As Pablo Picasso once said, "Painting is just another way of keeping a diary". It's not uncommon for painters to use their talents to record the world around them, though more often than not it's an exaggerated state of reality – one with a far prettier palette in use. Michael Muir is one such artist who paints a softer view of the landscape surrounding him. more
Photojournalist Nigel Brennan is presenting his first photography exhibition since he was released from his widely publicised ordeal as a hostage in Somalia. more
As has been proven by a myriad of famous bands and collaborators, it's often the friendships formed in school that prove the most enduring. This is the kind of kinship artists Dan McCabe and Mitchell Donaldson have. The lads met as peers at Griffith University's Queensland College of Art and found a shared love of creation that drove them to form the artist-run initiative, Addition. more
A premier art show that began in 1970 in Basel, Switzerland, Art Basel will now stage three shows each year across Basel, Miami Beach and Hong Kong. The inaugural Hong Kong edition will run May 23–26 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, luring gallerists, collectors, artists, curators, critics and art lovers alike to experience an abundance of dynamic and immersive global artworks. more
You can combine your love for a statement t-shirt and passion for artistic idols at Let’s Face It this week. The interactive arts and crafts session is a part of the pre-party festivities of the Analogue/Digital discussions in Brisbane. From 5:00 pm on Thursday eve, Brisbanites are welcomed to gather at Ross Street Studio. The Newstead den will play home to Let’s Face It 2013 – a screen-printing party in which a group of works from Australian talents will be printed onto cotton accoutrements. The concept works as follows – choose four parts from your favourite artists (most of whom will be there on the night) and the designs will be screen-printed onto a t-shirt for you to proudly don for work or play. Some of the creative talents who will be there include Loretto Lizzio, Mulga the Artist, Toiltee by Stu Vidler, Nick Chalmers, Ben Johnston, Tabitha Shafran, Alarna… more
A childhood spent exploring the rugged natural beauty of Queensland has directly inspired the creations of Brisbane artist Benjamin Johansen. The gent’s years spent growing up in the Maryborough and Hervey Bay regions have provided him with a fondness for colour that continues to filter directly into his artwork. A love of hue is not only what the former University of Queensland architecture student is passionate about – his art also traverses surrealism, imagination and form. Benjamin’s unique works are typically awash with a vibrant collection of shades, which also display anonymous figures, and animal and plant imagery. Benjamin’s talents will be on display at his debut exhibition Saturation, to be held at New Farm art haunt Graydon Gallery from May 14–19. more
An exchange project between seven window gallery spaces across Australia, Dispatch is the creation of Brisbane Artist Run Initiative (ARI) Current Projects. more
You may not have the talent of British photographer David Bailey, but if you harbour the same passion for the art form you will find yourself welcomed at Queensland Centre for Photography. The centre acts solely as a gallery that displays the latest from emerging local photographic talents across a realm of different subjects. From Saturday May 4, the gallery will become host to a handful of new exhibitions, including Earth Shadow, Littoral, Kanazawa Study and Dump/Fylling – the majority of which explore the beauty of the natural world around us. more
Scotland may have gifted us haggis, kilts and Braveheart, but it has also provided the Southern Hemisphere with artist Robert McLeod. While born in Glasgow, Robert migrated to New Zealand in the 1970s, where he has since happily lived. It’s from this base that Robert creates his exuberant artworks, of ghoulish cartoon figures in a rainbow colour palette, which he showcases often across the Tasman in Australia. Robert’s latest exhibition continues his interest in painting in the style of figuration. Titled Sliding into the Surface of Things, the collection of pieces displays Robert’s obvious interest in form, movement and colour. You can see the exhibition at Small Works Gallery from May 4 to June 1. more
Much like religion and politics, erotica is rather still a taboo subject to discuss, especially amongst a bunch of strangers. Despite this fact, erotica remains one of the most popular subjects explored in art. From amongst the debris of Pompeii to modern photography tomes dedicated to the theme, erotica remains an area of intrigue for creatives all around the globe. more
