Podcasts about agnsw

One of the most influential artists in the world, Cao Fei has documented China's rapid urbanisation and digital revolutions for over two decades. In a new exhibition at AGNSW, My City is Yours, she traces the connections between major cities like Beijing and Sydney, and explores how the digital and physical worlds connect.And Karen Rogers and Sean Richard Smith share the collaborative process behind printmaking. How does this act of translation change or expand a work of art, and what is the relationship between artist and printmaker?

The Art Gallery of New South Wales is holding an art exhibition 'Magritte' until 9 February 2025. We spoke to Chie Hamada, one of the gallery's Japanese volunteer guides, about the work of Surrealist master René Magritte. - ニューサウスウェールズ州立美術館で開催中のマグリット展（2025年2月9日まで）。シュルレアリズムの巨匠ルネ・マグリットの作品について、美術館の日本語ボランティアガイドの１人、浜田千恵さんに聞きました。

This week, Vanity Project went to Queer Ppt at AGNSW, so that you didn't have to! We are instructed: one must imagine your grandmother horny...which brings us to McKenzie Wark! We all remember where we were on 9/11, right? Well not Vanity Project, we were too young. But this year ex-Novacastrian, now New Yorker came back to the antipodes to export the post-ethnography of the transgender raves of Bushwick. Yes, McKenzie Wark is still talking about raving and we're back to raving about her. From ground zero, to the first death-drop — we mean dip — that you ever saw at Addison Road, Vanity Project's reportage skirts the life cycle of a boner, the ethics of White Lesbianism, and Law Roach's role in ballroom academia. What was the most eusexual we've ever been? Tune in to find out. Pledge allegiance to the struggle: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/vanity_project

Send us a Text Message.Gary and Julie spoke to Ross over zoom not long after his exhibition, 'Moonlight -Daylight', at King Street on William gallery in Sydney. Ross Laurie is represented by King Street on William Gallery, Sydney.'Laurie has won the inaugural Norville Prize for Landscape Painting, the COFA Print Award at the Paddington Art Prize and the Kings School Art Prize. He has also been selected as a finalist in the Dobell Drawing Biennial and the Wynne Prize, both at the Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney. Notably, Laurie's work has been selected for the Salon des Refuses ten times between 1995 and 2019.The artist's work can be found in numerous state and corporate collections such as Artbank, AGNSW, National Gallery of Australia, New England Regional Art Museum, Tamworth Regional Gallery, the Laverty Collection Sydney, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Macquarie Bank Collection and NRMA Sydney.Ross Laurie's 2020 solo exhibition at King Street Gallery ‘engaged the drought and it did so deeply. Many of the paintings in “Dry at Walcha” were suffused with the glow of pink light. But it was the arid stain of ash rather than nostalgia or eros that made these works glower' (Anna Johnson, 2022). Lauries last major body of work and solo exhibition ‘After Storms And Rain' 2022 ‘found a harder, brighter palette but also bolder geometric forms' (Anna Johnson, 2022).“It might be accurate to say that my work echoes the structure of the land. The verticals in tree forms. Multiple horizons. Forms and shapes embedded from childhood memories. I don't draw in order to paint. If I do draw I'm after a way to help me see. There is no scaffolding.” (Ross Laurie, 2022)Ross Laurie joined King Street Gallery in 2014. He lives and works on his family farm, Rams Gully, in Walcha NSW.'

Word Cloud: Augury - Omens - Oracles - Ornament - Numinous things - The Demiurge - The Dimon - The Star and Magic Emily on IG @emil.hunt Follow us on IG at ⁠@hungup.au⁠ https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/whats-on/exhibitions/emily-hunt/

After some time to relax and mow his lawn, Genesis Owusu is back on stage at Volume Festival at AGNSW this July. Kate Saap and Genesis Owusu sat down to discuss absurdism, being a freak, and how much they love curry chips.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Podcast listeners click here to view the works Caroline Zilinsky's paintings freeze pivotal moments in our culture's history, encouraging us to reflect upon our times, whether it's the absurdity, the horror or the humour. At the risk of being labelled a conspiracy theorist, she's attracted to the dilemmas brought on by the internet era and shines a light on the things that trouble most of us: our loss of privacy, shortened attention, a heightened focus on appearance,  a growing indifference to human suffering and the increasing power assumed by tech giants. Her paintings often depict a political or social narrative and although she accepts some are too confronting to hang above the sofa, there's something about the levity in her use of line, colour and form which invites us to venture into the darker corners of our culture, causing us to linger and question. Caroline is also well known for her portraiture and landscape painting. She won the Portia Geach Memorial Award portraiture prize in 2020 (the same year she won the Evelyn Chapman award) and has been a finalist in many others including the Archibald and Darling portrait prizes. This interview took place at the mid-career survey show of Caroline's work 'Exquisite Cadaver' at the University of Newcastle Gallery. Curated by Gillean Shaw, it was a collection of 40 stunning works spanning over 2 decades. The interview was also filmed and I'll be posting a video, including footage from the exhibition and Caroline's studio, on the TWP YouTube channel in the coming weeks. Feature photo:  Phillip Antonio Lemos Caroline Zilinsky on Instagram Caroline Zilinsky at NandaHobbs Sign up to the TWP newsletter TWP YouTube channel Loading Dock interview My AGNSW Artists in Conversation interview with Caroline Ceal Floyer 'Kubla Khan'2022oil on linen107 x 106.7 cm 'Exquisite Corpse'2024Oil on linen 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' 2023oil on linen138 x 138cm 'Faceless The Congressional Hearing of Mark Zuckerberg' 2020oil on linen122 x 122cm 'Man of Few Words'2020Ink on AGNSW archive manila folder30 x 21cm (paper size), 60 x 47cm (framed size) 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' 2023Oil on linen112 x 122cm 'Plastic Fantastic', 2023oil on linen56 x 62cm 'Refract Back', 2023Oil on linen112 x122 cm 'Too Long; Didn't Read (Universal Declaration of Human Rights)'2023Oil, Oil Stick and Digital Configuration on Canvas97 x 87cm 'Me and Ellie', 2004-2005oil on linen 71 x 454.5cm'My Brother Adrian' oil on linen72.5 x 54cm      

See Also is now on PatreonJoin the Hogg Hive at Patreon.com/SeeAlso ad-free episodes and moreOur live show is next weekend! Buy your tickets with the code seealsoalfrescoThis week, Kate's been slipping back into her old Sydney life, talking Housewives with strangers and visiting Georgiana Houghton's 'Invisible Friends' show at AGNSW. Brodie snuck a novel into Boiler Room, is baffled by young people's bags and pours one out for Pitchfork, following the news it will be folded into GQ. Jinxy finally saw Wonka and it's fun to disagree on stuff!!!!!!!!! Then, they chat about Palme D'or and Palme D'og winner Anatomy of a Fall, a fantastic new adult courtroom drama that makes the "who dun it?" the least important topic. They talk French court (psycho!), 50 Cent and Henry Thomas's audition tape for E.T.See AlsoThe Wife (novel by Meg Wolitzer + film by Björn Runge)Toni ErdmannThe AislesSylviaBL's pieces on Sleater-Kinney and Gracie AbramsHow professional musicians who are mothers deal with the industryDoreen St Felix's 'The Prosperity Gospel of Rihanna' The Atlantic on how few places there are to meaningfully engage with musicEzra Klein on Pitchfork (and collapsing journalism) in the NYTAlso AlsosDry Cleaning's reissue of Sweet Princess and Boundary Road Snacks and Drinks True Detective: Night Country on BingeYorgos Lanthimos retrospective @ Europa! Europa! festivalBubble, alternative to Sodastream canistersLiana Satenstein's newsletter NEVERWORNS (and the saga of Max on her Instagram)Philips Steam & Go Plus portable steamerFind us on Instagram @seealsopodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

See a video version of the interview with curator Jackie Dunn here See a video version of the interview with artist Desmond Lazaro here The largest exhibition of Kandinsky's work ever to be seen in Australia has just opened at the Art Gallery of NSW! The exhibition, titled simply 'Kandinsky', brings together over 50 works of one of the 20th century's most innovative and ground breaking painters - Vasily Kandinsky - with 47 paintings from the Solomon R Guggenheim Museum in New York. Curated by the Guggenheim's curator of modern art and provenance Megan Fontanella together with the AGNSW's senior curator Jackie Dunn, these works touch on the most important periods of Kandinsky's artistic career, from the early 'Blue Rider' period, to his time in Germany when teaching at the Bauhaus school right through to his final years in Paris. In this podcast episode (which you can also see on YouTube) I talk with Jackie Dunn about this extraordinary exhibition. She tells me about Kandinsky's life and work, including what the catalysts were for him to become a painter, his use of colour, line and form and his interests in spirituality and music. I also talk with Desmond Lazaro who was commissioned to design a family-friendly space where visitors are invited to follow the path of a colourful labyrinth and create drawings using the shapes that inspired Kandinsky. Lazaro is a British-Indian-Australian artist whose primary ingredient is colour. His practice explores map-making, planetary systems and the concept of the journey. Also, alongside the Kandinsky show is an exhibition of 'spirit drawings' created by British medium Georgiana Houghton in the 1860s and 70s. The exhibition, 'Invisible Friends', brings together a collection of rarely seen swirling, evocative watercolours.  They highlight how significant spiritualism was in early modernism. 'Kandinsky' is a must-see exhibition.  It runs from November 4th to March 10th, 2024.  More details here. To hear the podcast episode press 'play' beneath the above photo. To watch the video versions of the interviews click on the links at the top of this page or see below. Links 'Kandinsky' at the Art Gallery of NSW Desmond Lazaro Tickets for my conversation with Julia Gutman on 15 November 2023 in the Artists in Conversation series Talking with Painters on Instagram Talking with Painters on Facebook Connect with me on LinkedIn https://youtu.be/Pgm4112joG8 https://youtu.be/D3b3WLlsakc 'Composition 8' July 1923, oil on canvas, 140.3 x 200.7 cm, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, Solomon R. Guggenheim Founding Collection, by gift, photo courtesy Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation 'Blue mountain' 1908-09, oil on canvas, 107.3 x 97.6 cm, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, Solomon R. Guggenheim Founding Collection, by gift, photo courtesy Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation Vasily Kandinsky 'In the black square' June 1923, oil on canvas, 97.5 x 93.3 cm, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, Solomon R. Guggenheim Founding Collection, by gift, photo courtesy Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation 'Landscape with rain' January 1913, oil on canvas, 70.5 x 78.4 cm, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, Solomon R. Guggenheim Founding Collection, photo courtesy Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation 'Yellow painting' July 1938, oil and enamel on canvas, 116.4 x 88.9 cm, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, Solomon R. Guggenheim Founding Collection, photo courtesy Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation 'Around the circle' May–August 1940, oil and enamel on canvas, 97.2 x 146.4 cm, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, Solomon R. Guggenheim Founding Collection, photo courtesy Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation    

This episode is a conversation between James Powditch and Maria Stoljar in front of an audience at the Art Gallery of NSW, recorded by the Art Gallery Society James Powditch has always loved the movies. As a child in the 70s and 80s he would watch whatever he could get away with - from Taxi Driver to Deliverance. But in recent years, after being shortlisted in the Archibald prize with paintings of Labor leader (now PM) Anthony Albanese and journalists Kerry O'Brien and Laura Tingle he noticed other themes emerge; media and politics. In his most recent solo show at Nanda Hobbs Gallery he found a way to merge those interests. In Medium Cool: Journalism in Film, works took on titles of films in which journalism and politics were central themes. Beautifully composed assemblages incorporating found objects explored the ideas behind movies such as All the President's men and Network. James has exhibited in over 10 solo shows and has won the Mosman and Blake art prizes. He has been a finalist in the Archibald Wynne and Sulman prizes for a combined total of about 25 times. In this episode Maria has a vibrant (and often humorous) conversation with James in front of an audience at the Art Gallery of NSW as part of the Artists in Conversation series. You can see images of the works they talk about below. Members of the Art Gallery Society can also see a video of this conversation for a limited period on the Art Gallery website. To hear the podcast conversation press 'play' beneath the above photo. Links James Powditch on Instagram James Powditch at NandaHobbs Gallery Video of this interview on the AGNSW website (for members) Art Gallery Society membership page Get tickets for the Steve Lopes talk at the AGNSW  Samantha Dennison interview on the Talking with Painters YouTube channel 'Once upon a time in Marrickville – Anthony Albanese', acrylic on paper and board 190 x 190 cm Finalist Archibald Prize 2020  Lloyd Cole and the Commotions album cover  New Order - Power, Corruption and Lies album cover   'Citizen Kave' mixed media  200 x 300 cm, Finalist Archibald Prize 2014 ‘Citizen Kane' 2022 Mixed media, framed 80 x 120cm  'All the President's men II' 2023 mixed media, 40 x 60cm 'All the President's men' 2023, mixed media 130 x 282cm 'Laura Tingle - the fourth estate' Acrylic and paper on board 204 x 170.1cm Finalist Archibald Prize 2022 Movie poster ‘Judgment at Nuremberg' Digital work, James Powditch Peter Powditch Photograph by Robert Walker (c1970)  ‘Peter Powditch is a dead man smoking' 2009, Mixed media 193 x 263cm, Finalist Archibald Prize  Family photo, James Powditch ‘Crowdy Head (after Peter Powditch)', acrylic on paper and cardboard  122 x 366 Finalist Wynne Prize 2022 ‘Crowdy Head IV', Oil on masonite, 50 x 48cm, Peter Powditch The Wynne Club Championship 2023, oil, acrylic and pen on board, found objects , 180 x 316.1 cm , Wynne Prize finalist Sam I Am, acrylic on paper and board  200 x 240 cm, Finalist Archibald Prize 2023 Digital work, James Powditch    

