There’s was a recent announcement that the government is calling for developers to put forward proposals to develop part of the Kingston Foreshore site as an arts precinct.
One wonders what their perception and concept of what is art precinct. Then there will be the issues that the government is looking for a commercial entity to propose an arts precinct.
One of these images is of an ass. One of these images is of a painting.
The MGA has announced Joseph McGlennon as the winner of the 2015 Bowness prize.
There’s an online video made before the announcement – Guardian Australian photo editor Jonny Weeks and photographer Mike Bowers discuss the entires and their picks for the winners. click here.
It with great sadness that we heard that our friend Rose Farrell died recently. There’s a very good piece about Rose written by Robert Nelson — click here.
Opening Celebrations announcedStarts 24 November. Complimentary entry for visitors from 24 Nov – 6 Dec 2015. Click on image for link to gallery website.
As art publication struggle along with other hard copy magazines, there’s interesting news about how ARTnews and Art in America are to merge to form the world’s largest art-media company.
The National Gallery of Australia (NGA) opened its new wing in 2010 and amongst several key improvements was the realignment of the main front entrance.
The exhibition, Internecine — The Vanished Musicians is a multi media exhibition that deals with immigration issues that are part of Australia’s recent history.
The Canberra Museum and Gallery (CMAG) is presently staging an exhibition not to be missed.
A round up of current happenings in photography – via posts on Art Daily. Here’s the first:
Exhibition of botanical photographs by Karl Blossfeldt opens at Pinakothek der Moderne – click on the image
Is This a Photograph of Vincent Van Gogh?  click on image for the story
The previous story on the Australian Centre for Photography relocating may have been inaccurate. We have heard that all options remain open on the table. The ACP is still looking at inner Sydney venues and that nothing has been decided yet.
Photography is alive and well in Los Angeles – click here for a review of an exhibition. And for a direct link to the gallery at the Hammer Museum and for more images of the works in the exhibition – click here.
An exhibition I would love to see – shame I am here and it is in London. Click on image.
The views of Lake George on drive up to Goulburn were very dramatic on the day we travelled north to see the Rosalie Gascoigne exhibition at the Goulburn Regional Art Gallery.
30 Photographers in Asia – click on image
A little while ago I reviewed an exhibition of contemporary print making at the National Gallery of Australia – click here. Last week I visited Mosman Art Gallery (Sydney) to see another contemporary print making exhibition.
recommended reading…click on the image – for many articles about the art world and its not so fair treatment of women. If one sector of this world should have sorted this by now – surely it should have been the arts. But alas, it just ain’t so. Here’s the link again.
There’s an announcement online about a new art fair to be held in January at the same time as Art Stage Singapore, Click on the image for more on this.
This is an exhibition of Asian artworks from a private collection, that of Gene and Brian Sherman. It’s a good exhibition – worth visiting.
Hot Gossip: The ACP to move from Paddington and will be soon looking for a new Director.
The news being circulated around Sydney is that the ACP has made its decision to move from Paddington and to move to the western suburbs, to Parramatta. This will definitely require a change to the organisation and some of its programs.
I spotted this work of art in a visual arts print making exhibition at the Mosman City Gallery (Sydney). (Review to follow in a couple of days)
Given the current leadership of the country and its attitudes to segments of society as well as its dangerous statements about migrants – this image is way too disturbing. It reflects so accurately how so many people feel about this government and the current Prime Minister.
This is a small exhibition of nine works has been produced to celebrate the 40th anniversary of International Women’s Year (1975).
Any time you are in Sydney, you should always find the time for a wander through the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW).
The current exhibition at ANCA in Dickson presents two photographic artists whose works have direct links back to the 1970s American colour photography represented by a host of artists including William Eggleston, Stephen Shore, Helen Levitt and Joel Meyerowitz.
for a bit of fun – click on the image
A Review of the NGA Exhibition: Streetwise: contemporary print culture
click on image for link to article by Richard Johnstone
an update on Sydney Modern Project – click on image
National Gallery Singapore: A story about doubts about whether an artwork is a fake. Click on the image for more.
