The 11th is last day to see ‘Transference’, an exhibition which brings together the work of three artists that have a preoccupation with the body in their work. Transference is an act, a process and the instance of transferring from one position to another, in a state of flux. For each of the artists, these themes are explored through iterations of the body.

WHAT: Art Exhibition
WHEN: 10am-6pm
WHERE: Gaffa Gallery, Sydney
HOW MUCH: Free, more info

Not a Stat reflects on lived experiences of mental illness, including mental health practices. The exhibition provides a visual translation of what is often difficult to articulate, thereby offering an opportunity to communicate experience beyond that of verbal disclosure. Included artworks range as much in materiality as they do in conceptual reflection; from the ever present stigmatisation of mental illness to being in a state of severe depression; from paralysis at the hand of anxiety to means of finding relief.

WHAT: Exhibition + Poetry Slam
WHEN: 5-7pm
WHERE: AD Space UNSW Art and Design, Paddington
HOW MUCH: Free, more info

In 2016 the Safe Schools program became the centre of an ideological firestorm and for many, this issue remains unresolved – an open wound for those on both sides of the debate. Benjamin Law and David Marr will explore whether Australian schools are, in fact, safe as well as the perils for those of uncertain or shamed sexual identity, and bullying of the vulnerable young. They will also consider what happens when kids are caught in a bleak collision between ill-equipped school staff and a confected media scandal.

WHAT: Author Talk
WHEN: 7-8pm
WHERE: Seymour Centre York Theatre, Chippendale
HOW MUCH: $20-25, more info

Worked to the Bone captures the daily grind and struggle to stay afloat living within a city. We are constantly working to achieve the unattainable goal of meeting societal expectations, whilst continuously being distracted by everyday temptations that fulfil temporary desires that drain our bank. It is this mundane repetitious cycle that pushes aside and forgets the things we love. Jeremy Lightfoot finds himself engulfed in Sydney’s ever consuming world and he has used recycled materials and tools to further capture this endless pursuit for bigger and better, disregarding what’s in hand.

WHAT: Art Exhibition
WHEN: 6-9pm
WHERE: Goodspace Gallery, Chippendale
HOW MUCH: Free, more info

Stanley Street Gallery’s latest exhibition “On Point” presents the work of 7 very different artists working “On Point” across a variety of mediums and subjects. Jessica Calderwood, Denis Clarke, David Collins, Shaelene Murray, Margarita Sampson, Spalding, Nicole Taubinger present their individuality and unique take on an “on point” theme.

WHAT: Art Exhibition Opening
WHEN: 6-8pm
WHERE: Stanley Street Gallery, Darlinghurst
HOW MUCH: Free, more info

Tender is a conversation about the nuances that inhabit the work of participating artists. Each artist is driven by their individual interrogations into subject and matter. What acts as a binding medium for this group, is the non-didactic, self reflexive attitude towards art making. Artists form their own position within time and space, and through the lens of ‘Psychological Androgyny’ they yield an unrelenting drive to express both emotion and opinion, with strength and sensitivity. They are unapologetic nor do they seek praise for bearing genuine representations of their thoughts. They emancipate themselves from expectation. 

WHAT: Exhibition Opening
WHEN: 6-8pm (until 30th September)
WHERE: Collab at Pine Street Gallery, Chippendale
HOW MUCH: Free, more info

Dystopian Candy is a multimedia installation of video and still images. With a Derridean mindset the exhibition explores paradox, process, appropriation and repetition to expose a dark beauty within the natural and urban landscape.

WHAT: Art Exhibition Opening
WHEN: 6-9pm
WHERE: ES74 Gallery, Alexandria
HOW MUCH: Free, more info

ArtSpace introduces a diverse range of works from local Wooloomooloo artists to develop their ideas and display their works in a gallery setting. The Ideas Platform project features the culmination of 4-month workshop collaboration between Art Gallery of New South Wales, Artspace and Ozanam Learning Centre, which supports people at risk of homelessness. The artists, Marian Aboud and Ludwif El Haddad, produce new works to engage contemporary art processes, individual interests and expertise.

