a few weeks ago, the boy & i went to sydney and managed to check out a lot of art while we were there.
we went to art gallery nsw to check out the archibald. the archibald is an annual prize for portraits. i can’t remember ever hearing about it before moving to AU but it’s a massive thing here that gets big media coverage… on the morning brekkie shows & evening news & in mags, etc.. the portraits are usually either artist self portraits, celebrities and (lesser so) relatively unknown aussies. last year’s winner was one of heath ledger.
it wasn’t til we were at the show that i realised it’s actually multiple prizes – portraits, australian landscapes and subjects done by an aussie artist. you can check out the winners here and the rest of them here. personally, i found most of them boring.
it was only by accident that we discovered inside art express on a different floor. here’s where we should have spent our time. i was gobsmacked that all the artists shown here are HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. it was depressing that i’d never be able to produce anything as cool as some of their work but it was also inspirational (and hopeful that if they continue their work the archibald might be more interesting in years to come).
my favourite artist was estelle felix. her paintings were cool but she had 3 soft fabric pieces (the site only shows the orangey yellow one) with a craft sensibility that made me want to create interesting wall hangings. i hope estelle continues the art path as i’d love to see more.
then we headed to MCA. there’s something about the mca that always draws me back… a combination of the art and the beautiful harbour view i think. this is one of the places i discovered during my first trip to sydney 9 years ago and i have very good memories of the james exhibit and a lazy sunny afternoon.
i wanted to see yayoi kusama: mirrored years and discovered i could easily decorate my home by adapting her art. massive greyish ‘clouds’ cushions that i was dying to recline on? check. mirrored balls lying on the floor reflecting the light? check. closets turned into art by covering them in mirrors and scattering polka dot soft toys across the floor? sure – although i’m probably more inclined to go with the closet covered in mirrors with dangling xmas tree lights. i’d probably skip the water on the floor though.
u can check out her site and those in LA and NYC can see other exhibits of hers.