Glenn Barkley is a busy man! He has written a brilliant book on Ceramics, 'Ceramics: An Atlas of Forms', (published by Thames and Hudson), a global cultural study of the history of ceramics, sharing the stories of over 100 objects, honouring the artists who have left their mark on this timeless practice. This coincides with the curation of an upcoming show at the AGNSW, brick vase clay cup jug, a look at the Gallery's collection - July 1 2023 - Jan 2024. 'Barkley was previously senior curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (2008–14) and curator of the University of Wollongong Art Collection (1996–2007).He was a finalist in the 2017 Sidney Myer Ceramics Award and is held in numerous collections both nationally and internationally, including the Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, Shepparton Art Museum and Artbank, Sydney.'He is represented by Sullivan and Strumpf. Congratulations Glenn, so great to meet you and find out all about you and your work. Cant wait to read your new book....

In the final episode of the series ‘When I won that art prize' we go back to 2021 when a 27 year old Georgia Spain won the Sir John Sulman Prize at the Art Gallery of NSW, the first time she had entered the prize. In the same week she was announced the winner of the Women's Art Prize Tasmania. These announcements were made less than 12 months after she was one of 5 artists to receive the Brett Whiteley Travelling Art scholarship. Georgia's recent work is currently hanging in the exhibition ‘Once more with feeling' showing at Ngununggula, in the southern highlands of NSW. See below for links to Instagram videos about that exhibition. To hear this episode click on 'play' beneath the above photo. Links Full Georgia Spain interview  Georgia Spain's acceptance speech for the Sulman Prize at the AGNSW Episode 115 - 'The Archibald Winners' Sam Leach YouTube video (Part 1) Sam Leach YouTube video (Part 2) Tickets for Del Kathryn Barton live interview at the AGNSW 'Artists in Conversation' Subscribe to the TWP newsletter 'Once More with Feeling' at Ngununggula, Southern Highlands, 3 June - 13 August Instagram video - Megan Monte talks about 'Once more with feeling' Instagram video -  Maria Stoljar at Ngununggula Karen Black Ben Quilty  Solo exhibition by Francis Giacco at Australian Galleries, 15 June to 2 July 2023 ‘Getting down or falling up', acrylic on canvas, 180.6 x 187.5 cm Winner: Sir John Sulman Prize, 2021 https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cs73wXShsoy/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cs94XEbhR5e/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==  

Director of the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), Dr Micheal Brand, has told SBS Nepali the delay in returning an ancient wooden strut taken from an eight-century-old temple in Kathmandu valley was partly due to the Nepali authorities not being ready to ‘continue the discussions'. The tundal, from the Ratneswor Temple in Sulima Tol, Patan, went missing around 1975 and was bequeathed to AGNSW in 2000 by the estate of a connoisseur of Asian art. SBS Nepali spoke to AGNSW Director Dr Brand after the historical artefact was handed to Ratneswor Temple Chief Priest Herambaraj Rajopadhyay during a ceremony on Tuesday, May 16, 2023, at Patan Museum in Lalitpur, Nepal. - आर्ट ग्यालरी अफ न्यु साउथ वेल्स (एजीएनएसडब्लु) मा रहेको पुरातात्त्विक महत्त्वको एक टुँडाल नेपाल फर्किन लामो समय लाग्नुका पछाडि, नेपाली अधिकारीहरूको ढिलासुस्ती पनि एक कारण रहेको उक्त सङ्ग्रहालयका निर्देशक माइकल ब्रान्डले बताएका छन्।। सन् १९७५ ताका पाटनको सुलिमा टोल स्थित रत्नेश्वर मन्दिरबाट निकालिएको उक्त टुँडाल, सन् २००० मा अस्ट्रेलियाको सिड्नी स्थित एजीएनएसडब्लुले एसियाली कलाका एक पारखीको शेषपछि दानमा पाएको थियो। मङ्गलवार १६ मे २०२३ मा ललितपुरको पाटन सङ्ग्रहालयमा आयोजित एक समारोह बिच उक्त ऐतिहासिक शिल्पकलालाई रत्नेश्वर मन्दिरका मुख्य पुजारी हेरम्बराज राजोपाध्यायलाई हस्तान्तरण गरिएपछि एसबीएस नेपालीले एजीएनएसडब्लुका निर्देशक डा ब्रान्डसँग गरेको कुराकानी सुन्नुहोस्।

The 344 million dollar project launched in 2013 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Art Gallery of NSW. It's been said that this is the most significant art venue since the Sydney Opera House. Let's ask four Japanese AGNSW volunteer guides about this project. This is the first interview of five. - 日本人建築家ユニットが手掛けたことでも知られる、ニューサウスウェールズ州立美術館の新館。どんな建物なのか、美術館の日本人ボランティアガイドである花咲三起子さんに聞きました。

Our Tuesday segment Sydneyside covers local events and useful community information.

Thank you for listening to this talk produced by the Art Gallery of South Australia. Elle Freak, Associate Curator of Australian Paintings and Sculpture, considers the work of Nora Heysen in Archie 100: A Century of the Archibald Prize. For more information visit agsa.sa.gov.au Image: Nora Heysen, Robert H Black, MD 1950, oil on canvas laid on composition board, 78 x 59 cm; National Portrait Gallery, Canberra, gift of the artist 1999. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program, © Lou Klepac; photo: AGNSW.

Most artists remember their first show. Maybe they were lucky enough to sell a few works, usually to family and friends. Daniel Boyd remembers his. It was in the year he graduated from university, 2005, but family and friends didn't stand a chance. The entire exhibition was bought by the National Gallery of Australia.  Daniel describes himself in those university days in Canberra as ‘a shy young First Nations man from Far North Queensland'. That reserved nature still comes through even though I was speaking with him at the exhibition 'Treasure Island' which celebrates his career with over 80 works in one of Australia's most important art institutions, the Art Gallery of NSW. Daniel's First Nations heritage is central to his work. His ancestors were part of the Stolen Generation. Forced to let go of their culture and language, they lived in fear that if they shared it with their children they would be taken away from them. In an interview in the Gallery's Look magazine Daniel said that that forced  withholding of culture meant that he always felt there was something missing and it was at university that he tried to make sense of that. One of the striking aspects of Daniel's work is the way he both reveals and obscures his subject. Using a pointillist technique, he places a multitude of translucent dots over the image creating a series of convex lenses, as he refers to them, and while you can see the image through these lenses the rest of the image is painted out. Although this creates a visually alluring effect, there's more to this technique than just the physical use of the material. There are concepts behind it which relate to ways of seeing and perception and which are interestingly explored in the book accompanying the exhibition (see link below). The show has been curated by Isobel Parker Philip, Senior Curator of Contemporary Australian Art and Erin Vink, curator of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art, both at the Art Gallery of NSW. Daniel has exhibited in over 30 solo shows, has won the Bulgari Award amongst others, and his work is held in many other public institutions including the National Gallery of Australia, National Gallery of Victoria and the Natural History Museum in London. Click play beneath the above feature photo to hear the podcast episode. Current exhibition 'Treasure Island', Art Gallery of NSW, current to 29 January 2023 Links Daniel Boyd on Instagram Daniel Boyd at Roslyn Oxley9 GalleryEdouard GlissantDaniel Boyd: 'Treasure Island', (book accompanying the exhibition) at the Art Gallery bookshop also available through many other online booksellers Untitled 2014 , oil, pastel, archival glue on canvas 315 x 224 cm Collection Art Gallery of New South Wales Winner of the Bulgari Art Award 2014 Photo: AGNSW 'Untitled (FS)' 2016, 215.0 x 343.0 cmoil, charcoal and archival glue on linenCollection: Art Gallery of NSW 'Untitled (PI3)' 2013 Oil and archival glue on linen 214 x 300 cm Private Collection 'We Call them Pirates Out Here' 2006 oil on canvas 226 H x 276 W x 3.5 D cm Museum of Contemporary Art Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased with funds provided by the Coe and Mordant families, 2006 Daniel Boyd Untitled (WWDTCG) 2020 Oil, charcoal, pastel and archival glue on canvas 87 x 87 cm Collection of Anthony Medich, Sydney Installation view of the Daniel Boyd: Treasure Island exhibition on display at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, 4 June 2022 – January 2023, photo © AGNSW, Jenni Carter.

Inspirational cinéaste and permanently dressed-for-Diane-Keaton-dinner Ruby Arroswmith-Todd (film curator for AGNSW) joins Jen on Movies, Movies, Movies to discuss her selection of films in the arthouse section of SFF 2022 aka FLUX: ART + FILM. You still have the chance to see The United States of America by James Benning and Dry Ground Burning by Adirley Queirós + Joana Pimenta: go to work. Ruby and Jen talk rituals for pre/post/during arthouse: maybe it's going to Timezone gaming and/or knowing when to press pause for a scroll and snack. Then a breakdown of capturing America, bullshit Bolsonaro, and did you know Ruby's schtick began with a love for Vaginal Davis? This episode is not about formalism. Ruby doesn't need a script. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

@catherine_odo www.catherineodonnell.com.au My guest this week is drawing artist Catherine O'Donnell. It was one of Catherine's curtains that caught my eye. She drew the most simple of settings with a feeling someone had just passed behind. Catherine's work is an honouring of the quiet homes and lives. The homes and lives that maybe don't get a second glance. That is until she captures them. A late bloomer and a quiet achiever, Catherine came to drawing after life as a lab technician and raising a family of four. “Go do something you  like!” was the suggestion from her husband. And so she did. Embarking on a course at TAFE, followed by a Bachelor of Fine Arts, rounded out by a Masters from the National Art School. Catherines has attended residencies in Rome, Venice, Paris, hill end and Bundanon. Her work is held in the collections of the AGNSW, Parliament House, and Art Bank to name just a few. In today's episode of Interview With An Artist, among other things, we talk about the process of studying and being a mature age student, how her love for a certain style of building began, how she has come to have a collection of old window frames and blinds in her house, and how she can't believe the turn her life has taken as an artist. I spoke with Catherine earlier this year and you will hear me launch into the conversation asking her about her high achievement record. Interview With An Artist is hosted and produced by Willy Russo. Along with Championing the arts through this podcast and her radio work at 2ser107.3FM, Willy is also an artist mentor. She works with artists ranging from their first year of practice through to award wining 20 plus year career artists, helping them to figure out the right next step for their artistic practice. If you're looking for some advice navigating your artistic practice, book a session today via her website, wilaminarusso.com.

