yesterday we went for a drive out to the edge of the city to Purple Noon Gallery at Freemans Reach
to see Irene & Ellen’s beautiful and inspiring exhibition
you can see more details in situ over on instagram
with a special thank you to Irene for driving down to meet us
& to Robyn for making such a beautiful gallery space!
Zhao Zhao Constellations 2017
300 x 980 cm
300 x 140 cm x 7 panels
silk, embroidery
“Having seen images of bullet holes after the June 1989 events, Zhao Zhao purchased a gun – illegal in China – and fired it into sheets of glass. Mesmerized by the beauty of the patterns, he began to paint them. Later in collaboration with his mother, Zhao made these works in the form of silk embroideries. From afar, Constellations can convince the viewers that what they see is splintered shards of glass. The puncture holes recall a moment of impact and destruction, but as radiating lines are laboriously transformed by silken threads, we are reminded that moments of rapid violence have effects that extend far beyond the core.”
detail of the embroidered silk
such powerful work
Liang Shaoji
Heavy Clouds 2014
silk, cocoons, wood
Liang Shaoji works with silkworms or, more specifically their lifecycle. By manipulating sound, light and temperature, he is able to alter the paths by which they spin, producing mysterious forms bound in silken filaments. To create the Heavy Clouds series, Liang used 20,000 silkworms to veil ancient pieces of wood from the Tang Dynasty, themselves engraved with the marks of time and history. The fine, white gauze becomes shroud-like: protecting, healing, mourning a ravaged environment.
Liang’s works accomplish two feats: ‘making wood appear as light as a cloud and a cloud appear as heavy as wood’.”
here’s the link to see more of this brilliant & confronting exhibition at the White Rabbit Gallery
the Nirin Sydney Biennale at Cockatoo Island has reopened this week!
Ibrahim Mahama’s fabulous transformation of the Turbine Room with his No friend but the mountains 2012-20
the scale of this work is astounding, that’s Old Man Crow halfway down the hall
our friend Cathy taking a video
every bag is stitched into the whole like a giant patchwork
woven into place
holding memory
these bags looked like they were encrusted with sea shells
detail not sure if they are shells or metal tags
Latai Taumoepeau The Last Resort 2020
“Surrounded by a wall of sacks filled with empty glass bottles. They are stitching up the sea. Wearing brick sandals on their feet and armed with an ‘ike (Tongan mallet) exclusively used to beat mulberry bark into large ceremonial cloth called ngatu or tapa. They smash and crush the glass into the present future. Empty torn sacks adorn their necks as a lei or sisi, usually a garland of fresh tropical flowers and leaves worn as a body adornment in formal Pacific Island presentations, also used to welcome guests and keep their necks cool. They are stitching up sea at/as the last resort.”
the sound of breaking glass
Manuel Ocampo
“The paintings of Manuel Ocampo are not stories, nor do the webs of images and symbols that he weaves together point to a specific thing. Rather, the meaning implied by the signs and visual vocabularies employed by the artist is accumulative, presented to audiences in a way that remains deliberately opaque. The artist says this method of presentation is emblematic of the way he works, from a position of uncertainty that ensures his paintings remain open to a spectrum of interpretations. Within this, Ocampo and his work are able to retain a degree of autonomy, away from any pre-conceived assumptions and desires of those who look at his work within arenas of contemporary art.”
Here’s links to lots more photos & videos on
instagram
facebook
Nirin Sydney Biennale website
My friend Pete Webb plant guru extraordinaire sent this magical photo and wrote these poetic words feeding my dream of growing the beautiful but notoriously temperamental Blue Tibetan Poppies when we move to the Blue Mountains…
“Meconopsis I saw in the mountains of Tibet. I asked the spirits to lead me to them in my walks in the mountains and they are not a deception and all of the enchantment you may already feel in your body. Each one a little different from the other. The same blue, yet having said that, you as an artist know that blue is never the same; some always escapes to the sky.
In Tibet it is so incredible as there are basically no trees and you feel the sky touch the earth. Where Meconopsis grow, at least the last ones I saw, you/we are actually sandwiched between sky and earth as there is less oxygen and you have to go slow or spin out with a terrible thumping headache.
But yes, find a happy lineage to get seed from and put the seed in the refrigerator. Tell them some cold weather stories when you sow them and then sneak out to see them when they are in flower. They are fugitives like blue.
Thanks for being you
Love Pete
PS. The first one I saw; the last ones I can’t find the photos at the moment but I will. Just to wet your whistle. They are more robust at times. Here with some Artemisias and a Larkspur”
Black swan and cygnet Sydney Park wetlands
photo courtesy of Richard Whitfield
such peaceful and elegant beauty
namaste
Sydney Park wetlands is a treasure here in the inner west
a sanctuary for birds, animals, people and recycling stormwater
a quiet place to slow down and listen to mother nature
beautiful landscaping of an area that was a barren wasteland in the 80’s
with such good bones
love how these old piers define the space
reflections
white faced heron
the city is starting to open up, the art galleries, museums, libraries and pubs will open to the public with social distancing restrictions in place from June 1st and the best news is Brook Andrew’s powerful Nirin Biennale will be open until the end of September
PS yesterday afternoon to celebrate the last day of autumn we went to Centennial Park for a picnic hosted by Jeffrey Hamilton and his partner Harry
great company, fine conversation, delicious food and a purrfect setting
this beautiful message of Hope arrived in the mail from Fiona and Barry of Deckle Edge Press
Karla Dickens powerful ‘Dickensian Circus’ in the foyer of the AGNSW for
Nirin: the 22nd Biennale of Sydney curated by Brook Andrew
above 4 photos from the Biennale of Sydney’s facebook page
Ibrahim Mahama ‘A Grain of Wheat’ at Artspace
Ibrahim Mahama ‘No Friend but the Mountains 2012-2020′ installation at Cockatoo Island
photo from the Biennale’s facebook page
Tony Albert ‘Brothers (The Prodigal Son)‘ at the National Art School
Lucienne Rickard ‘Extinction Studies’ at the National Art School
photo from the NAS facebook page
was hoping to see the offerings at Cockatoo Island and the MCA today but the government is closing down all non essential venues as of midday & encouraging people to stay home as much as possible
John McDonald has written a good review
and so has Felicity Fenner
Monstera deliciosa
“Earth laughs in flowers”
photos taken by Old Man Crow in one of our favourite gardens
A Traveller’s Talisman for my beautiful Piscean friend Trudy
turquoise bead brought back from Nepal by Jo New (RIP) when she walked the Mustang Trek in 2008
vintage ceramic, glass, brass and turquoise beads, red linen & silk threads
Trudy is the most stylish, elegant, big hearted woman I know
Here’s links to her Fishy Necklace and modelling Reaching for the Stars
