After the great summer slumber, the art year is now in full swing! Couple of highlights…
John A Douglas The Visceral Garden at Chalk Horse is well worth a look. I was quite mesmerized by the collage video triptych, all pink and glistening, then on closer inspection much more sinister undertones.
The current group show at Sullivan and Strumph has some beautiful work. I finally saw at least one of Alex Seton’s recent work, Recycled Bags, as I didn’t make it to the solo show at Hazelhurst or Gouldburn. Sam Jink’s little twins were delightful and solemn. Hiromi Tango’s Insanity Magnet was also so rich and luscious.
Not so sure about Tino Segal’s This is so contemporary at AGNSW – it felt a bit stifled in the small foyer. Maybe my expectations were too high, I imagined interpretive dance on a grand scale!
Some of the best “art” though has been on a wander through the manicured Botanical Gardens. The foliage is so intense this late in the summer, it makes for some beautiful compositions. It reminds me of William Robinson’s Transfigured Landscapes from long ago – the best gardens evoke the wilderness so far away from our costal cities.
William Robinson – Creation Landscape: The ancient trees 1997
Thought I should also share with you one of Ted Kooser’s poems – from Winter Morning Walks. If you have a chance, catch Dawn Upshaw perform Maria Schneider’s composition of this with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, truly spectacular.
Walking by Flashlight
at six this morning,
my circle of light on the gravel
swinging side to side,
coyote, raccoon, field mouse, sparrow,
each watching from the darkness
this man with the moon on a leash
– Ted Kooser: Winter Morning Walks
March is going to be packed – Sydney Biennial and Art Month both on, doesn’t get much better than this!
Through the looking glass 