King Street Gallery on William - Kensuke Todo

When I first saw these highway sculpture's I immediately thought he had been to Los Angeles, I didn't realize that he was actually from Kyoto until I spoke to Kensuke...

Guess I have to blame popular culture for that misunderstanding!!!

I was also quite curious about the medium he had used...Mild Steel

What was it all about and then I asked him...  It's still as clear as mud but I get the jist...

They are all very beautiful works, each one with it's own identity and story to tell, and with many long hours of blood, sweat and tears spent to create these mini super highway's some of us may be tempted to want to place some matchbox cars on them,  but it would probably be an insult...

So if you ask the Gallery staff nicely they might let you touch one of the works...

written by fleur

21st September - 16th October 2010
www.kingstreetgallery.com.au

Sarah Cottier Gallery - Matthys Gerber

In the early 90's I would venture to the vast Mori Annexe in Leichhardt and gaze in awe at the enormous paintings by Matthys,  fictional dreamy landscapes and wanted to climb into them to escape from reality...

That was then, but this is now!!!

This new set of paintings are a far cry from the dreamy landscapes... these ones are much more surreal, hallucinogenic acid trip,  abstraction to it's raw edge... But a style that he has re-visited over and over through the years...

Did his work 'Monitor' from 2008 give birth to 'Jeep' in this current show!!!

After all,  he is prolific and I am still daunted by the sheer fact that he has had over 31 Solo's since 1980...  

And not surprised if he had been mistaken for a student within the hip young crowd that attended his opening,  for the Dutch look forever young...

written by fleur

22nd September - 23rd October 2010
sarahcottiergallery.com

Damien Minton Gallery Annex - Mark Hetherington

OK... so it's rough as guts but it has a very impressive 30 metre long uninterrupted wall... apparently this has and is Damien's storage and private viewing place and what a great idea to use it for the occasional show as well.

The 'pop up' thing I really like ... it seems to be happening everywhere and Damien seemed genuinely surprised at the turnout ... this show had really only been promoted on the dreaded facebook and it was packed...

I love a show that has the cheekiness to have a painting with two moustaches glued on!

There's lots of jokes here... and having just seen the dreadful 'Paths To Abstraction' show at AGNSW (which totally ignored the Vorticists) it was great to see paintings that bucked any current trend and followed a pure early modernist approach.

Great space and I look forward to seeing what could happen there.

written by jimmy

16th September - 19th September 2010
markhetherington.com.au
www.damienmintongallery.com.au

Australian Galleries- Roylston Street - Rodney Pople

He says he's been working in this hybrid medium for the past 4 years... The scale of these works makes you think...maybe longer... Well he certainly didn't create them in an all night science project!!!

I love painting and I love photography and the way he brings the 2 together is a whole new chapter for 'Art Through The Ages'...

The subject matter is another story, although it's been running through his veins for awhile and with winning the 'Blake Prize' in 2008 seems it has started to morph into something more grandeur!!!

There is more explicit sex scenes in every day life!!!...  So what!  They didn't bother me... I was more affected by the shark's, their presence within the Gothic religion atmosphere...

And, after all these years I'm still wondering why most of us wear black to an Art opening... Thank god for a rare few and Stuart Purves feet!!!..

Get down to the Gallery and see it... even for the sign on the door!!!

written by fleur

14th September - 2nd October 2010
www.australiangalleries.com.au

Barometer Gallery - Scarf - World Shibori Network

We first stumbled on the wacky world of Shibori late last year when we crashed the last Shibori network show ... met the lovely Barbara and when we ran into her at Damien Minton and she invited us back ... how could we say no?

Shibori is a Japanese term for several methods of dyeing cloth with a pattern by binding, stitching, folding, twisting, compressing it, or capping. Some of these methods are known in the West as tie-dye. 

For those not in the know click here.

They're a friendly crew and we learned a lot ... who would have thought that you could knit stainless steel and silk and that it would be so entertaining?

All was going well until they closed the gallery for a 'secret shibori business' meeting and the non practitioners were shunted onto the street!

We had fun, loved the anenome in the centre of the room ... and the nipple scarf... but that's shibori for you!

12th September - 3rd October 2010
www.barometer.net.au

Michael Reid at Elizabeth Bay - Annibell Marrngamarrnga & Stewart MacFarlane

There's a sinister aspect to Stewart MacFarlane's paintings. They read as single panels from a graphic novel whose plot has not been totally explained. High contrast colours and deep shadows...

Now openings are a rarity at Michael Reid Gallery and this one was friendly and fun... should be more of them as so few people know where the gallery is.

Lovely to meet Stewart and his lovely wife Jane and of course catch up with Nerissa and meet Reg (I'd always wondered about those wee cartoons in the Herald).






Annibell Marrngamarrnga, downstairs weaves delicate large pandanus fibre forms of Yawk Yawk, the mythical beings said to live in freshwater streams and rockpools.

They hang as mobiles and on the wall and capture a lively and sometimes playful view of indigenous cosmology.

Written by Jimmy


8th September - 1st October 2010
michaelreid.com.au

Gallery 9 - Craig Waddell

Probably the first sweep I've done of an almost empty Gallery... But I got in early just so to film the work before the crowds arrived...

Gorgeous, sumptuous, delicious and gorgeous, oops have I already said gorgeous, well gorgeous again!!!

I'm gushing I know! But I just love these beautiful paintings, good enough to eat... I told Craig I wanted to lick them, found out later I wasn't the only one who wanted too...

It was very hard to make a decision which one is my favourite between 'You have Touched My Soul', 'whispers Of Tomorrow', 'Now And Forever' and 'You Are Mine And Mine Alone'... Very romantic titles and a very romantic subject... And his application and manipulation of the paint... As if to use a Plasterer's trowel with wide flowing sweeps dragging the paint to create the beautiful flowers...

Craig has gone from strength to strength and it shows in this body of work, his last show here at Gallery 9 is nothing compared to this show... And a big congrats for winning the Mosman Art Prize this year... For he is a lovely, funny and charming fellow!!!

written by fleur

8th September - 2nd October 2010
www.gallery9.com.au

TAP Gallery - Diablo Mode

Who would have thought that the best show this year so far would be on for a week only?

It closes on Saturday and PLEASE go and see it.

I've known Diablo for over a decade and for some strange reason no commercial gallery has ever picked up the strange brilliance that Diablo weaves...

Craft meets art and art wins out...

There where people in a line to buy these works....people were being pipped at the post...

Fleur bought one and the BIG one was bought by James Lindsay... who was the big wheel behind Roo Bar and has collected the Mode's  work for a decade... we love Diablo and so love his work so much ...

You aint got much time to see this show... and it's the must see show this month.

But hurry...

written by jimmy

31st August - 4th Sept 2010
www.diablomode.com