Fire up for Lismore is an instagram gallery and “fundraising opportunity for ceramicists to make an artwork, sell it on line and donate 100% of the proceeds to a charity for flood recovery.” Head to their page for links to incredible local artists who have put their works up for sale and who are donating all proceeds to the flood recovery effort.

Head here for more info, and here to donate directly to the flood relief.

WHO: Fire up for Lismore
WHERE: Online (Instagram)

CLOSER reflects on how intimacy, proximity, relationality, distance and touch were and are experienced in lock-downs, both state-sanctioned and self-directed.

As the pandemic, predictably, plays out along lines of structural inequalities, these artists resist through their inquiries into marginalisation, tenacity and fragility; through their expressions of desire, playfulness and care.

WHO: The Bearded Tit
WHERE: 183 Regent St, Redfern
WHEN: Opening Tuesday 15 March, 6-8pm
HOW MUCH: Free, more info here

Blak & Bright is a First Nations Literary Festival based in Naarm (Melbourne). Established in 2016, the four day showcase celebrates the diverse expressions of First Nations writers and covers all genres from oral stories to epic novels and plays to poetry. The event includes a mixture of in-person and digital events. 

WHO: Australian Council for the Arts & Creative Victoria
WHERE: Online access from Sydney
WHEN: 16th-20th March
HOW MUCH: Free – $60, more info here

‘Bad Machine’ is a powerful and provocative new play exploring the Robodebt crisis and its impact on vulnerable Australians in Western Sydney and beyond. ‘Bad Machine’ humanises this disturbing initiative and is a representation of the voiceless masses affected through the lens of four people. 

Side note: The play’s director, Lily Balatincz, will feature on Out of the Box this week. Tune in from 12pm on Thursday to learn about Lily’s life and about ‘Bad Machine’.

WHO: Campbelltown Arts Centre
WHERE: 1 Art Gallery Rd, Campbelltown
WHEN: 17th-19th March
HOW MUCH: From $15, more here

Art at Night celebrations are back for Art Month 2022. ‘Art at Night – Chippendale, Redfern & Waterloo’ will allow guests to indulge in art-inspired walking tours and gallery events, with participating galleries remaining open after business hours. Start your weekend right with a range of curated exhibitions and performances.

WHO: Art Month
WHERE: Various (please consult Art Month official trail guide here)
WHEN: Friday 18th March, 4-8pm
HOW MUCH: Free, more here

Connect with artists and ideas from Penrith Regional Gallery’s current suite of exhibitions through free activities and talks. Choose from a Mending Workshop, Drop-In Kids Art Session and two Artist’s Talks. 

WHO: Penrith Regional Gallery
WHERE: 86 River Rd, Emu Plains
WHEN: 19th March from 10am
HOW MUCH: Free, more info here

Sydney’s 23rd Biennale ‘Rīvus’ has just opened and is celebrating contemporary art across the city in a number of different venues.

This year’s Biennale is articulated around a series of conceptual wetlands situated along waterways of the Gadigal, Burramatagal and Cabrogal peoples. The theme ‘Rīvus’ considers river systems as the sediment of culture. They are givers of life, routes of communication, places of ritual, sewers and mass graves. They are witnesses and archives, our memory.

WHO: Biennale of Sydney
WHERE: Various (CBD & Parramatta)
WHEN: 12 March – 13 June
HOW MUCH: Free, more info here