Much as I'd like to, I don't have time to write full posts on the three "events" I'm writing about today, but I do want to at least document them. I don't, in fact, document every film, show or exhibition I attend but I have particular reasons, which will hopefully become obvious, for wanting to … Continue reading My literary week (12), some art, a film, and an unseen play
Review – Exhibitions
David Hockney at the National Gallery of Victoria
It's a while since I wrote about an art exhibition, not because I haven't been to any but because this is a litblog (and I'm even less of an art critic than I am a literary one). However, I did feel the urge to write about the David Hockney Current exhibition, which is now showing at Melbourne's National Gallery of … Continue reading David Hockney at the National Gallery of Victoria
My encounter with Encounters
I rarely write about museum exhibitions, and when I do it's usually in the context of a travel post, but I do want to share with you our National Museum of Australia's current exhibition, Encounters. Subtitled "Revealing stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Objects from the British Museum", it is described by the Museum as "one … Continue reading My encounter with Encounters
Art meets Literature at In the Flesh
I'm pushing it really with my heading, as for many the literary aspect of the National Portrait Gallery's In the Flesh exhibition would be a passingly noticed sideline, but for me it added significantly to my enjoyment. It helped of course that I found the following in the first room: It is not time or opportunity … Continue reading Art meets Literature at In the Flesh
The meeting of art and literature, at the Singapore Art Museum
Mr Gums and I have had a busy few months, with, unusually for us, two overseas trips in less than four months. Both were family-inspired: Canada in April-May to visit our daughter, and then last week Koh Samui to help Mr Gums' sister and husband celebrate their 40th anniversary. We decided to spend a few days … Continue reading The meeting of art and literature, at the Singapore Art Museum
Canada’s Group of Seven
You've seen me write about Canberra's Seven Writers, a group of seven women who got together to share their writing and support each other. All of them published well-received books - novels, short stories, poetry. Well, I was amused - I'm easily amused - to discover the other day as we explored the Art Gallery … Continue reading Canada’s Group of Seven
Russell Drysdale at Tarra Warra
If you'd asked me to name an Australian artist when I was young, two names would have popped into my head - Russell Drysdale and the indigenous artist Albert Namatjira. As I grew up, other names came to the fore, such as William Dobell, Sidney Nolan, Margaret Olley, Margaret Preston, Jeffrey Smart, and Brett Whiteley, not to mention … Continue reading Russell Drysdale at Tarra Warra
Villainesses thriving in Canberra
Now I know many Australians see Canberra, their national capital, as a soulless, boring, sliced-white-bread sort of place but not so. There is life here. Art is happening - and it's fresh, vibrant and young. Not all our young people have left (yet!). Last night Mr Gums and I went to the opening of a … Continue reading Villainesses thriving in Canberra
unDISCLOSED, the second national indigenous art triennial
Indigenous Australian art has, over the last few decades, become big business in Australia and overseas, and for good reason. It is unique and it is beautiful. Most Australians, I suspect, only know of the "traditional" dot painting style of the Central Australian Desert and perhaps the wood carvings of the Torres Strait Islands. However, … Continue reading unDISCLOSED, the second national indigenous art triennial
Post-impressionism redux
It was almost 30 years ago to the day that I attended my first exhibition of post-impressionist art. That was in London: it was Post-Impressionism at the Royal Academy of Arts, 1979-80, and we went on March 9, 1980, the last day of my first European trip. Last night, March 4, 2010, we went to … Continue reading Post-impressionism redux
Whispering Gums 