It's that time of the year! The winners of the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes have been announced at the Art Gallery of New South Wales and in this episode you'll hear my interviews with each of those artists about their winning works: Blak Douglas (Archibald Prize)Nicholas Harding (Wynne Prize)Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro (Sulman Prize) The Archibald Wynne and Sulman Prizes exhibition at the Art Gallery of NSW runs until 28 August 2022 and will then travel to Victoria and regional NSW until July 2023. Congratulations to all the winners and finalists! Links Blak Douglas - episode 68 Talking with Painters (podcast and YouTube video)Blak Douglas in his studio - TWP YouTube ChannelBlak Douglas delivering his Archibald winning painting on the loading dock - TWP YouTube channelNicholas Harding - episode 65 Talking with Painters (podcast and YouTube video)Nicholas Harding in his studio - TWP YouTube ChannelClaire Healy and Sean Cordeiro (website) Blak Douglas, 'Moby Dickens', synthetic polymer paint on linen, 300 x 200 cm Winner of the Archibald Prize 2022© the artist image © AGNSW, Mim Stirling Nicholas Harding,  'Eora', oil on linen, 196.5 x 374.8 cm Winner of the Wynne Prize 2022© the artist, image © AGNSW, Mim Stirling Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro, 'Raiko and Shuten-dōji', acrylic gouache, jute and tape on helicopter shell, 159.5 x 120 cm Winner of the Sulman Prize 2022© the artists, image © AGNSW, Mim Stirling

It's not often that an artist gets to see almost a quarter of a century of their work in one space but in this episode Steve Lopes tells me what that feels like. The impressive survey exhibition 'Encountered', curated by Kon Gouriotis and now showing at the S.H.Ervin Gallery in Sydney, brings together 120 of Steve Lopes' works including over 80 paintings and drawings, sketchbooks, prints and collages. This is a must-see exhibition especially for those interested in figurative painting. In my previous interview with Steve, he expressed the view that to be successful, a painting requires a gritty element - a bit of 'poison'. When I visited the exhibition a couple of weeks ago, though, it wasn't only that grittiness that struck me but also the humanity evident in the works, not only in the figures but also in the environments they inhabit. Desolate wartime landscapes hinting at the loss of human life, a dog wandering across a suburban backlot, figures enigmatically positioned on a coastal landscape; these scenes exude an air of melancholy but often also a familiarity. Steve has exhibited in close to 40 solo shows across Australia and in London and Hong Kong. He has won the Gallipoli Art Prize, the Kings School Art Prize and has been shortlisted in many others. His work is held in the National Gallery of Australia, the Parliament House Collection, the State Library of NSW and many other public and private collections. We met at the S.H.Ervin gallery as the exhibition was being installed and we talked about a selection of works (pictured below), the story behind them as well as insights into his practice. The show continues at the S.H.Ervin Gallery until 8 May 2022 and will then travel to Orange Regional Gallery where it will run from 21 May. To hear the podcast episode click 'play' beneath the above feature photo. Time stamps for each painting 3:30 Trench Life8:25 Aurora Track12:45 Creek Bed Study16:00 Uncommon Figures27:15 Warren Ellis etching and painting29:49 Railway Club Exhibition details Survey exhibition 'Encountered', S.H Ervin Gallery, Sydney, 26 March to 8 May 2022, then touring to:Survey exhibition 'Encountered', Orange Regional Gallery, 21 May to 17 July 2022 Links Steve Lopes websiteLopes at Stella Downer Fine ArtLopes at Mitchell Fine ArtLopes at Queenscliff GalleryLopes at Penny Contemporary Talking with Painters 2019 interview with Steve Lopes Guy Warren Euan MacleodLuke Sciberras'Aesop' by Jusepe di Ribera acquired by the AGNSW 'Trench Life', 2015, oil on canvas, 130 x 180cm 'Aurora Track', 2017, 130 x 130 cm, oil on canvas 'Exposed Wood, Mont St Quentin', 2017, 140 x 160 cm, oil on canvas, Gallipoli Club CollectionWinner 2018 Gallipoli Art Prize 'Creek Bed Study', 2018, oil on canvas, 90 x 90cm 'Uncommon Figures', 2020, 152 x 153 cm, oil on canvas 'Warren Ellis', 2017, oil on canvas, 180 x 130cm 'Warren Ellis', 2017, intaglio etching on Hahnemühle paper, 70 x 50cm 'Railway Club', 2020, oil on canvas, 100 x 120cm

Marikit Santiago is one of Australia's most impressive artists, combining a skilful representational painting technique with powerful imagery. Mythology, Disney, her Filipino heritage, religion, guilt, motherhood and family are examples of the subject matter she draws from and her upcoming show, 'For us sinners' at 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art in Sydney, is set to contain some of the most impactful work she has produced to date. What's equally striking is the contrast between her painting style and the surface on which she often chooses to paint: found cardboard, typically in the form of flattened packing boxes complete with rips, creases and packing tape! Marikit won the Art Gallery of NSW's Sulman prize in 2020 with her work ‘The Divine', a painting of her three children who were also her collaborators. We talk in this episode about how they contribute to her practice and why that collaboration is so important to her work. Apart from winning the Sulman, Marikit has been a finalist in many other prizes including the Archibald prize twice.  She has exhibited in 6 solo shows and her upcoming exhibition at 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art is her first institutional show. It is curated by Micheal Do and opens on 26 March 2022. We recorded this conversation in Marikit's garage studio with her stunning recent work, Thy Kingdom Come, leaning precariously against the easel. Rich with cultural and religious symbolism, as well as quite a few cartoon characters, the complex painting had been finished the day before our interview, after nine months' work. A short video of Marikit in her studio will also be uploaded to the Talking with Painters YouTube channel and this website soon. To hear the podcast episode click 'play' beneath the above feature photo. Current and upcoming exhibition Solo exhibition 'For us sinners', 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, Sydney, 26 March to 15 May 2022 Archibald Prize 2021, currently showing at Cowra Regional Art Gallery, NSW, until 1 May 2022 Links Marikit SantiagoMarikit Santiago on Instagram Egon SchieleRodel TapayaJojit SolanoBalikbayan BoxAida Tomescu video Thy Kingdom Come, 2021 – 2022, interior paint, acrylic, oil, pyrography, pen, gold leaf on found cardboard (pen and paint markings by Santi Mateo Santiago and Sarita Santiago), collaboration with Maella Santiago, 167cm x 307cm. Courtesy of the artist and The Something Machine, Bellport, New York. Photo credit: Garry Trinh Tagsibol/tagsabong, 2019, acrylic, oil, pyrography, pen and paint on found cardboard144.5 x 214 cmFinalist, Sulman Prize, 2019, Art Gallery of NSW Filipiniana (self-portrait in collaboration with Maella Santiago Pearl), acrylic, interior paint, pen and oil on found cardboard110.5 x 100.7 cmPhoto: Garry TrinhFinalist Archibald Prize AGNSW 2021 The divine, acrylic, oil, pen, pyrography and 18ct gold leaf on ply179.5 x 120.5 cmWinner Sir John Sulman Prize, AGNSW, 2020 The Serpent and the Swan, 2021, interior paint, acrylic, pyrography, oil and Dutch metal gold leaf on found cardboard, 162cm x 77cm x 2cm.Photo: Garry Trinh The Serpent and the Swan, 2021 interior paint, acrylic, pyrography, oil and Dutch metal gold leaf on found cardboard, 162cm x 77cm x 2cm.Photo: Garry Trinh

PhilJames grew up on a diet of MAD comics and Loony Tunes cartoon characters, as well as doodling over the photos in his mother's Vogue magazines. He then found his way to art school where he was taught technique and ‘real' art history. All these influences and passions have found a way into PhilJames' paintings and sculptures in which he melds these images and histories to bring humour, irony and a new and contemporary spin on what we think of as ‘high' and ‘low' art. Here Philjames talks candidly about his journey as an artist, including some serendipitous moments which propelled his career forward - such as being a finalist in the Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Prize, the Sulman Prize of the AGNSW, the Blake Prize and being selected for the Art Incubator program. You'll find all the images and more information on Philjames on his website, philjamesart.com/ He is currently represented by www.chalkhorse.com.au in Sydney and www.nicholasthompsongallery.com.au in Melbourne. For other episodes go to our Instagram page @FineArtFiona.

Midori Furze, a Sydney-based Japanese artist and a volunteer Gallery guide, talks about the current special exhibition 'Matisse: Life & Spirit'' - 開催中の特別展「Matisse: Life & Spirit」について、日本語ボランティアガイドのファーズみどりさんに見どころなどを聞きました。

More than 100 works by Henri Matisse are displayed in Matisse:Life and Spirit, a new exhibition at AGNSW. The majority of works come from the Centre Pompidou in Paris. Curator, Jackie Dunn, joined Sylvia in conversation talking about Matisse the man, his passions, his life and, of course, his art. [...]Read More... from Matisse:Life and Spirit with Jackie Dunn

More than 100 works by Henri Matisse are displayed in Matisse:Life and Spirit, a new exhibition at AGNSW. The majority of works come from the Centre Pompidou in Paris. Curator, Jackie Dunn, joined Sylvia in conversation talking about Matisse the man, his passions, his life and, of course, his art.

This week's show features art conservator Asti Sherring, who for the past ten years has played a leading role in developing the time-based media conservation community in Australia. Tune in to this week's episode to hear how Asti went from saving up her summer job money as a fourteen year old to go on an archaeological dig in Italy, to being the first time-based media conservator at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.Links from the conversation with Asti> Asti's website: https://www.astisherring.com> Grimwade Centre: https://arts.unimelb.edu.au/grimwade-centre-for-cultural-materials-conservation> AGNSW: https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.auJoin the conversation:https://twitter.com/ArtObsolescencehttps://www.instagram.com/artobsolescenceSupport artistsArt and Obsolescence is a non-profit podcast, sponsored by the New York Foundation for the Arts, and we are committed to equitably supporting artists that come on the show. Help support our work by making a tax deductible gift through NYFA here: https://www.artandobsolescence.com/donate

Cultural producer and artist Dr Sarah Goffman joins host Dr Craig Barker in this episode of Object Matters to discuss her current exhibition at the Chau Chak Wing Museum titled Applied arts. In this episode they discuss Sarah's creative processes, her relationship with collecting and the use of plastics in her work and in particular discuss the role the AGNSW's Chinese scholar's table has taken throughout her career including the current exhibition. Join Sarah as she takes us into Applied Arts.

As we continue in our Architecture Series, this week Vince catches up with Kelvin Ho, the Founding Director of Akin Atelier. Working at the intersection of architecture, art, interior design & branding, Ho and Akin Atelier have created thought-provoking spaces for the likes of Merivale, QANTAS, Google, Dion Lee, Saturdays NYC, AGNSW, Camilla and Marc, bassike and The Australian Ballet. In his conversation with Vince, he reveals how skate culture has inspired his aesthetic and why designing an emotional experience for the people who work, visit, dine, shop, dance and live in the spaces he creates matters in a way that it never has before. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yin Cao, curator of Chinese art at AGNSW was Sylvia’s guest on Arts Wednesday 28 April 2021, talking about The Way We Eat, the new exhibition at the gallery. It is divided into 4 parts: essential, exchange, excess and enchantment and through these lenses, Yin takes us through the myriad ways artists approach the subject [...]Read More... from The Way We Eat with Yin Cao

Yin Cao, curator of Chinese art at AGNSW was Sylvia’s guest on Arts Wednesday 28 April 2021, talking about The Way We Eat, the new exhibition at the gallery. It is divided into 4 parts: essential, exchange, excess and enchantment and through these lenses, Yin takes us through the myriad ways artists approach the subject […]

EPISODE 10

Australian star Guy Pearce talks to us about his role in The Last Vermeer where he plays a controversial figure in the Dutch art world. We revisit a conversation with Garrett Bradley on her Oscar nominated documentary Time, and a new film series that looks at the mutual fascination between cinema and music.

Australian star Guy Pearce talks to us about his role in The Last Vermeer where he plays a controversial figure in the Dutch art world. We revisit a conversation with Garrett Bradley on her Oscar nominated documentary Time, and a new film series that looks at the mutual fascination between cinema and music.

Australian star Guy Pearce talks to us about his role in The Last Vermeer where he plays a controversial figure in the Dutch art world. We revisit a conversation with Garrett Bradley on her Oscar nominated documentary Time, and a new film series that looks at the mutual fascination between cinema and music.

Australian star Guy Pearce talks to us about his role in The Last Vermeer where he plays a controversial figure in the Dutch art world. We revisit a conversation with Garrett Bradley on her Oscar nominated documentary Time, and a new film series that looks at the mutual fascination between cinema and music.

Australian star Guy Pearce talks to us about his role in The Last Vermeer where he plays a controversial figure in the Dutch art world. We revisit a conversation with Garrett Bradley on her Oscar nominated documentary Time, and a new film series that looks at the mutual fascination between cinema and music.

Australian star Guy Pearce talks to us about his role in The Last Vermeer where he plays a controversial figure in the Dutch art world. We revisit a conversation with Garrett Bradley on her Oscar nominated documentary Time, and a new film series that looks at the mutual fascination between cinema and music.

A new French film about a family tragedy on the land, Wolf of Wall Street actor Cristin Milioti talks about her latest role in time-loop rom-com Palm Springs, and some thought provoking film works that deal with some of the pressing themes of this year of great upheaval.

