The business of architecture
What is it? An annual competition for portraiture running since 1921 in honour of Victorian journalist and art lover, Jules François Archibald, who bequeathed in his will one tenth of his estate to the Art Gallery NSW to set up and run the competition. Submitted portraits must be of "some man or woman distinguished in art,... Continue Reading →
What is it? New film by Zack Snyder, expressionist director of 300 and Watchmen. The cast is headed by australian actresses Emily Browning and Abbie Cornish. The plot is simple, at times even 1-dimensional, however this is not necessarily a bad thing. As Tarantino's excellent Kill Bill is driven by little more than a desire for... Continue Reading →
What is it? An exhibition currently showing at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI), running until the 26th of April, that celebrates 70-odd years of the art of Disney. It provides a broad overview of the history of the animation company, centred around the showcase of 9 key feature films, from Snow White... Continue Reading →
What is it? As graffiti is commonly understood to involve the addition of paint or other markings to bare public surfaces, its opposite would be the removal of such markings. Or, as in the case of the Ossario project by Brazilian artist, Alexandre Orion, it is the selective removal of dirt and grime to reveal... Continue Reading →
What is it? First seen on My Modern Met, here, this is a project by Swiss-based photographer, Corinne Vionnet, that explores the complex associations between tourism and visual culture by superimposing tourists' photos of significant landmarks one over the other. The result is a fascinating collage series of elusive yet immediately identifiable monuments and places that exist somewhere... Continue Reading →
What is it? A travelling exhibition of fifteen chess sets commissioned by London gallery, RS&A, that has visited Milan, Reykjavik and, most recently, the Bendigo Art Gallery. The chess sets are part of an-ever growing collection designed by international artists including Barbara Kruger, Damien Hirst and Yayoi Kusama. The inspiration of the RS&A collection can... Continue Reading →
What is it? A sculpture of David by the Italian Baroque sculptor, architect and painter, Gian Lorenzo Bernini. It was produced between 1623 - 24, whilst Bernini was in his mid-twenties. It is currently located at the Borghese Museum in Rome, along with three of Bernini's other similarly extraordinary works. What do we think? In contrast... Continue Reading →
What is it? First introduced to us via a Coolboom newsletter, they are collages assembled from found photographs by American artist, Jim Kazanjian, creating mesmerising black and white worlds from pieces of the everyday. What do we think? Kazanjian favours deserts, cemetaries, marshland and earthquake-damaged freeways as the settings for his work. Combined with crumbling houses, abandoned shrines... Continue Reading →
La Rinascente, the famous Italian department store in Milan, has taken a different approach to its Christmas window display this year and has asked 8 international artists to each create a unique installation for the 8 shop windows that face onto the Piazza del Duomo. The artists are Kirsten Hassenfeld (New York), Gyongy Laky (San Francisco), Lava/Chris... Continue Reading →
What is it? Pixar is a CGI animated film studio started in 1979 as the Graphics Group, creator of films like Finding Nemo, the Toy Story trilogy and, our personal favourite, The Incredibles. What do we think? Having recently watched the third installment of Toy Story, we remain amazed at and impressed by the consistently exceptional quality of... Continue Reading →