{Sydney Shines Bright}

My first night in Sydney was a beauty thanks to Vivid. Vivid is all about music, lights, art and ideas. After dark the city lights up with installations, fireworks, projections and performances.

Whilst having dinner at Darling Harbour I was treated to a surprise fireworks show that is part of the festival. Every night fireworks are let off from floating pontoons in the middle of the Harbour. Fountains and lights also featured and the show was worth braving the wind and rain!

After dinner (still in the wind and rain) we headed down to the Rocks to see some of the light displays, it was amazing! The use of projections on iconic buildings was truly breathtaking. Here's some piccies I snapped of the installations, art and projections.

It's on until the 10th of this month so if you are heading to Sydney soon, treat your senses to this amazing display, the lights are on after 6pm each night.

Happy hump day eve,

KT

{A Sunday Saunter}

After a few failed attempts I finally made it to QAGOMA to check out the Creative Generation Excellence in Visual Art display. Thirty one pieces created by 2012, year twelve art students from across the state are on display. They were selected from over 500 entries and I have to say they are fantastic, these kids have talent!

Here's a sneaky peak of some of the works. Of mention is the piece in the top right hand corner that is made entirely of paper! Very fine and beautiful work indeed. Who this piece was by and its very clever name elude me at this point in time.... guess you will have to head along and see this lovely work for yourself to find out! 

Another that really impressed me is the top left below, It's By Brisbane Grammar student Lachlan Marshall and is titled Fractured view. I was sure it was a photograph until I read the label... It's a painting! Wow eee!

The overwhelming winner for me was a portrait by Cleveland District High School Student, Jordan Azcune. Maybe I'm a little biased towards this local work having lived in the Redlands for most of life so I'll let you decide!

All in all it was a really fabulous (and free) exhibition, it's continuing until August so make sure you pop along and see the states up and comers in the world of Visual Art!

Being that I was already in the area I took the opportunity to pop into the State Library to check out the QLD Live Band Culture display. 

It was a little disappointing I'd have to say. Firstly it's tiny in comparison to publicity that surrounds it. Secondly it really neglects current band culture in Brisbane, yes there is a fancy mural to current bands and a life size photograph of one of the walls in iconic live music venue The Zoo.... but that's it! The best bit for me was the audio visual display that features some figures key to the survival of Brisbane's live music scene sharing their stories. Really interesting stuff. 

It looks like there is a program of music events to accompany the display and I would recommend heading along to an actual performance then perusing the display after. One its own, not really worth the trip. 

Speaking of live music, I'm off too enjoy two nights of giggin in a row this weekend! How spoilt am I? I hope you have some amazing weekend plans too.

Happy Sauntering,

KT

{Beautiful beaches and brilliant art in Byron}

How nice was it to finally have some sunshine over the weekend? Apart from a few late night and early morning showers, Byron really did turn it on weather wise for my camping adventure to Suffolk Park.

Suffolk Park

I spent most of the time relaxing on the beach or at the camp-site which was heaven! I did manage to break the relaxation a few times with a little wander through the Markets in Lennox heads, as well as a few trips into Byron, where I checked out Retrospect Galleries.

Retrospect Galleries Lawson st, Byron Bay NSW

This place is FULL of amazing works and leaving the credit card at home was a smart move on my part because there were so many I would have loved to relocate to my living room. Here's a little sneaky peaky at some of their current exhibition:

Top: Alberto Sanches
Bottom left: Courtney Brimms
Bottom right: David Green Flamenco

On a previous girls weekend in Byron a good friend of mine made an art purchase. I wasn't with her at the time but have seen the artwork in her home and it is really beautiful. When I walked into the gallery and saw this, it had a familiarity to it and I just knew it must have been by the same artist. I'll have to check with her but I think I'm on the  money...

Mi Amor Errante Alberto Sanchez

Alberto Sanchez is originally from Spain but is now based in Byron. He takes photographs which he prints on museum grade archival paper then hand colours with ink, acrylic and aerosols. He then mounts the images on board and coats them in resin. This layering gives them a great depth and they bridge the mediums of photography and painting. The results are breathtaking I think. Here's what Alberto has to say about his work:

"My images are populated by unearthly characters in recognisable scenarios. Heavy use of hand-colouring and texture results in a range of colourful masquerades and improbable landscapes, in which us, the audience, are forced to participate in the eternal struggle between Good and Evil. They tend to fluctuate between the strictly narrative to the matter-of-fact photographic record, resulting in a hybrid reality of the physical and imagined worlds."

You are always on my mind Alberto Sanchez

I have worked a bit with resin myself but have only used poly. It sets super fast but ends up full of bubbles and foggy. These images and the glass like clarity of the resin certainly have me keen to try working with the slower setting but much clearer epoxy in the near future. I'll be sure to let you know how I go when I get around to it!

Even though Alberto's works are stunning there was one piece in the gallery that stole my attention. It was this mixed media work by Kristen Jackson. The vibrant colours and sheer size (about 1.5m x 1.2m) would make it the feature of any room!