A new French film about a family tragedy on the land, Wolf of Wall Street actor Cristin Milioti talks about her latest role in time-loop rom-com Palm Springs, and some thought provoking film works that deal with some of the pressing themes of this year of great upheaval.

A new French film about a family tragedy on the land, Wolf of Wall Street actor Cristin Milioti talks about her latest role in time-loop rom-com Palm Springs, and some thought provoking film works that deal with some of the pressing themes of this year of great upheaval.

A new French film about a family tragedy on the land, Wolf of Wall Street actor Cristin Milioti talks about her latest role in time-loop rom-com Palm Springs, and some thought provoking film works that deal with some of the pressing themes of this year of great upheaval.

A new French film about a family tragedy on the land, Wolf of Wall Street actor Cristin Milioti talks about her latest role in time-loop rom-com Palm Springs, and some thought provoking film works that deal with some of the pressing themes of this year of great upheaval.

A new French film about a family tragedy on the land, Wolf of Wall Street actor Cristin Milioti talks about her latest role in time-loop rom-com Palm Springs, and some thought provoking film works that deal with some of the pressing themes of this year of great upheaval.

Joshua Yeldham's imagery is steeped in nature. His large works range from portraying the landscape with its stunning mystical trees, to figures with a tribal aesthetic, to his iconic owls which he has famously painted and sculpted multiple times over the years, even as a self portrait.  As you get closer to these works you realise they are intricately composed with astonishing detail. And the marks aren’t limited to paint. They’re often created through carving into the board or paper and in some cases even by inserting pieces of cane into the surface which protrude to create an exciting visual experience. The sculptural quality of Joshua's work is both beautiful and technically outstanding. His works often reference the landscape near his home on Sydney’s Pittwater where untouched bushland converges on the Hawkesbury River, a short boat trip from his home. Nature plays a crucial role in his art and he spends significant periods of time connecting with it. Although he experienced a challenging time at boarding school, his life took an adventurous turn when he completed his schooling in Switzerland - from risking his life in the mountains of Venezuela to living in an abandoned double decker bus in the Australian desert. His early successes even took him to L.A. after receiving an Emmy for a film he wrote, directed and produced in his early 20s. He has exhibited in over 30 solo shows, including a well-received survey show, and his work is highly sought after in Australia and internationally.  To hear my conversation with Joshua press 'play' beneath the above photo. I also filmed Joshua in his studio where he uses a rotary tool to carve into his work and that video will be on the Talking with Painters YouTube channel and the website in the coming weeks.  His powerful exhibition 'Providence' is now showing at Sydney’s Arthouse Gallery and will continue until 21 November 2020. For more information about Joshua's work, visit his website here. 'Monstera Deliciosa Owl', 2020, acrylic and cane on hand-carved board, 210 x 159cm 'Yeomans Bay - Bird Rock', 2020, acrylic and cane on hand-carved board, 202 x 246cm 'Angophora - Yeomans Bay', 2020, acrylic and cane on hand-carved board 'Providence', 2020, acrylic cane and instrument on hand-carved board, 202 x 246cm 'Self portrait - Morning Bay', 2013, instrument, cane, shells and oil on carved board 200 x 244cmFinalist, The Archibald Prize, 2013, AGNSW 'Mother tree - Morning Bay' 2017, acrylic on hand-carved paper, 210 x 210 cm Finalist, The Wynne Prize, 2017, AGNSW

Art consultant, Anna Groden, once again accompanied me to the Archibald at AGNSW and recorded this conversation. Archibald 2020 comes in the wake of  last summer’s bushfires, COVID 19, Black Lives Matter and Me Too. We expected to see these issues selected in the judging and of course, they were. But is it necessarily a [...]Read More... from Archibald 2020 with Anna Groden

Art consultant, Anna Groden, once again accompanied me to the Archibald at AGNSW and recorded this conversation. Archibald 2020 comes in the wake of  last summer’s bushfires, COVID 19, Black Lives Matter and Me Too. We expected to see these issues selected in the judging and of course, they were. But is it necessarily a […]

In the late 19th century, impressionism swept through the art world. In Australia, a group of young artists embraced the new movement - they would meet in artist's camps and paint en plein air. Among them was a young Arthur Streeton who would in due course become one of Australia's most loved and respected artists.   Wayne Tunnicliffe has curated an outstanding retrospective of Streeton’s work. Wayne is Head Curator of Australian art at the Art Gallery of NSW, and the retrospective gathers together over 150 of Streeton’s works, some not seen in public in over 100 years. This is Streeton as he has never been seen before. Wayne had the idea for the exhibition when he was curatorial adviser to an exhibition of Australian impressionists at the National Gallery in London. It was clear to him that Streeton stood out as the most significant landscape painter in the group. It makes sense that this retrospective is held at the Art Gallery of NSW. Not only does the Gallery have the largest collection of Streetons anywhere in the world, but they started buying his work in 1890 when he was an emerging artist at only 23 years of age.  In this episode we explore Streeton's life: his early years, his meeting some of the key figures in Australian art, his experience of life in London and during WWI, and his later years back in Australia. We also dig deep into a couple of the works with Wayne providing some fascinating insights. To hear the interview press 'play' beneath the above feature photo. You can see images of the works we talk about below. Streeton opens at the Art Gallery of NSW on 7 November 2020 and runs until 14 February 2021. To purchase tickets to the exhibition click here. https://youtu.be/JRvUErfm87Y Video excerpt from the podcast interview with Wayne Tunnicliffe on the forthcoming exhibition 'Streeton'. Here we talk about the iconic painting 'Fire's On' from the AGNSW's collection. To hear the full audio podcast episode (and more about this painting) click on the 'play' button under the feature photo at the top of this page. 'Golden Summer, Eaglemont', 1889, oil on canvas, 81.3 x 152.6cmNational Gallery of Australia, Canberra, purchased 1995 ‘Still glides the stream, and shall for ever glide’ 1890, oil on canvas, later mounted on hardboard, 82.6 x 153 cm Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, purchased 1890 Photo: Jenni Carter, AGNSW 'Spring', 1890, oil on canvas on plywood, 81.4 x 152.6cmNational Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Gift of Mrs Margery Pierce, 1978 'Fire's on', 1891, oil on canvas 225.5 x 164 cm, Art Gallery of New South Wales Purchased 1893 Photo: Jenni Carter, AGNSW 'From McMahon's Point - fare one penny' 1890 oil on canvas 117.7 x 97.5 cm National Gallery of Australia, Canberra Purchased 1972 ‘The purple noon’s transparent might’ 1896 oil on canvas, 123 x 123 cm National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, purchased 1896 33-2 Photo: National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne 'The Grand Canal' 1908 oil on canvas, 93 x 169 cm Collection of Susan Clarke, Victoria Photo: Glen Watson Arthur Streeton 'Balloons on fire' 1918 oil on canvas 63.4 × 76.2 cm National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Gilbee Bequest, 1918 Photo: National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne

This week's super long Declassify welcomes pianist, vocalist, music educator and feminist ethnomusicologist, Lolita Emmanuel. Lolita is an Assyrian and Armenian musician, born on Cabrogal land and navigating many worlds. Lolita’s experience as a performer spans across venues such as AGNSW and Sydney Opera House, to The Metro Theatre and North Byron Parklands for Splendour in the Grass festival. Her work is actively inspired by her experience as a young woman in stateless diaspora. Guided by the tutelage of Dr. Natalia Andreeva and masterclasses with Armenian pianist Anahit Nercessian, Lolita is particularly drawn to expressions of cultural identity and is strong advocate for the continued preservation and reconstruction of Assyrian, and more broadly, at-risk culture through music. This week’s conversation goes through everything from social justice in music, unpacking the notion of performative action and the progressive orchestra and the power of critical thinking. ---------------Selected Resources (full list available in transcript):Lolita Emmanuel: https://lolitaemmanuel.com/ Phillip Ewell’s talk and work on Schenker and the White Racial Frame:https://musictheoryswhiteracialframe.wordpress.com/2020/05/08/music-theorys-future/ National Arab Orchestra performance of Bayati Medley (Arranged by Michael Ibrahim)https://youtu.be/9uD6x-Q983gEdward Said, Orientalism. Downloadable at this link: http://pages.pomona.edu/~vis04747/h124/readings/Said_Orientalism.pdf Documentary - What happened Miss Simone? https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/70308063

In the time of COVID19 breakout, Three bellybuttons is making special episodes to accompany you with an art community on air, and to entertain you with art-related topics. In this episode, Leanne Waterhouse, Jaime Powell, Julie Gough and I made a conversaion about their ‘real’ physical experiences in visiting the 22nd Biennale of Sydney titled Nirin. Julie and Leanne have generously shared the photos and videos they took in the biennale. Please go to Three Bellybuttons blog to view them. https://threebellybuttonspodcast.blogspot.comThe links:Speakers:Leanne Waterhousehttps://www.leannewaterhouse.comJaime Powellhttp://www.jaimepowell.com.auJulie Goughhttps://juliegough.net/brief-biography/The links to the contents mentioned in the conversation:Nirin - the 22nd Biennale of Sydneyhttps://www.biennaleofsydney.artThe First Nations symposium that Julie participated during Nirin, the biennale of Sydney is:Aabaakwad Symposium. It was convened by Wanda Nainbush and Brook Andrewhttp://events.biennaleofsydney.art/aabaakwadBiennale of Sydney Spotify channelhttps://open.spotify.com/user/ehst2171vge3al8pzunkxyo5qThe learning resources: https://www.biennaleofsydney.art/learn/learning-resources/The exhibitions at AGNSWhttps://www.biennaleofsydney.art/venues/art-gallery-new-south-wales/The exhibitions at MCAhttps://www.biennaleofsydney.art/venues/museum-contemporary-art-australia/Brook Andrewhttp://www.brookandrew.comTony Alberthttps://tonyalbert.com.auKunmanara Mumu Mike Williamshttps://www.biennaleofsydney.art/artists/kunmanara-mumu-mike-williams/Karla Dickenshttps://www.biennaleofsydney.art/artists/karla-dickens/Warwick Thorntonhttps://www.biennaleofsydney.art/artists/warwick-thornton/Tony Albert’s work in Cockatoo Islandhttps://www.biennaleofsydney.art/learn/learning-resources/learning-nirin-home-tony-albert/Mohamed Bourouissahttps://www.biennaleofsydney.art/artists/mohamed-bourouissa/Aziz Hazara’s work Bow Echohttps://www.biennaleofsydney.art/artists/aziz-hazara/Latai Taumoepeauhttps://www.biennaleofsydney.art/artists/latai-taumoepeau/Extra: Jaime’s print is featured in the recent series of Sex Zine along with other 8 artists/illustrators,. This zine is edited by Anngee Neo and can be purchased from Slowburn Books. 

Join award-winning author Helen Ennis as she shares her experience with Alex Sloan about writing the moving and powerful biography of modernist photographer, Olive Cotton. Olive Cotton was a significant artist and pioneer whose talent was recognised as equal to her first husband's, Max Dupain. Olive and Max could have been Australia's answer to Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, but in the early 1940s, Cotton quit their marriage and Sydney studio lifestyle to live with second husband, Ross McInerney and raised their two children in a tent on a farm near Cowra. Despite the barriers of this new lifestyle and not having access to a dark room, Olive continued her photography away from the public eye until she was shot back to fame in 1985 by a landmark exhibition in Sydney, and a major retrospective at the AGNSW in 2000. A moving story about talent and creativity, Emeritus Professor Ennis explores the life of Olive Cotton and what it means for an artist to manage the competing demands of art, work, marriage, children and family. Helen Ennis won the Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Non-Fiction for her biography Margaret Michaelis: Love, loss and photography, which was also judged Best Book by the Art Association of Australia and New Zealand. Her research on Olive Cotton has been supported by the Australia Council Literature Board, a Peter Blazey Fellowship, and the ABR/George Hicks Foundation Fellowship. Formerly Curator of Photography at the National Gallery of Australia, Helen went on to become Director of the Centre for Art History and Art Theory and Sir William Dobell Chair of Art History at ANU School of Art & Design. Since 2000 she has curated eight major exhibitions for the National Library of Australia, National Portrait Gallery, National Gallery of Australia and other cultural exhibitions. Now Emeritus Professor, Helen is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Humanities. Alex Sloan AM has been a journalist for 30 years, including over 27 years as a broadcaster with the ABC. An award-winning journalist, Alex is highly regarded as an MC, interviewer and facilitator including: The ANU Meet The Author events, The National Library, National Museum of Australia, National Gallery of Australia and National Portrait Gallery. In 2017 Alex was named Canberra Citizen of the Year and is a member of the ACT Architects Board. At the national level, Alex is a director of The Australia Institute and The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust.

