Fowl Play in Manuka
There’s an interesting show about hens that’s just opened at CCAS in Manuka. Yes, hens, specifically the relationships between the domestic hen and society. Artist Janet Angus has “observed the importance of permaculture and sustainable living” in her series of paintings, as a way of gaining a deeper understanding of these feathery friends. Foul Play, by Janet Angus, is showing at Canberra Contemporary Art Space, 19 Furneaux Street, Manuka, until July 6.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Fundraiser at Megalo
The Megalo print studio is raising funds for a small screenprinting set-up for eKhaya eKasi Art & Education Centre to benefit the Khayelitsha community in Capetown, South Africa, and is holding an event on Saturday. There will be a collaborative community monoprint, prints by Megalo members for sale from $5 to $50 and works on paper by a selection of artists. Through a diverse array of programs that targets illiteracy, unemployment, poverty, the AIDS epidemic and lack of social services the centre is looking to set up screenprint facilities which will include screens, squeegees, tables and pigments. Their educational philosophy is based on helping people to help themselves, building sustainability, and encouraging reciprocity. This practice increases a sense of community ownership and fosters dignity and responsibility.” The event is on from 10.00am-4.00pm Saturday June 28 at Megalo Print Studio + Gallery, 21 Wentworth Avenue, Kingston.
Plein air finalists
Congratulations to local regional artists Kerry McInnis and Kim Nelson, who have been selected for the NSW Parliament Plein Air Art Prize, a competition show that fosters the art of painting outdoors. Entries had to be NSW-themed; McInnis submitted a painting of the Snowy River, while Nelson’s was of a firebreak on Mullion Hill. Neither artist won but their works, with all the other finalists, are on display at the NSW Parliament in Sydney until August 1.
New space on the block
Another gallery opened in Mitchell recently – the Leta Gallery + Project Space, and has just opened its second show, Judith and Holofernes, by the late Canberra-based painter Gloria Ellis. The gallery, which was founded in the memory of Ellis – Leta was one of her middle names – is a not-for-profit space “committed to the exhibition and promotion of outstanding local talent”. Judith and Holofernes, by Gloria Ellis, is showing by appointment only, at Leta Gallery + Project Space, at 2/23 Buckland Street, Mitchell. For more information, email contactleta@gmail.com.
New chair at Gorman
Gorman House and Ainslie Arts Centres have a new chair, Suzie Campbell. This from the Gorman crew: “Suzie is a highly experienced and well-known member of Canberra’s arts community, having formerly worked as head of marketing and development at the National Portrait Gallery, and as head of marketing and publications at the National Gallery of Australia. Suzie is well placed to lead the organisation through an exciting period of growth and renewal, and will work closely with the director of the centres, Joseph Falsone, and deputy chair Hugh Withycombe to represent the centres’ large community of resident artists and organisations.” Ainslie and Gorman Arts Centres recently launched a website (www.agac.com.au), and are gearing up for the first stage of capital upgrades at both facilities. Watch this space.
I heart art
ANCA Gallery has just opened a show of local video art by 10 Canberra artists, all of whom “exploit the many virtues of video, including its ability to capture the movement of the human figure and performance, present observations about modern life, and combine visuals with sound''. From the visual poetry of Janice Kuczkowski to the marks on an etching plate captured by an old hand-cranked camera by Nikki Haynes, to a moving collage of smartphone images by Danny Wild, it’s a cool show indeed. We heart you, video art! ANCA Gallery will have later opening hours for the duration of the show, by 5.00pm-8.00pm Wednesday to Sunday, because watching videos at night is so much fun. I Heart Video Art is on at ANCA Gallery, 1 Rosevear Place, Dickson, until July 6.
In life there is death
There’s a small thoughtful show at a small thoughtful gallery in Civic opening this week. Zoologica is a “photographic study of life through the death of zoologica. Exploring zoological specimens, this series of new photographic works by Geoffrey Dunn invites you to ponder the nature of collection, death and preservation.” Zoologica is showing at the Kaori Gallery, on the corner London Circuit and Hobart Place, Canberra City, from July 2 until August 2.
Squares at Strathnairn
There’s still time to enter your work in Squares 2014, Strathnairn Arts’ annual People’s Choice Exhibition, the largest such show in Canberra. Entrants are given a 300x300mm canvas to create a work in any medium. This year, Strathnairn is offering a “buy one + donate one” option: when buying an entry kit, you can also purchase a donation kit which will be provided to disadvantaged clients via agencies based in West Belconnen. The resulting exhibition opens on July 4, with voting for the people’s choice open until July 20, when the winner will be announced. Kits are $25 each and are available from Strathnairn Arts, Belconnen Picture Framing (2/66 Oatley Crt, Belconnen) or the Tuggeranong Arts Centre (137 Reed Street N, Greenway). Completed works have to be delivered to Strathnairn Arts Gallery by Sunday. For more information, visit strathnairn.com.au.
Eclectic shows at M16
And there’s also still time to catch the three current shows at M16, which close next weekend. In Wanderlust, 11 Canberra artists who explore the act of walking through their work are brought together in the one show. “Walking is a state in which the mind, body and environment become aligned.” In Detail, emerging artist Tony Dalla Venezia presents pen-and-ink line drawings, “intricate meanderings” that are the result of “letting the hand and mind wander freely”. And in Never Without, Emma Le Strange has a fresh approach to anatomical drawing, “taking figures in unusual poses and reinterpreting them in soft pastel with high contrast”.