There was much ado amongst the Australian arts heavies with their announcement of a new pavilion for the Venice Biennale.
Public sculpture commissioned in the memory of our dignitaries has been known to cause a stir amongst art lovers as well as those who take a position on public art.
The Canberra Museum and Gallery’s current major visual arts exhibition has the focus on artists’ views of life for the people living in this city.
There’s a special exhibition at National Portrait Gallery in Canberra. This is this institution’s contribution to the Anzac centenary.
There’s a new online review on the Art Gallery of NSW photography exhibition: The Photograph and Australia.
Kate Breakey at the Michener Art Museum
Click on images for more
I enjoy the exhibitions at Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA). However ever since they completed their renovations and now attract more people, something has happened in how some visitors behave.
Here’s a recommended exhibition for those with an interest in Australian hand coloured photography from the last couple of decades.
A visit to the Art Gallery of New South Wales is always worth the trouble no matter what exhibitions are on. I have often said, that this would be one of the easier jobs in the country as the audience comes no matter what the exhibition. But
The Photograph and Australia, AGNSW till 8 June 2015
It is a good thing to read critical reviews of the visual arts. A variety of views is refreshing.
For anyone with an interest in photography, this exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) has to be seen, and then seen again.
National Gallery of Australia (Canberra) Exhibition open till 30 August 2015
11 January 1931 – 31 March 2015
at the Art Gallery of NSW, 25 April – 2 July 2015 – click on the image for more
A city that embraces public art must a place to visit. In Canberra when Jon Stanhope was Chief Minister the city had a very active public art program.
This is a must see exhibition.
The Bendigo Art Gallery is one of the stars of Australian public art galleries. The gallery has built a great reputation through ongoing successful exhibition programs. We visited in March and were very impressed.
ANU Australian Centre on China in the World till 3 April 2015 
This is a highly recommended photography exhibition. It closes 3 April 2015.
Art Gallery of NSW – 21 March – 2 June 2015. click on image for more
There’s a new documentary on black photography in the USA.
Canberra has a very mixed record when it comes to graffiti art in public places.
I was reminded of the benefits of online information when it was mentioned on a UK program that the UK has listed all painting in public galleries on the one website. Now that is impressive. So I thought it was time to look again at how the galleries in Australia communicate through their websites.
A Celebration by Galerie Kicken Berlin – 40 years of exhibitions and support of photography through an exhibition of 40 photographs.
Click here to go to Gael Newton’s blog posting.
The UK government has taken action to ban the export of seventy photographs by Swedish photography pioneer Oscar Gustave Rejlander.
The National Gallery of Australia (NGA) is always worth the visit to see the collection exhibitions. Right now with a major exhibition on, the other galleries are reasonably quiet which is perfect for sitting and contemplating. If you can find a seat.
This film has been released and I have read numerous positive reviews and much commentary about its making. I have noted the release as I consider going to The National Gallery in London as one of the great joys in life.
Being the best state Art Gallery in Australia, the Art Gallery of New South Wales looks to become even better.
I always enjoy a visit to this gallery. It doesn’t matter what special exhibitions are on. There is plenty to see and to engage with.
till end of January 2015
This exhibition is a good one. It is an inspired concept that has led to the engagement of a host of talented visual artists.
Open till 22 February 2015.
We travelled along to the Mosman Art Gallery around lunch time one sunny day in early January. The gallery was quiet with no other visitors during our 45 minute visit.
The Bungaree exhibition at the gallery contains works by 16 emerging and established artists who have nominally re-interpreted the stories around Bungaree. The image to the right is of Bungaree. There are numerous historic paintings of Bungaree.
I noticed this report on how the San Francisco photography collection is on the move during renovations. It is always good to see such simple logic at work. Full marks to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA)
I have just read a copy of a wonderful catalogue of a significant photographic exhibition at the Monash Gallery of Art (MGA). Yet again the MGA lives up to their reputation as ‘The Home of Australian Photography‘.