This is not the first time curator Lisa Slade has brought the paintings of Ben Quilty to viewers in Australia, but of those previous exhibitions none has had the depth and breadth of the survey show ‘Quilty’ which has arrived at the Art Gallery of NSW. Distilling fifteen years of creative energy, Slade has brought together an exhibition which not only presents these works to the viewer in a compelling way, but evokes curiosity and creates meaning. The exhibition originated in the Art Gallery of South Australia and travelled to Queensland Art gallery before ending with a Sydney showing. As the Assistant Director, Artistic Programs of the Art Gallery of South Australia, Lisa Slade has also curated exhibitions of many other artists. She has known Ben Quilty for over 20 years forming a strong friendship over that time. This interview therefore not only covers how the show came together and what a curator does but you'll hear about Ben Quilty's life and work from the perspective of someone who knows him well. To hear the podcast conversation press 'play' beneath the above photo or listen however you get your podcasts. The exhibition 'Quilty' is free and is showing at the Art Gallery of NSW until February 2, 2020. Above photo provided by the Art Gallery of South Australia 'Self-portrait after Afghanistan', 2012, oil on canvas, 130 x 120cmPhoto provided by AGNSW 'Margaret Olley', 2011, oil on linen, 170 x150cmPhoto: AGNSW website 'Kandahar' 2011, oil on linen, 140 x 190cmPhoto: Australian War Memorial ' 'Fairy Bower Rorschach' 2012, oil on linen, 241 x 520cm (overall)Photo: AGNSW website 'The Last Supper', 2016, oil on linen, 205 x 268.5cmPhoto provided by AGNSW 'The Last Supper 2017', 2017, oil on linen, 420 x 265cmCollection of the Art Gallery of NSWPhoto: AGNSW/ Mim Stirling

If you are interested in the arts in Australia you will know of Ben Quilty. He is one of the country's most acclaimed contemporary artists. In the last 15 years he has shot to prominence not just as an artist - although he’s won the Archibald Prize, Doug Moran National Portrait Prize and the Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship - but as an observer and commentator on social and political issues which concern us all. Whether it's issues faced by our indigenous communities, our involvement in wars on foreign soil, and their consequences, or the cruelty of the death penalty imposed on Myuran Sukamaran and on Andrew Chan and Quilty's campaign to save their lives, he pours maximum energy in highlighting the inequities and injustices in our world through his actions, words and art. His belief that art can instigate positive change is inspiring. The excellent survey show 'Quilty' has just landed in Sydney – via Adelaide and Brisbane – and the Art Gallery of NSW is the perfect venue for it given Quilty's HSC major work was hung there in 1991 as part of Art Express and 20 years later he won the gallery's Archibald Prize. He has since become a trustee of the Art Gallery. The exhibition is free and includes works over a 15 year period. The next podcast episode is with Lisa Slade, the curator of the exhibition and close friend of Quilty, who gives an interesting perspective from a curator's point of view. That episode will be online in a few weeks. To hear the podcast interview click on 'play' beneath the above feature photo. Above feature photo:: AGNSW/ Mim Stirling Current exhibition: 'Quilty, Art Gallery of NSW, current to 2 February 2020, free admission Show Notes Ben Quilty at Jan Murphy GalleryBen Quilty at Tolarno GalleriesBen Quilty on InstagramMargaret OlleyTony Albert Ben Quilty (centre) with Lisa Slade ( Assistant Director Artistic Programs AGSA and curator of 'Quilty') and Justin Paton (Head Curator International Art AGNSW)Photo taken at the exhibition 'Quilty' at the AGNSW 'The Last Supper 2017', 2017, oil on linen, 420 x 265cmCollection of the Art Gallery of NSWPhoto: AGNSW/ Mim Stirling 'Margaret Olley', 2011, oil on linen, 170 x 150cmWinner Archibald Prize 2011Photo: AGNSW 'Kandahar' 2011, oil on linen, 140 x 190cmPhoto: Australian War Memorial 'Captain S. after Afghanistan' 2012, oil on linen, 210 x 230cmFinalist Archibald Prize 2012Photo: AGNSW/ Mim Stirling Self-portrait, after Afghanistan, 2012, oil on linen, 130 x 120cmPhoto: AGNSW/ Mim Stirling 'High Water Mark', 2016, oil on canvas170.5x 160.4cmCollection of the National Gallery of VictoriaPhoto: National Gallery of Victoria

Here's your guide to the paintings of the 13 podcast guests whose works were shortlisted in the 2019 Archibald prize. Go to episodes 72 and 73 for the Wynne and Sulman guides! Click here for an overview of how to use this guide Click here for images of the Archibald Prize finalists Click here to see the gallery map below if you are looking at this on your podcast app. Feature Photo: 'Lindy Lee', (detail), oil on canvas, 182.5 x 152cm, Tony Costa, winner of Archibald prize 2019 Click on the artist's name below to go to their podcast episode and see the video. The time marking shows where the artist's work is mentioned in the episode and the number in brackets is the number of the work in the AGNSW. 1:25___ Jude Rae (41) 3:35___ Jonathan Dalton (14) 6:40___Prudence Flint (22) 9:38___Tony Costa (winner) (13) 13:05___Blak Douglas (18) 15:50___Paul Ryan (43) 18:13___Marc Etherington (20) 21.11___Loribelle Spirovski (44) 23:35___Laura Jones (27) 25:10___ Vanessa Stockard (45) 27:54___Natasha Bieniek (5) 29:51___ Natasha Walsh (49) 32:45___Euan Macleod (34)

Here's your guide to the paintings of the seven podcast guests whose works were shortlisted in the 2019 Wynne prize. Go to episodes 72 and 74 for the Sulman and Archibald guides! Click the play button underneath the photo to hear the podcast episode and scroll down for video of the Wynne winner Sylvia Ken. Click here for an overview of how to use this guide Click here for images of the paintings in the Wynne prize Click here to see the Gallery Map if you are looking at this on your podcast app. https://youtu.be/n7FwTgsPOCY Artist Sylvia Ken talks with Maria Stoljar Gallery map of the AGNSW - Archibald, Wynne Sulman prizes exhibition Click on the artist's name below to go to their podcast episode and see the video The time marking shows where the artist's work is mentioned on the podcast and the number following the name is the number of the work in the AGNSW. 0:55___Marc Etherington (61) 3:08___Ken Done (63) 4:34___ Blak Douglas and Elaine Russell (62) 7:38____Natasha Bieniek (54) 10:06___Abdul Abdullah (52) 11:56___Michaye Boulter (55) 13:39___Sylvia Ken (winner) (65)

Here's your guide to the paintings of the six podcast guests whose works were shortlisted in the 2019 Sir John Sulman prize. Go to episodes 73 and 74 for the Wynne and Archibald guides! Click here for an overview of how to use this guide Click here to see the Sir John Sulman finalist paintings. Feature photo: 'The first girl that knocked on his door' (detail) oil on canvas, 153 x 122.5cm, McLean Edwards, winner of the Sir John Sulman prize, 2019. Click on the artist's name below to hear their podcast interview and see the podcast video. The time marking shows where the artist's work is mentioned on the podcast and the number following the name is the number of the work in the AGNSW. 1:12___John Bokor (84) 3:37___Paul Ryan (104) 6:10___Ken Done (87) 8:00___McLean Edwards (winner) (88) 10:38__Alan Jones (91) 13:19__Abdul Abdullah (81)

This year twenty podcast guests were selected as finalists in the Archibald, Wynne, and Sulman prizes, which are exhibited every year at the Art Gallery of NSW, with a total of 26 paintings between them. In the next three episodes I'm going to talk to you about those works. Scroll down to see some tips on how to listen to these episodes. How to use episodes 72-74: As an audio guide at the Art Gallery of NSW (until 8 September 2019) or any gallery the exhibition travels to. scroll down for a map of the gallery rooms and list of finalists. (or click here if you're looking at this on your podcast app) There is a time marking for each painting so you can skip forward or back.To hear the complete podcast interview and view video of the artist click on the artist's name in the list below.Tips - download the podcast episodes onto your phone before you go (in case the wi-fi's not great) and take a screenshot of the map! Listen while you look at the paintings online on the gallery's websiteclick here for the Archibald paintingsclick here for the Wynne paintingsclick here for the Sir John Sulman paintings Just listen! It'll still be fun. The guides The Archibald guide is here The Wynne guide is here The Sulman guide is here Gallery Map Map of location of podcast guest paintings at the AGNSW. (Click here if you are looking at this on your podcast app) Episode 72: SULMAN FINALISTS 1:12 ___John Bokor(84) 3:37____Paul Ryan(104) 6:10___ Ken Done (87) 8:00____McLean Edwards (88) 10:38___Alan Jones (91) 13:19___Abdul Abdullah (81) Episode 73: WYNNE FINALISTS 00:55___Marc Etherington (63) 3:08___ Ken Done (61) 4:34____Blak Douglas (62) 7:38____Natasha Bieniek (54) 10:06___Abdul Abdullah (52) 11:56___Michaye Boulter(55) 13:39___Sylvia Ken(65) Episode 74: ARCHIBALD FINALISTS 1:25____Jude Rae (41) 3:35____Jonathan Dalton (14) 6:40____Prudence Flint (22) 9:38____Tony Costa (13) 13:05___Blak Douglas (18) 15:50___Paul Ryan (43) 18:13___Marc Etherington (20) 21:11___Loribelle Spirovski (44) 23:35___Laura Jones (27) 25:10___Vanessa Stockard (45) 27:54___Natasha Bieniek (5) 29:51___Natasha Walsh (49) 32:45___Euan Macleod (34)

Sculptor featured at Brisbane Street Art Festival Leonie Rhodes joins Ed as this week's studio artist, piano duo ZOFO on their latest show of pieces inspired by artworks, and AGNSW curator Hannah Hutchison on the constructed worlds of Jeffrey Smart.

Sculptor featured at Brisbane Street Art Festival Leonie Rhodes joins Ed as this week's studio artist, piano duo ZOFO on their latest show of pieces inspired by artworks, and AGNSW curator Hannah Hutchison on the constructed worlds of Jeffrey Smart.

Philadelphia Museum of Art curator Matthew Affron on the readymades of Marcel Duchamp at AGNSW, Rosslynd Piggott on her exhibition I sense you but I cannot see you at the NGV, and Asad Raza on his Kaldor Public Art Project at Carriageworks.

Philadelphia Museum of Art curator Matthew Affron on the readymades of Marcel Duchamp at AGNSW, Rosslynd Piggott on her exhibition I sense you but I cannot see you at the NGV, and Asad Raza on his Kaldor Public Art Project at Carriageworks.

In this special episode broadcast from Sydney, Ed visits the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Art Gallery of New South Wales and Carriageworks to meet some of the artists and curators behind The National, a showcase of Australian contemporary art. Kylie Banyard joins Ed as this week's studio artist, and we hear from artists Amrita Hepi, Tom Mùller, and James Nguyen about issues around pay, funding and representation affecting contemporary artists in Australia.

In this special episode broadcast from Sydney, Ed visits the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Art Gallery of New South Wales and Carriageworks to meet some of the artists and curators behind The National, a showcase of Australian contemporary art. Kylie Banyard joins Ed as this week's studio artist, and we hear from artists Amrita Hepi, Tom Mùller, and James Nguyen about issues around pay, funding and representation affecting contemporary artists in Australia.

My guest this week is artist Will Huxley. Along with his partner in art and life,  Garett, he forms one half of The Huxleys, which is a 'performance art experience' allowing him to play in the space of experimental theatre, costume design, photography and video. The Huxley's two of the most recognisable artists in the country - mainly due to their larger-than-life costumes and colourful performance that are as layered with meaning as they are widely accessible. They have been guests of every major art event and profiled by every major media outlet in the country.You may have seen them turn up to a functions in giant inflatable costumes and their glitter infused mock-glam-rock act Style Over Substance in which they perform as a band without music. Will and I came up alongside each other at film school. Since graduating in the middle of the 2000s have faced the disillusionment of trying to work out where we fit in ever-narrowing film and TV industry. We discuss the way Will has forged a path towards making work that he really believes in - and turned it into a career. This is a great chat for anyone feeling discouraged by the lack of opportunity within their dream industry, or for those who are unsure about how to make the bridge from they work they are doing to the work they want to be doing. It's great to be reminded that for Will this has been the journey of fifteen years, with every step along the way equipping him with another tool for making work that unlike anyone else. 

