Maggie Diaz at Manning Clark
The photo of me up there might suggest otherwise, but I don't do sweet either! And that's why I'll be heading to a fascinating new exhibition opening at Manning Clark House this weekend: "Maggie Diaz arrived in Australia on a one-way ticket in 1961, a divorce gift from her Australian husband, and soon established herself as one of Melbourne's leading commercial photographers. Known for her expertise in using available light, Diaz had a genius for capturing character and situation. Dating back to Chicago in the 1950s, her work is also marked by the contrast between the glamorous commercial world and those on the fringesof society with whom she felt a connection. Sadly now affected by dementia, Diaz celebrated her 90th birthday last month. Her work will be featured in an exhibition as part of Filter Festival, Chicago, this year. It will be the first time her work has been seen there for 50 years.But for now, this exhibition, entitled I Don't Do Sweet, focuses on the women and girls in the Diaz collection – "strong, composed, defiant and preferably not smiling". I Don't Do Sweet, by Maggie Diaz, will be opened at Manning Clark House, 11 Tasmania Circle, Forrest, by Gael Newton, senior curator of photography at the National Gallery, at 4pm, Sunday, March 29.
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Prints in the literary lounge
There's a good night coming up at Tuggeranong Arts Centre this coming Thursday, with readings, live music and two exhibition openings. Head of the printmedia and drawing workshop at the ANU School of Art, Alison Alder, will open Impulse - an installation of drawings and projection by Belle Palmer, and Sleuth: The Delegation - an exhibition of comics, large-scale drawings and multimedia installations by Tasmanian artist Joshua Santospirito. Writer and editor Irma Gold will officially launch the Lakeside Literary Lounge series, with a reading by Nigel Featherstone from some of his awesome novellas. Finally, there'll be music from Canberra musicians Sandy Gibbney on the fiddle and Pete Richens on guitar, with tunes from Argentina to Zimbabwe. The evening at Tuggeranong Arts Centre, 137 Reed St, Greenway, starts at 6pm, on Thursday, April 2.
New shows at Beaver
The wonderful Canberra artist Jan Brown has an exhibition of drawings, works on paper and sculptures from her private collection dating from the mid-1960s onwards: "Jan explores animal and bird forms which convey a great affection for her subjects. She begins her artistic process with sketches, often drawing inspiration from wildlife seen from her kitchen window through to animals in zoos around the world." And next door, Peter Boggs is showing paintings characterised by his trademark "formal sense of geometry, precise composition and unique tonal quality". "As with all my paintings, it is the atmospheres, the tones and the element of mystery which draws my interest – the encouragement of the imagination to that which is not visible," he says. Observations, by Jan Brown, and Interiors and the mystery of light, by Peter Boggs, are showing at Beaver Galleries, 81 Denison Street, Deakin, until April 14.
Peace and protest at M16
Three new shows open this weekend at M16 in Griffith, focused on themes of peace and protest. In All Ready-Made, Canberra artist Barak Zelig has an exhibition of prints and sculptures influenced by surrealism and Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis. "Zelig creates artworks that are 'new beings' or 'items' that combine different elements of animal and machine, human and machine and human and nature. Zelig's 'world' is a mixture of fantasy, Steampunk and unpredicted mystery." In Protest, Benita Tunks has curated an exhibition exploring the action of protest: "Tunks has invited a group of artists to each create a major work expressing an objection or protest or highlighting an issue or concern that relates to them personally, in their community and/or globally. As a result 12 artists have created works in a variety of media." And in Water – Visual Aspects, Manuel Pfeiffer has paintings celebrating water through both peaceful and dramatic scenes of the Australian landscape, inspired by "the infinite variety of forms of running water; waves and clouds, the magic of landscapes on a misty day and the multitude of forms of snow and ice". All three shows are on at M16 Artspace, 21 Blaxland Crescent, Griffith, until April 12.
Boundaries at PhotoAccess
There are also three new shows just opened at PhotoAccess, examining the boundaries of the contemporary photographic portrait. In Framed, Laura Moore poses ethical questions about the creation, and consumption, of photographic portraiture, laying bare the normally hidden exploitative relationship between the human subject and the artist. Love Shack by Yiorgo Yiannopoulos explores the balance between the public and private self, creating contemporary portraits using found samples as evidentiary material. Louise Baker's That Jumping Guy is an exuberant, whole-room installation, in which a single portrait image has been repeated and transformed into textiles, furniture, home accessories and clothing." All three are showing at PhotoAccess, Manuka Arts Centre, Cnr Manuka Circle and NSW Cres, Griffith, until April 26. There'll be a chance to meet all three artists on Saturday, March 28, at 2pm.
And also at PhotoAccess
Applications are now open at PhotoAccess Huw Davies Gallery for 2016 exhibition proposals: "PhotoAccess invites artists at all stages of their careers to develop and showcase contemporary photo-based art in a supportive and stimulating artistic environment. The PhotoAccess Huw Davies Gallery is dedicated to the contemporary photo-based arts, and presents a dynamic program of exhibitions across its three spaces. It exhibits both new work and work from the PhotoAccess collection. PhotoAccess is particularly interested in receiving proposals that present new still and/or moving image work by emerging, mid-career and/or established artists; involve artistic experimentation and innovation; encourage, develop and extend critical debate about contemporary photo-based art practice; reflect or document the ACT and region and the creative interests of the community. Applications are due June 9. To apply, visit photoaccess.org.au.
First landing at Parliament House
Not literally, just the name of an exhibition. First Landing to Last Post: contemporary perspectives on 100 years of service offers "a glimpse into the Australian experience of war and the richness of related Australian artistic practice, including paintings, photography, sculpture, and new media works by leading Australian contemporary artists". It's showing in the Presiding Officers' Exhibition Space until June 30.
