculptures on display range from small lounge room style to large foyer adorning productions. The variety of styles and materials is wonderful. There is something about using these vast largely unoccupied spaces to display good sculpture that makes me happy.
Below is the website for The Sculptors Society, some pics and a gallery sheet and price list for the AMP Centre set.
Www.sculptorssociety.com

Jan Brown – Observations @ Beaver Galleries

Jan brown has a great sense of nature and birds especially. Her exhibition at the Beaver Galleries includes sketches and sculptures largely in black and white that ooze movement and lightness. The roughness in surface of the sculptures is striking as many birds look very smooth. Below are some sample pics and printed material.

The Beaver Gallery page for Jan Brown is at:

http://www.beavergalleries.com.au/brown.htm