Chances are that I will not get to Melbourne to see this exhibition. However, the catalogue is a real gem and should be sought after by anyone interested in the development of Australian photography during the early 20th Century. (click on the images to enlarge)
It is not the job a reviewer to write stuff that everyone agrees with. The Guardian has a number of art reviewers and therefore we have a range of opinions. However one would expect any of these reviewers to be making sense.
It has come to pass that one reviewer has been showing signs of stress or something equivalent.
This is my December 2014 overview on accessing Australia’s major visual art gallery exhibition programs though their websites. – and the status of photography.
Visiting London, we came across this piece of public art at The Angel, a centre located on the outskirts of central London, to the north-east.
over the period end of 2014 into 2015
The information below is about photography exhibitions in Sydney over the period from the end of 2014 into the early parts of 2015.
This is my selection and may be added to as I come across exhibitions I would like to recommend. If you know of others, let me know. But I will only upload stuff I am interested in and/or can recommend.
Rivington Place, London till 29 Nov 2014.
This a photography exhibition that has to be seen in the flesh to be appreciated. The basis for the exhibition is the unearthing of photographs that have not been seen for far too many years.
The researchers have done a great job of identifying most of the subjects. The main room has huge portraits printed from the original negatives. The people are from an African choir on tour in Britain between 1891-93.
These images are just so beautiful and majestic. They have been printed super large and each person is represented by two different portraits.
click on any image to enlarge
MUMOK – Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien, Vienna
Spoiler alert. Be warned, this exhibition did not excite! Cosima Von Bonin’s latest exhibition is across several floors of the MUMOK and it is impressive. There are loads of cultural references and heaps of barbs at things within our culture, particularly the american culture we have all come to love and loath. It was an interesting experience to visit this massive exhibition.
I took my time – but
Exhibitions from the 2014 Singapore International Photography Festival
The Singapore International Photography Festival has definitely arrived. It has now being staged every two years and this year’s is the fourth.
click on image for the Guardian story on how Bansky was accused of racism.
at Canberra Grammar School Oct 2014
There’s been a couple of short-run sculpture festivals in recent years in Canberra. It is a great thing to see these events as they provide opportunities for our sculptors who otherwise have trouble getting into the usual exhibition venues.
Flux Realities: A Showcase of Chinese Contemporary Photography
at Singapore Arts Science Museum till 2 Nov 2014
Canberra used to have a wonderful public art program. It was pressure from the local paper and the local bands of idiots that drove the local government to shut down the program.
About a year ago, we visited Linden Gallery in St Kilda (Melbourne). This was not long after the infamous raid by police following a very dubious complaint about the ‘sexual’ content of an artwork by Paul Yore.
The director of the centre was holding up well given the nature of the issue she was having to deal with. She deserved to have been paid a lot more for all the complex stuff that had come her way.
We meandered over to the museum on a Saturday afternoon to try their food and coffee.
As I have said before, I wonder why a country such as Australia with its amazing landscapes does not have a much stronger arts in the landscape profile, let alone many more robust public art programs.
We were fortunate to have a business reason to be in Sydney for the Monday, so allowed ample time on the weekend to get down to the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) on beautiful circular Quay to see this once in a lifetime exhibition of Annetta Messager’s artworks. It was definitely worth the trip. We loved it so much we went back the next day for a revisit.
One of my many puzzles has been why within Australia, with all the diversity of natural landscapes, do we not see much landscape art.
What I mean by that are artworks that actually are designed in the landscape or at least using natural materials to be in the landscape. There’s an article online about an architect who works with nature. click here.
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for more on architecture – click here
Paul Costigan, 20 August 2014
Our public galleries are places you should visit often, and not just for the big blockbuster exhibitions.
There are many other exhibitions, especially collection exhibitions, that are a wonder to see and enjoy.
Continue reading NGA Visual Arts, Motherwell, Natori Shunsen, Contemporary Photography
till 19th October 2014, then touring.