On today's episode of Canvas Sabella D'Souza discusses Eugene Yiu Nam Cheung's Running Dog article The Canonisation of Quilty. Then we sit down with Sydney based painter Gemma Smith to talk about her milestone exhibition Rhythm Sequence at UNSW Galleries, along with the importance of art schools, and the passing of practical knowledge. Then we sit down with Curator Isobel Parker Phillip, and artist Izabela Pluta to chat about their work for The National, and their personal histories with photography.      Guest Music Curator: Jan Terri

Photographer Paul Harmon showcases degradation of the Murray-Darling Basin in Watermarks at Casula Powerhouse, how to look at a painting and not get overwhelmed in galleries according to AGNSW's Justin Paton, New Zealand artist Lisa Reihana's video work In Pursuit of Venus (Infected) at Adelaide Festival, American whaler graffiti on rock art in the Pilbara, and misuse of the sacred Wandjina.

Photographer Paul Harmon showcases degradation of the Murray-Darling Basin in Watermarks at Casula Powerhouse, how to look at a painting and not get overwhelmed in galleries according to AGNSW's Justin Paton, New Zealand artist Lisa Reihana's video work In Pursuit of Venus (Infected) at Adelaide Festival, American whaler graffiti on rock art in the Pilbara, and misuse of the sacred Wandjina.

Velvet Buzzsaw + Let the Sunshine In, Cinema Girl Lily Bennett also reaches out to Ewan McGregor. Leigh Whannell is writing a new Escape from New York, where to catch Open Captioned screenings in Sydney, Priyanka Chopra is starring as Ma Anand Sheela in a film based on Wild Wild Country and Ewan McGregor will star as old Danny Torrance in The Shining sequel Doctor Sleep.  The last Cosmic Futures screenings are this week at the AGNSW and Blue is screening at the Juanita Nielsen centre.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Dean Hurley, David Lynch's regular sound supervisor for over a decade, while he was here in Sydney working on the upcoming Sydney Festival event Masters of Modern Sound, where him and other sound practitioners are composing and performing works in response to the Art Gallery of NSW's current exhibition, Masters of Modern Art from the Hermitage. Walking through the gallery space we discussed how an artwork creates a musical response, working with the director Werner Herzog, and the collaborative process between himself and David Lynch. Masters of Modern Sound is on at the Art Gallery of NSW from January 10th-12th; more info can be found at the AGNSW website or https://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/events/masters-of-modern-sound

Presented and discussed with examples of experiential knowledge, this panel of practitioners and art education facilitators will discuss the role art education plays in engagement of local community audiences with Contemporary Art and the empowerment of its participants, artists and facilitators.The panel includes: Jodie Whalen, Artist and Educator; Simonne Goran, Artist and Educator; Sally O’Neill, Education Officer at Goulburn Regional Art Gallery; and Miranda Samuels, Artist Educator at the AGNSW, Founder of Sydney based education projects Brightside and Key Arts.

Artists Harrie Fasher and Paul Ferman on Salient at Sydney's ANZAC Memorial, curator Rachel Kent on David Goldblatt: Photographs 1948-2018 at MCA, Morag Fraser on Masters of modern art at the Hermitage at AGNSW, Eva Rothschild on her exhibition Kosmos at ACCA.

Artists Harrie Fasher and Paul Ferman on Salient at Sydney's ANZAC Memorial, curator Rachel Kent on David Goldblatt: Photographs 1948-2018 at MCA, Morag Fraser on Masters of modern art at the Hermitage at AGNSW, Eva Rothschild on her exhibition Kosmos at ACCA.

Wiradjuri man Robert Henderson is our studio artist, Australian John Russell's work at the heart of French impressionism at AGNSW, Fiona Gruber on MANIFESTA in Palermo and Edward Bawden in London, State of the Union at the Ian Potter Museum of Art.

Wiradjuri man Robert Henderson is our studio artist, Australian John Russell's work at the heart of French impressionism at AGNSW, Fiona Gruber on MANIFESTA in Palermo and Edward Bawden in London, State of the Union at the Ian Potter Museum of Art.

For this episode, curator Blair French is in conversation with artists Zanny Begg & Alex Gawronski at the MCA for The National exhibition. This episode is the first in a series unpacking and discussing the exhibition with featured curators and artists. The National 2017 exhibition is on display at MCA, AGNSW & Carriageworks, and is the first of three instalments over the next 6 years presenting new Australian art.

On this show Nat discusses the Art Gallery of New South Wales' latest show Nude: Art From The Tate Collection with Co-Curator Justin Paton. Elma Kris joins us in the studio to talk about NAISDA’s 40th anniversary show Circle of Cultures at Carriageworks. Finally, we chat with Curator Anthony Bautovich, and Artists Kuba Dorabialski and Biljana Jancić, about Monumentalism at Kudos Gallery. In celebration of the Museum of Contemporary Art's 25th anniversity, our tracks are selected by the gallery's Director Elizabeth Ann MacGregor.

On the occasion of the AGNSW's forthcoming exhibition on the work of Francis Bacon, Professor Liz Grosz delivers a wonderfully innovative and sophisticated look at Bacon and Gilles Deleuze's shared examination of the forces that bind living things.

Rebecca Horn was born in Germany in the last years of World War II. Like Kiefer she was influenced by Joseph Beuys but it is Marcel Duchamp who seems to be most present in her machines and fabulous erotic installations, even in her strange and magical feature-length films. It was Duchamp who once said it is better to invent machines and do things to them than to do them to people. He also invented that great erotic machine-like masterpiece ‘The large glass’, also known as ‘The bride stripped bare by her bachelors, even’ of 1915–23. Many of Horn’s installations take the form of kinetic apparatus that somehow enact a sexual encounter. Some of Horn’s earliest performance works involved body extensions. In ‘Finger gloves’ 1972 she created preposterously extended fingers with which she tried to pick up some objects from the floor. In another work her extended fingers scratched the walls on either side of a room; yet another included pencils attached to a face mask which she used to draw an inchoate muddle of lines on paper. All of these body extension pieces seem to somehow struggle with the impossible; the extended fingers hopelessly search out spaces and objects but fail to control the unruly world. She has also built drawing machines where long, jointed spears mechanically jerk around creating scratchy arbitrary compositions on the floor or wall. In nearly all of her works there is an exacerbated kinaesthetic sensibility. We are made acutely aware of our own space and we can easily enough slide into her dreamlike world, where our grasp on things slips away. ‘Pendulum with emu egg’ consists of an emu egg that sits on a precarious, almost invisible, support near the floor. The egg is of course a very powerful symbol of femininity and procreation. Hanging above the egg is a long javelin attached to a mechanism at ceiling height. The point of the javelin at rest sits just above the egg, almost but not quite touching it. Suddenly the javelin swings back jerkily, driven by a timed mechanism aloft. It seems destined to smash the egg as it swings past but it slowly settles down into a gently declining arc till it almost seems to caress the egg with its tip. The piece is at once threatening, humorous and an intensely erotic evocation of feminine pleasure, beyond the blossoming of Duchamp’s bride stripped bare and tickled by the breeze that ruffles her lingering veils. ‘Love thermometer’ 1988 (AGNSW collection) on the other hand is an image of male pleasure. It is a functioning thermometer with a large globe filled with red-coloured alcohol. At room temperature the fluid stays in the globe but if the object is picked up and held it responds to the viewer’s body warmth and the fluid runs up the stem, visibly engorging the form of the instrument. The enormous globe and stem of the thermometer nestle in a beautifully constructed case, like that designed for a musical instrument, while the lining is padded silk, again reminding us of Duchamp’s love of the mould and its cast, positive and negative, and the inevitable sexual allusion to male and female genitalia. © Art Gallery of New South Wales Contemporary Collection Handbook, 2006

During the 1980s Anish Kapoor, along with his British counterparts Richard Deacon, Tony Cragg, Antony Gormley and others, significantly challenged prevailing sculptural practices. Referred to as New British Sculpture, their respective work (although largely unrelated) shifted away from the purely conceptual or minimal art that had dominated the previous decades to embrace lyricism and metaphor, and to reconfigure the relationship between subject, object and viewer. Kapoor was an influential figure in this development. From brightly coloured pigments spread over abstract bodily forms to concave mirror pieces and enormous sculptural installations, Kapoor’s sculpture is about sensory experiences. He makes sculptural forms which pervade or hold physical space and which deliberately explore metaphysical dualities such as light and darkness, earth and sky, mind and body. For Kapoor, space is not empty; rather it is full of meaning and potential, and it is this paradox that he explores in material and abstract terms. Since the 1990s Kapoor’s work has been concerned with the expression of negative space: openings and cavities which are often referred to as voids. While his earlier pigment works were shapes with luminously coloured surfaces, ‘Void field’, a sculptural installation of four craggy blocks of quarried Northumbrian sandstone, elaborates an internal space of darkness. At the centre of each stone is a deep velvety hole coated with black pigment, which figuratively signifies a threshold, a space that portends to infinity. Peering into the aperture of each stone, the space within appears beyond measure, revealing a balanced tension between the earthly weight of rock and the nothingness suggested by the dark opening, or void. Kapoor’s voids have been likened both to wombs and to contemporary notions of the sublime. About his understanding of a ‘modern sublime’ Kapoor has said: ‘I have always been drawn toward some notion of fear in a very visual space, towards sensations of falling, of being pulled inwards, of losing one’s sense of self’.1 The black holes at the centre of each stone in ‘Void field’ function in this way; their darkness is conspicuous and entrancing, denoting the amorphous margins between human perception and cognition. Similar sensations are invoked by Kapoor’s suite of prints ‘Blackness from her womb’ 2001 (AGNSW collection). Here, the void is literally associated with the womb, whose function is to harbour life. The yellows and reds that dominated Kapoor’s early work return, transformed more obviously into abstracted female sexual iconography. The aquatint bleeds into forms, dissolving and sometimes imploding their structure. In the unresolved play and metamorphosis between interior and exterior spaces and darkness and light, ‘Blackness from her womb’ is a graphic synthesis of Kapoor’s ideas. 1. Martin Caiger-Smith, ‘Anish Kapoor’, Hayward Gallery, London 1998, unpaginated © Art Gallery of New South Wales Contemporary Collection Handbook, 2006

Like many of his generation, Richard Deacon adopted Marcel Duchamp’s proposition that titles were an extra colour on the artist’s palette. In using language in this way the younger artists of the 1970s put distance between themselves and the abstract artists who came before them (who often labelled everything ‘Untitled’). ‘Listening to reason’ is a case in point.1 The shape of the work describes five double loosely ear-shaped curves, connected by twisting pieces of laminated wood to make one continuous line. The title encourages us to think of a circle of people listening to an argument, each connected to the other but all slightly differently. It is far from being a symmetrical form; each section is joined by twisting connections that appear to be arranged at random. The line is made up of multiple layers of laminated ply, which have been glued together in sections and clamped onto forms that give them their twisting motion. Deacon has left the hardened glue that squeezed out of the laminations as a trace of the process, thereby adhering to a principle of truth to materials and processes. The plain, glowing yellow surface of the ply against the beige colour of the glue in the side grain of the wood helps to reveal the twisting body of the loops. The sections were then bolted together through offset joints, once again making a virtue out of the visible process to articulate the form. The resulting curves and loops defy imagination. The piece is like a five-fold moebius strip but some-how it all comes together into a convincing whole. When asked how he had visualised this complex form in order to be able to make up the necessary jigs and formwork, he acknowledged that he never visualised it as a whole. It seems that he had the twisting straight sections lying around waiting to become a star-shaped work. On the other side of the studio were the five ear shapes destined for another work. Living with these forms, he eventually realised that they would fit together with a few minor modifications and the resulting sculpture is what we see here.2 There is an interesting parallel between this accidental juxtaposition and the working methodology of assemblage artists such as Haim Steinbach or Janet Laurence. Sculptors of this kind accumulate objects and materials in the studio and one day bring them together to make something new. This aspect of chance encounters belies the purely formal aesthetic that most American art aspired to at this time and leans towards a history of European surrealism, in particular to Duchamp’s theory of chance.3 1. This work was first reserved by the AGNSW in 1986 but only acquired when it was brought out for the 1988 Biennale of Sydney 2. Conversation noted by the author after a studio visit with Deacon in 1987 3. Duchamp believed in allowing chance to play a part in the creation of his works, for example the accumulation of dust that he used to colour the sieves in his ‘The large glass’ 1915–23 © Art Gallery of New South Wales Contemporary Collection Handbook, 2006

