View from the Gallery
Post by John Cheeseman · Mon 11 Feb 2013 · Exhibition stories
Bungaree now on exhibition at Lake Macquarie Gallery!
Warwick Keen The many faces of Bungaree (detail) 2012, digital print on metallic paper, 188 × 100 cm
Yesterday more than one hundred people attended the opening of the Bungaree: The First Australian exhibition at Lake Macquarie, the first stop of its national tour.
The exhibition was opened by curator, Djon Mundine OAM and many of the participating artists were there including Leanne Tobin, Gordon Syron, Peter MacKenzie, Merv Bishop and Carline Oakley. Mosman was well represented with both the Assistant Director, Katrina Cashman and myself in attendance.
Lake Macquarie is the first stop for the exhibition on its national tour of all states and territories. The exhibition will be on display at Lake Macquarie until 24 March.
Also on show were two complementary exhibitions Birabahn (+ Threlkeld) and Water Stories, both significant exhibitions exploring local Aboriginal identity.
If you have never been to Lake Macquarie Gallery, it is certainly worth a visit – the exhibition space is elegant, the gallery is set in parkland right on the waterfront and a great café restaurant is just next door.
Post by Julie Petersen · Thu 7 Feb 2013 · Behind the scenes
Artists of Mosman install week
On Friday 1 February the Mosman Art Gallery received 240 artworks for the annual Artists of Mosman: 2088 exhibition. Of these, 178 have been selected for exhibition and are currently undergoing the interesting process of placement and installation.
With a variety of works on paper, paintings, photographs, sculptures, ceramics and textiles it is always a challenge to present within the gallery space. Fortunately the works by local Mosman artists and Friends of the Gallery are as diverse as the different media in which they have been created.
Mosman Mayor Peter Abelson will open the exhibition on Friday 8 February with the exhibition on display from Saturday 9 February until Sunday 10 March. We are expecting a large crowd on the night which is a great opportunity to celebrate the talent of Mosman artists.
Post by Julie Petersen · Tue 22 Jan 2013 · Exhibition stories
Over 900 downloads of Notes for Walking App!
Congratulations to artist Megan Heyward for the success of Notes for Walking.
Each day – many visitors from overseas and Sydney – here to enjoy the Sydney Festival, are going out to Middle Head to experience Notes for Walking video pieces on their smart phones.
Only one week to go before the end of the Festival on Sunday.
Remember to download using WiFi before visiting the National Park which is at the end of Middle Head Rd. Visitors can also post comments and photos on the Notes for Walking Facebook page.
Although the Sydney Festival finishes on the 27th of January – the Notes for Walking App which contains a map will still be able to be used on site and be available to download in the App store or on iTunes.
Post by Julie Petersen · Tue 8 Jan 2013 · Exhibition stories
Notes for Walking launched!
On Saturday 5th January around 30 people gathered under a beautiful sunny summer sky for the Sydney Festival launch of the Notes for Walking experience – based on a purpose built Notes for Walking app – which is now available in the iTunes app store.
Chris Caines the Director of the Centre for Media Arts Innovation from the University of Technology where artist Megan Heyward lectures, launched the work and praised Megan for her continuous exploration of the act of walking and its association and connection with time and place. After downloading the app – using the free Wi Fi available at the National Park at Middle Head and at the Mosman Art Gallery, visitors were keen to go off on their own exploration of the old fort site. Following the blue Notes for Walking signs they clustered in shady nooks and tunnels to view the poetic and imaginative video notes which are associated with particular locations.
The Notes for Walking sound scape of underwater sounds recorded on site combined with thrumming insects, squawking crows and earth vibrations, produced by Michael Finucan, reverberated off the walls of the gun emplacements and through the tunnels – creating an eerie and atmospheric effect. The walk’s culmination at The Cabin – is truly amazing and I won’t spoil the experience by describing it fully here – you will have to go out and try it! Users of the app can also post Facebook comments and photos to the Notes for Walking Facebook page. You can also view some of the notes which are projected at the Mosman Art Gallery along with other footage, and if you don’t have a smart phone, the notes can be viewed in full on an ipod located in the CUBE.
Post by Julie Petersen · Wed 5 Dec 2012
Huge crowds attend Tradition and Transformation exhibition events
The power of watercolour combined with the involvement of international artists featured in Tradition and Transformation: Taiwan Australian Watercolour Exhibition has attracted some of the largest and most diverse crowds to ever attend the Mosman Art Gallery.
The opening on Friday 30 saw over 300 guests, many of whom were Taiwanese, enjoy this unique and outstanding exhibition. Tony Bond OAM, Director, Curatorial at the Art Gallery of New South Wales who has been extremely busy curating the Francis Bacon retrospective, opened the exhibition with a wonderful speech about how the medium of watercolour reflects the hand and skill of the artist. Taiwanese ministerial and trade dignitaries also added their thoughts on the importance of the collaboration between Australian and Taiwanese professional arts bodies and celebrated flautist Jane Rutter, ended the evening with a beautiful performance based around the theme of water.
On Sunday around 100 people crowded into the first floor of the gallery to hear Dr. Kuang-Nan Huang, Minister Without Portfolio of the Executive Yuan, Republic of China/Taiwan talk about the cross cultural influences between eastern and western watercolour styles and traditions. His calligraphic watercolour demonstration was keenly observed by people of all ages who stayed well past the allotted time to view the completion of the artworks. Dr Huang was ably assisted by Dr Liao who is an eminent Taiwanese art historian, author and calligrapher in his own right and who acted as translator.