The National Portrait Gallery in Canberra has done itself proud with this special exhibition of photographs produced from the archive of the photographer John Witzig. Full marks to the historian curator, Sarah Engledow.
There’s not much to add to this story online. Click on the image.
Annette Messager:Â motion/emotion at the MCA Australia (Sydney) till 26 October 2014Here’s an exhibition that you must see. If you are in Sydney or thinking about going to Sydney, you must allow ample time to wander through and contemplate this exhibition by this extraordinary artist. We were there on Saturday, and it was busy. Today (Sunday) we returned to watch the film and to walk through again. If you have any interest in contemporary art, a visit to the MCA will be worth it! Then go back for a second visit.
There will be a review to follow. Click here. The catalogue is a wonderful production but I suspect it is about to be sold out (I have one).
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Paul Costigan, 3 August 2014
Review: The imagined tableaux has been a fascinating area of photography from the beginnings of the art form. Personally I place this form of photography as being one of the most enjoyable and engaging forms of photography. Therefore I would always recommend an exhibition by Jeff Wall , no matter how many times you have seen his work previously.
Here’s a small group of photographs from a recent visit to Goulburn on a very cold winter’s day. I managed to take a few moments from the business trip to snap a few photographs.
Click on any photograph to enlarge.
From an article by Jori Finkel in the Art Newspaper:
In New York, Sperone Westwater comes in at 91 versus nine. Team Gallery at 85 versus 15; Matthew Marks at 84 versus 16, and Mary Boone at 83 versus 17. Some of the top galleries in Los Angeles tell a similar story: Blum & Poe is 89 versus 11; Prism is 88 versus 12; Thomas Solomon is 85 to 15, and Patrick Painter is 83 to 17.
The debate over what different people, institutions and township are doing with their formerly treasured artworks by Rolf Harris has been sad to watch. This style of artwork was always more of a populist marketing campaign. His art was and remains simplistic and very ordinary at best.
I was a little shocked when he was commissioned to paint a portrait of the Queen. Continue reading Unloved Art
Our public galleries have wonderful collections. Collection exhibitions are often overlooked by the public as the marketing foolishly concentrates on the block busters and special exhibitions. This is a shame as the collection exhibitions are wonderful.
I welcomed the opportunity to visit Harvest: Art, Film + Food. To see this mix of art was indeed a welcomed experience. Continue reading Harvest at GOMA
The centre of Melbourne has a tremendous network of laneways. Many are well established as alternate routes to the main streets. Many of the laneways have cafes, and in more recent years, many have become havens for all manner of street art.
Guest Relations at Jan Manton Art
I had a chance last week to see Guest Relations, the exhibition of Robyn Stacey in Brisbane. As I had pointed out in my earlier review, it is a show not to be missed.
Click here for my former post.
Click here for words in Art Almanac
Click here for Jan Manton Art.
Click here for Stills Gallery, Sydney.
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Paul Costigan, 6 July 2014
A good news story from the Art Newspaper about paintings that were destined to shunted off the scene as they were obvious fakes. After some work by clever conservationists, some secrets were revealed and the paintings are in fact highly prized treasures. To featured in an exhibition: Faked, Forgotten, Found.
A good news art story. click here.
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Paul Costigan, 29 June 2014
On Exhibit at Parliament House in Canberra are the commissioned photographs by Anna Zahalka (click here). The photographs are of the staff who are normally behind the scenes and whose work is vital to so many operations within the building.
I have stayed in many hotel rooms in many cities and towns. The experience of being in a hotel room, although now it is mostly apartments, is usually enjoyable but always with a tinge of weird. You enter this borrowed space and establish your presence while always being aware of the temporary nature of your stay.
At the seminar at the National Gallery of Australia, the Indonesian artist FX Harsono made a presentation as an Indonesian of Chinese decent who is now researching and making art about the treatment of the Chinese communities in the early days of the Indonesian republic.
There’s a fantastic video on exhibition in which FX Harsono deals with his Chinese name, in that he is writing it continuously while other forces are washing it away.