Kristen Jackson

You can visit the gallery yourself or check out their website, you might even find yourself a bit of art for your own home.

Happy browsing,

KT

{Wet weather wander in West End}

With flooding meaning my long awaited road trip to Grafton was off I was left with a completely free schedule this weekend. So I decided to take my own advice and head off to West End to check out photographer Rueben Stafford's exhibit at The Box.

I arrived very wet but was lucky to be the only one in the Gallery so I could enjoy the 20 or so black and white shots of abandoned structures at my own pace.

The pictures captured the beauty of the buildings in detail leaving me wondering how on earth they could have been abandoned in the first place. My favourites were the shots of the former Morningside Art College. They depict destruction and desolation (in an eerily beautiful way) in a place that was once all about creation.

This guy has an eye for angles and lighting which means the photos are all stunning. If you are looking for something to put on the wall at home they are for sale for around $200.

When I stepped outside the torrential rain had subsided to a mere drizzle. Feeling brave I decided to head down Vulture street to check out the shop that once stood in The Box's place, Box Vintage. Fashion is Art right?

I couldn't resist the print of a blue dress or the layered frilly collar of a top so I bought them both home to live in my closet! On a retail therapy high I trudged across the road through the rain and had a looksie in Jet Black Cat Music. 

There are sooo many great records in this store! Sadly I don't have a record player to call my own yet, so I left empty handed. But if you are looking for some great tunes on vinyl it's definitely worth checking out. They also have lots of fun in store events like trivia and listening parties (I keep meaning to head along to one of these.... maybe next week?)  Like them on facebook to stay up to date!

The weather was looking like getting worse so I decided it was time to call it quits and head home. It really was a wonderful way to spend the morning on such a wet day, I even stumbled across some street art on my way back to the car.

Happy Saturday and stay dry,

KT

{Art meets eyewear}

How many can say they carry a Lister with them all day not just that they have one on the wall at home? Well now we all can!

Colab eyewear is a range of sunglasses designed by Artists! As Colab themselves put it, it's art for your face. Every season they get a collective of creatives to design a super funky range. The best part is only a 1000 of each style are sold world wide, it really is like having your own limited edition print.

Anthony Lister

The styles range from the conservative to the way out there with Colab putting no constraints or requirements on the Painters, Graphic Designers, Musicians and other creative souls that come up with the collections. A pair of these will set you back about $200 which I think is pretty reasonable, especially when you're getting something that is a bit spesh and that is hand made.

Rockin jellybean

Chris Hopkins

I'm seriously thinking about getting myself a pair if only I could decide which ones! Check out their full range and stockists here  

Happy shopping,

KT

P.S my theatre date had to be re scheduled to next week - so stay tuned to hear all about La Boite's Holding the man soon!

{GOMA is great}

It started out as a pretty gloomy rainy day here in Brisbane, one that likely ruined many peoples Saturday plans... but not mine! What perfect weather to enjoy a day wandering around the Art Gallery. So off I went with my lovely mother in tow to see the 7th Asia Pacific Triennial at the Gallery of Modern Art

The exhibition was truly fantastic! The creative minds of so many resulted in a truly amazing mix of works and as always the experience was made so much richer by reading the artists comments relating to the works. Here's a sneaky peek at some of the exhibits.

This piece by Raqib Shaw called Paradise Lost was one of my favs. At first glance it's an exquisitely elaborate sparkling fairytale, but on closer inspection depicts a dark fantasy world full of creatures feasting on each others flesh. This striking contrast along with the medium are what makes this piece so appealing to me. The painting was created using oil, acrylic, enamel, glitter and rhinestones.... its almost as though it's been painted in stained glass.

The other piece that blew me away (and most of the days visitors judging by the surrounding crowd) was this work by Tiffany Chung. For me this piece is a contrast in scale, overall expansive but made up of hundreds of tiny glass animals. You could spend all day starring at each little creature, determining it's species. Quiet breathtaking!

After all our wondering we were feeling pretty hungry so we had a bite to eat at the Gallery restaurant. It was my first trip there and I couldn't fault it. One word: delicious!!

In short the ATP7 at GOMA is a must see and best of all its free! Looks like this weather is likely to keep up for tomorrow.....why not head to GOMA and enjoy some brightness on a cloudy day!

Happy Saturday,

KT

{Popping my blogging cherry!}

Eek! I've finally done it! After a lot of 'will I, won't I' i've overcome my technological anxiety and started a blog. As an avid lover of the Arts I frequent galleries, gigs, the theatre and more and hope you will enjoy me sharing my experiences. Who knows I might just tempt you to head along to a few things yourself...


This weekend i'm off the the Gallery of Modern Art to check out the 7th Asia Pacific Triennial and I have to say i'm pretty excited! So stay tuned or check out the details yourself here: http://www.qagoma.qld.gov.au/exhibitions/apt

KT