'Sydney Heads', the only known Sydney subject by the artist, is a product of von Guérard's first and only excursion into New South Wales in November 1859, when he visited Sydney, the Blue Mountains and the Illawarra region. The painting was worked up in his studio in Melbourne six years later, most likely on the basis of a preparatory drawing now in the State Library of New South Wales, Sydney. Von Guérard's atmospheric rendering of this light-filled scene, together with his sensitive and precise depiction of topographical detail and human activity within a tightly controlled composition, makes 'Sydney Heads' one of his finest paintings. Von Guérard reverted to the composition of the drawing in his 1865 painting of the view - flattening the foreground slope and decreasing the North/South breadth of the Harbour and scale of the hills beyond Manly to increase a sense of space and grandeur. Addition of a tree to the left of Vaucluse Bay provided a picturesque framing device, whilst he also transformed the rough heathland of his 1860 painting to elegantly grassed slopes - perhaps to appeal to a contemporary preference for countryside of a more tamed, European appearance. Details such as the group of figures around a fire at right, added foreground interest - improving the overall balance of the composition. He bathed the scene with the rose-tinted light of late afternoon, clearly intending an altogether more luminous and poetic impression than in his painting of 1860. Von Guérard's painting, 'Sydney Heads' 1865, with its combination of elevated sentiment and remote and wild, yet partly civilised subject, relates to both homestead portraits and wilderness views in his oeuvre. As such the work takes its place within a wider international context of European artistic engagement with newly colonised lands, finding particular parallels for example with the contemporaneous work of the 'Hudson River School' artists in America. As Joan Kerr, Australian colonial art historian, comments in the catalogue to The Artist and the patron exhibition (1988), picturing the harbour 'was an almost obligatory subject for amateur and professional alike…This was not only "the most beautiful harbour in the world" it was the first sight of the new land for many arrivals and the first step towards regaining the ancestral home for many departures'. In Eugene von Guérard's 'Australian Landscapes', containing twenty four colour lithographs of landscape views (published by Hamal and Ferguson, c.1867 - 68), plate XXII 'Sydney Heads, New South Wales' is described thus; 'From the summit of a knoll on the roadside from Sydney to the narrow promontory known as the South Head, is visible the lovely prospect depicted by our artist ... The road to the South Head is deservedly a favourite drive with the inhabitants of Sydney, and the stranger passing over it for the first time experiences a succession of demands upon his admiration, as each bend in the road discloses to him some new combination of sea and shore and sky, each lovelier than the last'. The various extant versions of the painting and the lithograph which was the last work to be completed of the subject by von Guérard, offer a number of interpretations of the pencil drawing. Focusing on what has been described as one of several classic views encompassing Sydney Harbour's quintessential qualities, and painted by innumerable artists, von Guérard's 'Sydney Heads' depicts a broad sweep of landscape from Vaucluse Bay on the left to Watson's Bay and Sydney Heads at the right, with the road to the South Head in the foreground. Despite partial screening by vegetation and buildings, the accuracy of his transcription of the view may be confirmed today from the vicinity of 'Johnston's Lookout' in Vaucluse, the probable viewpoint for the artist's preparatory drawing. However, whilst clearly concerned with accurately and informatively depicting a view already well known for its 'picturesque' synthesis of grandeur and beauty, von Guérard also aimed to transcend mere topography. Von Guérard scholar Candice Bruce suggests that during the artist's training at the Kunstakademie in Dusseldorf (c.1839 - c.1846) he probably saw the work of the principal German Romantic painter Caspar David Friedrich, whose style and mood his work later evoked, and became familiar with treatises by the main exponents of German Romanticism, Carl Gustav Carus (1789-1869) and 'Novalis' [dates]. The influence of von Guérard's earlier teacher in Rome, Giovannibattista Bassi - who taught in the traditions of Salvator Rosa, Poussin and Claude - also encouraged an interest in concepts of 'the sublime' and 'the picturesque' in art. In the newly established landscape class at the Academy, von Guérard was encouraged to go on long sketching trips in pursuit of the new naturalism or 'Naturegetreue wiedergabe' (a response true to nature). For the German Romantic landscape painter, each painting was an 'Erdlebensbildnis' or painting of the life of the earth, in which a focus on the microcosmic details of nature led to an awareness of the macrocosmic presence of the soul of the world. No detail was inessential. Hence von Guérard's attention to detail, visible particularly in the painting of the foreground trees and shrubs, which was typical of his practice, and demonstrated the specific influence of the German 'Nazarene' painters with whom he had also enjoyed some contact in Rome. A key belief of the German Romantic painters was that painting should be an expression of personal insight into the divine qualities perceived in nature. In 'Sydney Heads', von Guérard celebrated with semi-religious reverence, the sublime beauty of the scene. Selecting an elevated viewpoint affording a panorama of the harbour and its surrounds, the artist aimed to inspire a sense of awe and wonder in the viewer by accentuating the vastness of the sky and by implication, suggesting the great expanses of the world beyond. [Helen Campbell, 'Eugene von Guérard - Sydney Heads 1865', Australian Collection Focus Series, AGNSW, 1999]

"I repaint other people's paintings. See that there? That's 'Bailed up'. You know, Tom Roberts. I've just taken the figures out and repainted the background." - Fred Williams 1969 One of Williams' greatest works, 'My garden' was painted in direct response to Tom Roberts' 'Bailed up', underlining Williams' strong allegiance to the Heidelberg School and especially to Tom Roberts, the Australian painter he loved most of all. In a singularly profound homage from one artist to another, Williams transmuted the golden glare of a relatively gentle New England landscape into his own painterly expression of the hot red heart of the continent; acting out his long-held declaration that 'Bailed up' was the most important landscape painting in this country. Australian Art Department, AGNSW, 2000

Noh robes are the ultimate statement in quality, luxury and skilful weaving. This one is an 'atsuita', a robe used as an outer robe primarily for male roles. It is boldly decorated with alternating squares of eddy or whirlpool ('uzumoyo') motifs, and dragon roundels. In addition the backgrounds within the squares are enriched with trellis and 'Bishamon' diaper pattern; and the ikat dyed warps are arranged to form blocks of colour. The result is a superbly vibrant and impressive design. Asian Art Department, AGNSW, August 2006.

The 'golden age' of Japanese screen painting occurred in the 1600s in Kyoto, when these brilliantly realised screens were painted by Kano Eino, third generation head of the Kyoto Kano school. The style had emerged in the confidently flamboyant Momoyama period (1568-1615) as the brash and newly emergent samurai elite sought an ostentatious display of their own power and wealth. It was their patronage that created for the first time lavish screens of gold background decorated with symbols of power such as bamboo and cypress. The new style, expressed most beautifully by artists of the Kano school in the late 1500s and 1600s, was an intuitive distillation of the dialectic that has driven Japanese culture: its accepting/rejecting relationship with China. The dialectic (which the Japanese call 'wakan', 'China/Japan') was based on a series of opposites: monochrome/colour, emotion/restraint, abstraction/nationalism. The dialectic is epitomised in these screens: the bold, vigorous and rich brushstrokes of Chinese painting displayed in the rhythmic sweep of the lichen-covered cypress trunks and the sharp lines of the rock faces, combined with the clear, bright colours and attentive recording of nature that is the native inheritance of the Japanese artist. The delicate, elegant handling of the dandelions and lilies on the top screen exemplifies the native Japanese sensitivity to nature. The screens also realise this dialectic symbolically: the cypress was a favoured symbol of the samurai to express their dominance and power, while the pierced rock formation on the bottom screen is a classic Chinese Daoist interpretation of the 'yin' and 'yang', void and form. The pampas grass with its trimming of autumnal frost (in reality a movingly beautiful sight) is a favourite Japanese subject for painters and poets. The combination of the pine, bamboo and plum blossom on the extreme left originated in 13th century China and became one of the most popular depictions of Chinese art. Termed the 'Three Friends of the Cold Season', the trio is laden with symbolism: the pine exemplifies steadfastness and courage, the bamboo uprightness and the plum blossom, purity. The pheasant, often synonymous with the phoenix, is a Chinese emblem of beauty and good fortune, while in Japan the pheasant was the prey in the samurai's beloved sport of falconry. The strong interest in plants such as camellias that arose in the mid 1600s is also reflected in this work. The Asian Collections, AGNSW, 2003, pg.218.

This monumental stone image of the seated Buddha Amitabha, the Buddha of the West, sits with his hands held in the meditation gesture (in Sanskrit known as 'dhyana mudra'), his feet in the 'vajrasana' position of both soles upwards, and wearing the thin diaphanous robe of a monk. Deeply immersed in meditation, the Buddha emanates the serenity, wisdom and spirituality expected of the central icon of Buddhism. It is likely that originally this Buddha was part of a specific grouping. For example, Amitabha, together with Shakyamuni, the Historical Buddha, and Maitreya, the Buddha of the Future, constitutes the powerful triumvirate of Past, Present and Future Buddhas. As well, Amitabha as the Buddha of the West, appears in mandalas on the western quarter. The concept of the mandala, a diagrammatic representation of the invisible forces that govern the cosmos, was brought to Indonesia with Vajrayana Buddhism. Vajrayana mandalas commonly have five Buddhas: the Buddhas of the Four Directions, presided over by Vairochana, the Buddha of the Centre. The largest three-dimensional mandala, and a site of world cultural significance, is at Borobudur, an astounding 9th century monument that contains nearly 500 Buddhist statues. Stylistically this Buddha is close to those at Borobudur, and presumably belonged to such a set that once constituted a temple mandala, with Amitabha Buddhas presiding over the west. The Asian Collections, AGNSW, 2003, pg.339.

This finely crafted regal figure of the Buddha is depicted in a strong frontal stance wearing long, flowing monastic robes, scalloped at the hems and gathered in front with a jewelled girdle. While the smooth and naturalistic modelling of the torso gives the appearance of a bare upper body, the Buddha's robes are in fact draped over both shoulders where an elaborate necklace or collar disguises the neckline of the garment. In addition, the Buddha is depicted wearing elaborate jewellery: heavy earrings, armbands and a distinctive conical crown, the practice of depicting the Buddha as adorned with a crown having developed in Pala India where the crown represented the complete attainment of Buddhahood. Nevertheless, dressed in the regalia of a king, this majestic figure of the Buddha embodies the concept of the Devaraja (literally god-king), as an incarnation of the Divine on earth and as the means by which the Khmer kings legitimised their sovereignty. In an interesting variation, the hands of this Buddha are held in the gesture of 'vitarka mudra', the gesture of philosophical debate and discussion, reminiscent of Thai Buddha images of the preceding Mon-Dvaravati period. Thus although the distinctive facial features, powerful frontal and hieratic stance, and ornate formalism of this skilfully executed image of the Buddha has its stylistic origins with the Khmer culture, this appropriation and adaptation of Mon-Dvaravati elements attest to the dynamic evolution of Southeast Asian Buddhist sculpture. Asian Art Dept., AGNSW, 29 May 2002.

Bill Henson's first solo exhibition, held at the National Gallery of Victoria in 1975 when he was 19 years old, heralded the beginnings of a unique photographic vision of the Australian landscape. Known for his brooding imagery and exacting artistic process, Henson alludes to the darkness of Caravaggio, the lightness of Purcell and the drama of Wagner. The intensity and intimacy of his images broach the boundary of the painterly and the cinematic, combining both surface and depth to reflect a space between the mystical and the real. Like Francesco Clemente, his photographs may begin with a fleeting vision or impression, a piece of music or line of writing, that echoes subconsciously before manifesting in his work. Henson's 'Untitled 1994/95' shows naked youths, cars and the darkened landscape that constantly fluctuates between space and time. It is a layered work, interspersed and fragmented by jagged reversed photographic paper that is pinned almost savagely to the surface. The glaring voids are not only temporarily blinding but create a shift akin to a screen obscuring the darkness and its content. The fracturing of the surface develops a provocative tension, splintering the image and adding to its intensity, further charging the displaced subjects with a brutal, baroque sensuality. The figural 'tableau vivant' is, as critic John Forbes suggested, an approximation of Renaissance art. There is also something medieval about the imagery and figures, which recall the rich and fractured spaces of Dieric Bouts' 'Hell' and 'Paradise' of 1450. The evocative portrait series 'Paris Opera Project' brings a strangely discontinuous space to the viewer. Part of a much larger series, the portraits play out the drama of opera as if in five acts. Moving from a moody landscape in half-light to a young girl who lifts her hand to grasp the darkness, the inky blackness of the theatre leads us through the other portraits of opera viewers deep in concentration. The final image, like the first, is a fuzzy landscape, where a barely discernible hill of trees is mirrored by trailing clouds, the space between reflecting the shimmering night sky. Like video artist Bill Viola, Henson chooses not to show the action of the stage but rather the audience in full devotional contemplation. Often likened to painting, Henson's artistic process is not unlike the painter's struggle: 'just as you can scrape back areas of painting and go over them, you do follow something along over maybe several weeks and change things until it slips past its best point and you lose it. And then there's a long, often a very long, period when the work is turning into something else - you can't wind it back to whatever it was'.1 1. Sebastian Smee in conversation with Bill Henson (1994) in Bill Henson, 'Mnemosyne', AGNSW, Sydney/Scalo, Zurich 2005, p 440 © Art Gallery of New South Wales Contemporary Collection Handbook, 2006

Noh robes are the ultimate statement in quality, luxury and skilful weaving. This one is an 'atsuita', a robe used as an outer robe primarily for male roles. It is boldly decorated with alternating squares of eddy or whirlpool ('uzumoyo') motifs, and dragon roundels. In addition the backgrounds within the squares are enriched with trellis and 'Bishamon' diaper pattern; and the ikat dyed warps are arranged to form blocks of colour. The result is a superbly vibrant and impressive design. Asian Art Department, AGNSW, August 2006.