While it’s an artist’s work that makes them famous, it’s often where they find their inspiration that’s truly curious. SPACE is an exhibition held in conjunction with UR.{BNE} Festival, which helps to provide insight into the minds of local creatives. A collection of works from various Brisbane artists (mostly who are up-and-coming) showcases the creative spaces of Brisbane, revealing the city’s multi-faceted nature. The exhibition helps to bid goodbye to negative stereotypes of Brisbane’s banality and instead highlight its inspiring nooks and crannies, all around the city. The artists included in SPACE range quite drastically in the types of mediums they work with, with pieces included from the likes of Thom Stuart, Maximillian Strewe, Sophie Richards and Nancy Zine. SPACE will be held at Bleeding Heart Gallery from April 26 to May 2. more
Many people relate discussions of immortality (and its partner mortality) to the depth of stories from Ancient Greek and Roman mythology. Even today, discussing life and death seems hardly a subject to bring up in casual conversation, but it is a theme that has become the inspiration behind The Hold Artspace’s new exhibition. Mortal, Immortal is a collection of artworks that reflect on a personal understanding of what mortality means. Six different visual artists have included their works in the collection, including those by Ali Bezer, Mitchell Donaldson, Emma Leslie, Jess Quinn, Genevieve Reynolds and Jared Worthington. You’ll see themes of paranoia, youth, destruction and potential surface within a number of the works. Mortal, Immortal will be held at the West End artspace from April 17–30. Image credit Mitchell Donaldson / Nevermind 2013 / Image courtesy: Mitchell… more
The next offering from Matt Rabbidge’s gallery project Mild Manners is set to open this Thursday April 18, running until May 20. The first exhibition in a series of six to be held in the k.O.M.A gallery space above ksubi on James Street, k.O.M.A. Project will include the works of Andrew Gordon, Ben Havenaar, Hamishi, James Ettleson, Jedda-Daisy Culley, Mark Alsweiler and Mike Bennett. Melding art and media, a small publication will also be available, put together by Small House Books for the five solo exhibitions to follow throughout the year. Image via Mike Bennett. more
As the final hours of The 7th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT7) approach this weekend, a special (and free) Up Late event will be held at GOMA on Friday April 12 to celebrate. more
Flicking through a photo album is much like taking a stroll down memory lane, with each individual image marking a different memory and moment in time. It's this reason that photography is so important to history – revealing not only regretful hairdos and questionable outfit combinations, but also how far things have come. more
In Bruce Reynolds’ latest exhibition, the Brisbane artist has transformed far more than a canvas by creating a huge installation, which is now on show at Ryan Renshaw Gallery. Bruce’s whimsical work integrates the gallery walls, painting directly onto them as a backdrop for his installation. Bruce’s main piece is a caravan of objects, including lion-taming trains and steamboat cars. Titled Trade, the exhibition has been inspired by Bruce’s own nomadic journey through Northern China and its renowned silk road. The exhibition can be enjoyed at Ryan Renshaw Gallery until April 27. more
From April 9 the painted works of three vastly different (though equally skilled) artistic talents will reach the walls of Fortitude Valley’s Jan Murphy Gallery. Graeme Drendel, Natasha Bieniek and Monica Rohan are each accomplished portrait artists in their own right, with a distinctly different style to offer Brisbane art fans. Monica’s whimsical works will hang alongside the flurried movements of Natasha’s lounging figures and Graeme’s curious group scenarios. For those who are eager to witness the talented strokes in person, the exhibition will run until April 27 at Jan Murphy Gallery. more
Brisbane may be a young city, but it was hardly formed yesterday. In the time since Matthew Flinders first set foot in Moreton Bay (in 1799), the city has grown from penal colony to free settlement (in 1838) to a tropical metropolis. Our beloved home’s journey, through its various stages, can be seen recorded through the pristine new displays of the Museum of Brisbane. more
Perhaps inspired by the popular laneway culture beloved by our interstate cousins, Brisbane is also transforming some of its city alleyways, if only temporarily. Brisbane City Council and Room40 are joining forces to create an artistic experience in Hutton Lane in Brisbane City. Titled Imaginary Landscapes, the installation will display the works of a number of audio and video artists, including Lawrence English, Makino Takashi, Paul Clipson, Eugene Carchesio and Scott Morrison. From Friday April 5, the artistic initiative will explore the Pacific Ocean, in both our geographical position and its meaning to local residents. A succession of projection and sound works, involving video and interactive installations, feature in the laneway project. more
For collectors, their passion for acquiring dozens (or perhaps thousands) of trinkets is an addiction that can't be ignored, and is one that is often indulged throughout a lifetime. This quirky, creative revenue for residents of every nation is explored in the Queensland Museum’s latest exhibition, Collectomania. more
