Culture Guide Feb 8-13 : Water Tasting, Spirituality, and Group Sex

February 8th 2016
Monday 8th

Bush Towns

‘Strayan art mate!

A collection of paintings and drawings by Hugo and Holly Greenwood that depict their interpretations of specific aspects of Australian life.

WHO: Hugo and Holly Greenwood
WHAT: Exhibition Opening
WHERE: Sheffer Gallery
WHEN: 6pm
HOW MUCH: FREE. More info here

Tuesday 9th

Life's A Beach

A series of bright, poppy photographs from artist Martin Parr exploring beach lifestyles and an honest presentation of  Australian Clichés.

WHO: Martin Parr
WHAT: Photography Exhibition
WHERE: Bondi Pavillion
WHEN: 10-5pm
HOW MUCH: FREE. More info here

Avant Gaga Poetry Night

A night of poetry and spoken word. The second Tuesday of every second month Sappho Books brings you a sweet line-up of word smiths. This week Razor Hope a Melbourne based performance centre and Kate Lilley, the director of creative writing will be taking the stage amongst many more. An Open Mic is also available for all those keen beans. 

WHO: Kate Lilley, Razor Hope, Dan Disney, Holly Isemonger
WHAT: Poetry Night
WHERE: Sappho Books
WHEN: 7-8.30 pm
HOW MUCH: FREE. More info here

 

Deborah Kelly - Bodies of Work

Deborah Kelly is an artist and activist. Penrith Regional Gallery is a 15 year retrospective of her works. You might remember her from the 2014 Sydney Biennale. Her works brake down ideas of gender, race and religion.

WHO: Deborah Kelly
WHAT: Exhibition
WHERE: Penrith Regional Gallery
WHEN: 8 am – 3 pm daily
HOW MUCH: FREE. More info here

Wednesday 10th

Group Sex

Three artists reflect on experiences of intimacy and contemporary ideas of sexuality.

McCleary, Florio and Kavanagh each take an interesting perspective on the ways our sexualities are altered in contemporary life through phone apps, surveillance technology and anxiety.

WHO: Lisa McCleary, Joseph Florio, Dominic Kavanagh
WHAT: Exhibition Opening
WHERE: Wellington Street Projects
WHEN: 6pm
HOW MUCH: FREE. More info here

Image: You Know I Would, Lisa McCleary

People Soup

People Soup is a monthly installment hosted by the wordsmith Bravo Child. Witness some of Sydney’s keenest minds dissect the human condition through voices, masks, costumes, puppets, soundtracks, props and projections. In quick turn-around, 5min sets, the performers are placed in a hotbox laboratory to test out their concepts for characters. Tonight they’ll be celebrating some of the classics like Monty Python, Rowan Atkinson, Robin Williams and Dame Edna. People Soup also features an open mic session, providing a stage for spontaneous jams and moments of inspiration to play out on the night.

WHAT: People Soup

WHERE: 107 Projects – Redfern St

WHEN: 7:30pm

HOW MUCH: $11 Concession and $16 Full Price

SPECIAL EVENT at Golden Age Cinema for Sydney Chinese New Year Festival

Presented in partnership with 4a Centre for Contemporary Asian Art for Cinema Alley. The event showcases two feature films and contemporary art installations by renowned Chinese artists as a part of the Sydney Chinese New Year Festival.

First feature is called ‘Li Wen at East Lake’ – it combines fiction and documentary and focuses on various people’s connections with East Lake (Wuhan China).

East Lake is a controversial scenic area, part of which is in the midst of being converted by developers into an amusement park and high-end residences.

Second Feature ‘Emperor Visits the Hell’ is a modern retelling of the classic Chinese story of Emperor Li Shimin’s journey to the underworld and his return to life. It is based on three chapters from the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West.

WHERE: Golden Age Cinema

WHEN: 8:30pm

HOW MUCH: $16 concession – $20 full price

MOP Gallery

WHAT: MOP Gallery February exhibition opening

WHERE: MOP Gallery Chippendale

WHEN: 6pm tonight

HOW MUCH: Free

WHO: Three separate exhibits:  FOUR by Stefan Dunlop, METROPOLIS STEALS OUR SOULS by Yanni Pounartzis, PARENTAL GUIDANCE RECOMMENDED by Adrian Hobbs

Photo credit: Stefan Dunlop

Thursday 11th

Love on the Streets

In case you forgot or blocked out the whole thing entirely, Valentine’s Day is this weekend!

Get some insightful dating advice from a comedian, a Dj, and a relationship psychologist and try your luck in the game of love with some speed dating in the waterfront setting of Barangaroo.

It’s free but you have to reserve a ticket so get in quick.

WHO: Jacquelline Helyer, Rhys Nicholson, Shantan Wantan Ichiban.
WHAT: Talks and Speed Dating.
WHERE: Wulugul Pop-Up
WHEN: 7pm
HOW MUCH: FREE, but reserve spots here

Friday 12th

The 64th Blake Prize

A long-running contemporary art prize focussing on art which engages with spiritual or religious themes of hope, humanity, social justice and personal belief.

There’s always some incredible work in the show and this years finalists include artists such as Liam Benson (pictured), Abdul-Rahmen Abdullah and Claudia Nicholson.

WHO: The 64th Blake Prize
WHAT: Exhibition Opening
WHERE: Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre
WHEN: 6pm
HOW MUCH: FREE. More info here

Saturday 13th

H20 Water Bar

Art & About Sydney presents Janet Laurence’s interactive installation, H20 Water Bar.

The installation, comprised of glassy beakers in the style of a laboratory or apothecary, allows visitors to sample water from various regions of Australia. Highlighting the diversity of our most precious resource.

Paired with the installation is a series of talks and events which will help us to better understand the complexity and importance of Water on a range of levels both political and physical.

WHO: Janet Laurence
WHAT: Interactive installation
WHERE: Paddington Reservoir
WHEN: 6-9pm
HOW MUCH: FREE. More info here

Sunday the 14th

Hearts For Art

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Just in case you aren’t showering people with rose petals and chocolate hearts and other love related commodities today, there’s another way to express your love.

The MCA is putting on a event called Hearts For Art where you can take a heart from them, walk around their current exhibitions and place the heart in front of the art you heart the most!

If you haven’t seen the exhibitions they have on yet, it’s a pretty cute way to get around and see them.

WHO: You and the Museum of Contemporary Art
WHAT: Interactive Art Event
WHERE: Museum of Contemporary Art
WHEN: 10-5pm
HOW MUCH: FREE. More info here

Ghost Clay

There is no saucier way of spending Valentines day then with your arms warped around your loved one and hands covered in soft wet clay. Sydney’s experimental ceramics studio kil-n-it have got you sorted! Ghost Clay is here to let you relive all your Patrick Swayze romance fantasies.

Have a throw with a mate, a crush or a loved one and finish the night with a heart shaped cheesey pizza. Because what is Valentines day without some cheese.

WHO: Kil-n-it – experimental ceramics
WHAT: Ceramics class and Pizza
WHERE: 184 Glebe Point Road
WHEN: 7pm, 8pm
HOW MUCH: $50 – book online

Tune in to Arvos at 4:30pm every weekday for more Culture Guide.

 

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