'Sydney Heads', the only known Sydney subject by the artist, is a product of von Guérard's first and only excursion into New South Wales in November 1859, when he visited Sydney, the Blue Mountains and the Illawarra region. The painting was worked up in his studio in Melbourne six years later, most likely on the basis of a preparatory drawing now in the State Library of New South Wales, Sydney. Von Guérard's atmospheric rendering of this light-filled scene, together with his sensitive and precise depiction of topographical detail and human activity within a tightly controlled composition, makes 'Sydney Heads' one of his finest paintings. Von Guérard reverted to the composition of the drawing in his 1865 painting of the view - flattening the foreground slope and decreasing the North/South breadth of the Harbour and scale of the hills beyond Manly to increase a sense of space and grandeur. Addition of a tree to the left of Vaucluse Bay provided a picturesque framing device, whilst he also transformed the rough heathland of his 1860 painting to elegantly grassed slopes - perhaps to appeal to a contemporary preference for countryside of a more tamed, European appearance. Details such as the group of figures around a fire at right, added foreground interest - improving the overall balance of the composition. He bathed the scene with the rose-tinted light of late afternoon, clearly intending an altogether more luminous and poetic impression than in his painting of 1860. Von Guérard's painting, 'Sydney Heads' 1865, with its combination of elevated sentiment and remote and wild, yet partly civilised subject, relates to both homestead portraits and wilderness views in his oeuvre. As such the work takes its place within a wider international context of European artistic engagement with newly colonised lands, finding particular parallels for example with the contemporaneous work of the 'Hudson River School' artists in America. As Joan Kerr, Australian colonial art historian, comments in the catalogue to The Artist and the patron exhibition (1988), picturing the harbour 'was an almost obligatory subject for amateur and professional alike…This was not only "the most beautiful harbour in the world" it was the first sight of the new land for many arrivals and the first step towards regaining the ancestral home for many departures'. In Eugene von Guérard's 'Australian Landscapes', containing twenty four colour lithographs of landscape views (published by Hamal and Ferguson, c.1867 - 68), plate XXII 'Sydney Heads, New South Wales' is described thus; 'From the summit of a knoll on the roadside from Sydney to the narrow promontory known as the South Head, is visible the lovely prospect depicted by our artist ... The road to the South Head is deservedly a favourite drive with the inhabitants of Sydney, and the stranger passing over it for the first time experiences a succession of demands upon his admiration, as each bend in the road discloses to him some new combination of sea and shore and sky, each lovelier than the last'. The various extant versions of the painting and the lithograph which was the last work to be completed of the subject by von Guérard, offer a number of interpretations of the pencil drawing. Focusing on what has been described as one of several classic views encompassing Sydney Harbour's quintessential qualities, and painted by innumerable artists, von Guérard's 'Sydney Heads' depicts a broad sweep of landscape from Vaucluse Bay on the left to Watson's Bay and Sydney Heads at the right, with the road to the South Head in the foreground. Despite partial screening by vegetation and buildings, the accuracy of his transcription of the view may be confirmed today from the vicinity of 'Johnston's Lookout' in Vaucluse, the probable viewpoint for the artist's preparatory drawing. However, whilst clearly concerned with accurately and informatively depicting a view already well known for its 'picturesque' synthesis of grandeur and beauty, von Guérard also aimed to transcend mere topography. Von Guérard scholar Candice Bruce suggests that during the artist's training at the Kunstakademie in Dusseldorf (c.1839 - c.1846) he probably saw the work of the principal German Romantic painter Caspar David Friedrich, whose style and mood his work later evoked, and became familiar with treatises by the main exponents of German Romanticism, Carl Gustav Carus (1789-1869) and 'Novalis' [dates]. The influence of von Guérard's earlier teacher in Rome, Giovannibattista Bassi - who taught in the traditions of Salvator Rosa, Poussin and Claude - also encouraged an interest in concepts of 'the sublime' and 'the picturesque' in art. In the newly established landscape class at the Academy, von Guérard was encouraged to go on long sketching trips in pursuit of the new naturalism or 'Naturegetreue wiedergabe' (a response true to nature). For the German Romantic landscape painter, each painting was an 'Erdlebensbildnis' or painting of the life of the earth, in which a focus on the microcosmic details of nature led to an awareness of the macrocosmic presence of the soul of the world. No detail was inessential. Hence von Guérard's attention to detail, visible particularly in the painting of the foreground trees and shrubs, which was typical of his practice, and demonstrated the specific influence of the German 'Nazarene' painters with whom he had also enjoyed some contact in Rome. A key belief of the German Romantic painters was that painting should be an expression of personal insight into the divine qualities perceived in nature. In 'Sydney Heads', von Guérard celebrated with semi-religious reverence, the sublime beauty of the scene. Selecting an elevated viewpoint affording a panorama of the harbour and its surrounds, the artist aimed to inspire a sense of awe and wonder in the viewer by accentuating the vastness of the sky and by implication, suggesting the great expanses of the world beyond. [Helen Campbell, 'Eugene von Guérard - Sydney Heads 1865', Australian Collection Focus Series, AGNSW, 1999]

'Sydney Heads', the only known Sydney subject by the artist, is a product of von Guérard's first and only excursion into New South Wales in November 1859, when he visited Sydney, the Blue Mountains and the Illawarra region. The painting was worked up in his studio in Melbourne six years later, most likely on the basis of a preparatory drawing now in the State Library of New South Wales, Sydney. Von Guérard's atmospheric rendering of this light-filled scene, together with his sensitive and precise depiction of topographical detail and human activity within a tightly controlled composition, makes 'Sydney Heads' one of his finest paintings. Von Guérard reverted to the composition of the drawing in his 1865 painting of the view - flattening the foreground slope and decreasing the North/South breadth of the Harbour and scale of the hills beyond Manly to increase a sense of space and grandeur. Addition of a tree to the left of Vaucluse Bay provided a picturesque framing device, whilst he also transformed the rough heathland of his 1860 painting to elegantly grassed slopes - perhaps to appeal to a contemporary preference for countryside of a more tamed, European appearance. Details such as the group of figures around a fire at right, added foreground interest - improving the overall balance of the composition. He bathed the scene with the rose-tinted light of late afternoon, clearly intending an altogether more luminous and poetic impression than in his painting of 1860. Von Guérard's painting, 'Sydney Heads' 1865, with its combination of elevated sentiment and remote and wild, yet partly civilised subject, relates to both homestead portraits and wilderness views in his oeuvre. As such the work takes its place within a wider international context of European artistic engagement with newly colonised lands, finding particular parallels for example with the contemporaneous work of the 'Hudson River School' artists in America. As Joan Kerr, Australian colonial art historian, comments in the catalogue to The Artist and the patron exhibition (1988), picturing the harbour 'was an almost obligatory subject for amateur and professional alike…This was not only "the most beautiful harbour in the world" it was the first sight of the new land for many arrivals and the first step towards regaining the ancestral home for many departures'. In Eugene von Guérard's 'Australian Landscapes', containing twenty four colour lithographs of landscape views (published by Hamal and Ferguson, c.1867 - 68), plate XXII 'Sydney Heads, New South Wales' is described thus; 'From the summit of a knoll on the roadside from Sydney to the narrow promontory known as the South Head, is visible the lovely prospect depicted by our artist ... The road to the South Head is deservedly a favourite drive with the inhabitants of Sydney, and the stranger passing over it for the first time experiences a succession of demands upon his admiration, as each bend in the road discloses to him some new combination of sea and shore and sky, each lovelier than the last'. The various extant versions of the painting and the lithograph which was the last work to be completed of the subject by von Guérard, offer a number of interpretations of the pencil drawing. Focusing on what has been described as one of several classic views encompassing Sydney Harbour's quintessential qualities, and painted by innumerable artists, von Guérard's 'Sydney Heads' depicts a broad sweep of landscape from Vaucluse Bay on the left to Watson's Bay and Sydney Heads at the right, with the road to the South Head in the foreground. Despite partial screening by vegetation and buildings, the accuracy of his transcription of the view may be confirmed today from the vicinity of 'Johnston's Lookout' in Vaucluse, the probable viewpoint for the artist's preparatory drawing. However, whilst clearly concerned with accurately and informatively depicting a view already well known for its 'picturesque' synthesis of grandeur and beauty, von Guérard also aimed to transcend mere topography. Von Guérard scholar Candice Bruce suggests that during the artist's training at the Kunstakademie in Dusseldorf (c.1839 - c.1846) he probably saw the work of the principal German Romantic painter Caspar David Friedrich, whose style and mood his work later evoked, and became familiar with treatises by the main exponents of German Romanticism, Carl Gustav Carus (1789-1869) and 'Novalis' [dates]. The influence of von Guérard's earlier teacher in Rome, Giovannibattista Bassi - who taught in the traditions of Salvator Rosa, Poussin and Claude - also encouraged an interest in concepts of 'the sublime' and 'the picturesque' in art. In the newly established landscape class at the Academy, von Guérard was encouraged to go on long sketching trips in pursuit of the new naturalism or 'Naturegetreue wiedergabe' (a response true to nature). For the German Romantic landscape painter, each painting was an 'Erdlebensbildnis' or painting of the life of the earth, in which a focus on the microcosmic details of nature led to an awareness of the macrocosmic presence of the soul of the world. No detail was inessential. Hence von Guérard's attention to detail, visible particularly in the painting of the foreground trees and shrubs, which was typical of his practice, and demonstrated the specific influence of the German 'Nazarene' painters with whom he had also enjoyed some contact in Rome. A key belief of the German Romantic painters was that painting should be an expression of personal insight into the divine qualities perceived in nature. In 'Sydney Heads', von Guérard celebrated with semi-religious reverence, the sublime beauty of the scene. Selecting an elevated viewpoint affording a panorama of the harbour and its surrounds, the artist aimed to inspire a sense of awe and wonder in the viewer by accentuating the vastness of the sky and by implication, suggesting the great expanses of the world beyond. [Helen Campbell, 'Eugene von Guérard - Sydney Heads 1865', Australian Collection Focus Series, AGNSW, 1999]

Noh robes are the ultimate statement in quality, luxury and skilful weaving. This one is an 'atsuita', a robe used as an outer robe primarily for male roles. It is boldly decorated with alternating squares of eddy or whirlpool ('uzumoyo') motifs, and dragon roundels. In addition the backgrounds within the squares are enriched with trellis and 'Bishamon' diaper pattern; and the ikat dyed warps are arranged to form blocks of colour. The result is a superbly vibrant and impressive design. Asian Art Department, AGNSW, August 2006.

Tony Bond, Head of International Art at the Art Gallery of NSW, discusses the epic exhibition, Anslem Keifer: APERIATUR TERRA. Tony & I wander through the 5 spaces within the AGNSW housing the exhibition, talking about the great German artist, the themes he explores, the construction of the works themselves, and the challenging logistical issues surrounding the presentation of Keifer's huge but delicate works. A remarkable insight into this artist. From the AGNSW site: "Anselm Kiefer is regarded as one of the most important and influential artists working today. This exhibition reveals some of the themes that Anselm Kiefer is currently exploring in his studio in France. One of these themes appears as a room dedicated to Palm Sunday, with painting and sculpture, using mixed media such as date palms, thorns, clay and red oxide." To view the works go to: http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/exhibitions/current/kiefer