The Art Life is a clearing house for all sorts of news… The first item may shock and disturb you, especially those of you who spent the better part of a decade sitting in the back rows of the Chauvel Cinema during the 1980s watching scratchy and blurry images, featuring inner city squats, heaps of beer and marijuana “reefers” and frank, adult situations. Yes, that’s right – Super Eight über alles!
“Gday art life ya might be innarested in squatfest. it happens every year, same night, same time, as the corporate cock-sucking trop-fest. (i.e. 7.30pm Sunday 27th feb 05) It’s a chance for artists and activists to get together in an inspiring squatted venue and celebrate participatory culture (as opposed to the advertising-laden consumption-fest that tropfest has become). experimental films, expanded cinema, documentaries, artists’ video, super 8 films, etc etc, anyhoo, enuf ranting, all the details are at our web site, hope to see you there, and for those of you in art life who are into super 8 (i know you are out there) we will have a s8 projector on the night, so bring those dusty ole celluloids along!”
The Squatfest web site is really worth visiting. There’s news such as the I-can’t-believe-it’s-true-but-it-must-be announcement that Nell Scofield will be handing out an award for the winner of the night plus Squatfest lacks a venue but organizers will advise punters via the site at the last moment. For people with plenty of energy and the will to get involved – and this is our favourite part of the site – there is a list of things you can do to help:
What needs doing:
• find a great venue
• collect films/videos from you and anyone who wants to participate
• organise the video/film/sound equipment
• advertise – posters, emails, fliers, press releases
• and anything else you can think of!
We said once but we’ll say it again: Super 8 über alles!
Across town Viki (Papageorgopoulos) Wren and Melody (Ellis) Wren, the head honchos of Gallery Wren, are kicking off their long awaited art radio show going under the horse-tastic title of Show Pony.
The Wren sisters’ show can be heard on FBI 94.5FM from midnight until 2am every Monday. Tonight’s show – their first – will feature a discussion of the work and career of Yayoi Kusama, whose work we reviewed here two weeks ago.
We recently noticed that rumours of the departure of Jan Batten from the position of über-publicist for the Art Gallery NSW had surfaced on the Comments here at The Art Life. We emailed Ms. Batten for confirmation and sadly it is true, she is leaving for a life on the north coast as of April 1. Insiders also inform us that Batten tendered her resignation after we declared that we will pick this year’s Archibald winner as soon as the finalists names are announced…
Also in Art Gallery of NSW news, the much loved Contemporary Projects space on Level 1 has been relaunched for 2005. Wayne Tunnicliffe wrote to us with the details:
“In response to your question about the AGNSW Contemporary Projects, funding has been secured for 2005 through the Visual Arts/Craft board of the Australia Council for a program that focuses on collaborations:
Mutlu Çerkez and Marco Fusinato (6 February – 20 March 2005); Charles Green, Lyndell Brown, Rose Farrell, George Parkin (7 May – 19 June 2005) and Janet Burchill and Jennifer McCamley (25 June – 14 August 2005).
In addition to the Australia Council funded program we are exhibiting Simryn Gill’s Standing Still in the project space 26 March to 1 May, this series of 116 photographs was acquired for the AGNSW photography collection through the Photography Collection Benefactor’s. We are still seeking a corporate sponsor for the Contemporary Projects and will keep you posted if we succeed!”