WHAT: Exhibition Opening – Ideas Platform: Making Now
WHEN: 6pm-8pm
WHERE: Art Space, Wolloomooloo
HOW MUCH: Free. More information here.

Experience the spooky halls of art school after dark with National Art Schools Night. Celebrating NAS’ current exhibition, Grounded: Contemporary Australian Art, grasp this rare opportunity to discover the hidden world within the school’s historical site. The night will feature music by Jack Colwell and FBi’s DJs, food, pop-up bars and a chance to get your hands dirty making art!

WHAT: NAS Nights: Grounded
WHEN: 6pm
WHERE: National Art School, Darlinghurst
HOW MUCH: Free. More info here.

Lilac City is please to present a collaborative exhibition by Elena Tory-Henderson and Dominic Byrne. Inspired by their friendship more than any joined aesthetic, the works in the exhibition are driven by the complexities of desire, friendship and intimacy. Using sculpture and video performance, “Deeper and Deeper (Deeper)” takes the manic emotion of pop music as a model for exploring this relationship.

WHAT: Exhibition
WHEN: 6pm-8pm
WHERE: Lilac City, Sydney
HOW MUCH: Free, more info

In a blend of hip-hop influence, the 80s Memphis movement and a sprinkle of glitter, Meehan’s work marries the opposing forces of chaos/control, masculine/feminine, visible/hidden, and valuable/worthless. The installation is a combination of all the mediums she works with, the common thread between all of them being the fluorescent colour palette.

WHAT: Art Exhibition Opening
WHEN: 5-9pm
WHERE: Insacious, Petersham
HOW MUCH: Free, more info

NOX, latin for night, is a night sculpture walk around the Randwick Environment Park. Experience the natural environment like never before as students from UNSW Art & Design transform the park and wetland into an illuminated outdoor art gallery.
Students will be on site every night to discuss the inspiration behind their artworks that will be installed around the park to form a leisurely 1.5km loop walk, starting and ending at the Randwick Community Centre.

WHAT: Night Sculpture Walk
WHEN: 6pm-8pm
WHERE: Randwick Environmental Park, Randwick
HOW MUCH: Free, more info

In Real Life explores and questions the impact of new technologies on human relationships, many of which are already upon us and inevitable, such as our digital footprint, artificial intelligence, the digital afterlife and cloning.

WHAT: Theatre
WHEN: 7:30pm
WHERE: Darlinghurst Theatre Company
HOW MUCH: $38-$54, more info

Just For Laughs Sydney is returning for its 7th year. The annual week-long comedy festival will expand beyond the Opera House, giving comedy audiences the chance to see world-renowned comedians perform in various Sydney venues including the Recital Hall and Enmore Theatre.

WHAT: Comedy
WHEN: 7pm onwards
WHERE: Sydney Opera House
HOW MUCH: From $37.90, more info

The exhibition comprises work in a range of disciplines from Julie Brooke, Maria Fernanda Cardoso, Julia Davis, Janet Laurence, Helen Pynor, Caroline Rothwell, Jack Stahel and Shona Wilson. These artists take the questions, tools, research processes and contexts of science, and explore and repurpose them in their work.

WHAT: Art Exhibition Opening
WHEN: 2-4pm (until 3rd November)
WHERE: Grace Cossington Smith Gallery, Wahroonga
HOW MUCH: Free, more info

Get ready for a performance party like no other to celebrate contemporary voices in the queer Asia-Pacific community.  Hosted by Sydney-based artists Bhenji Ra and Justin Shoulder, Club Ate is a hybrid party event featuring live performance, music and video art.

WHAT: Art and Performance Party
WHEN: 7pm-11pm
WHERE: Blacktown Arts Centre
HOW MUCH: Free, more info

An invitation to a sacred space of music and stories from Oceania. Songs of the Pacific sees Western Sydney-based Pacifica musicians from Samoa, Tonga and Fiji paying respect to the past by performing Pacific classics and creating the future with new songs written in response.

WHAT: Oceanic Rhythms | Songs of the Pacific
WHEN: 7pm-9pm
WHERE: Campbelltown Arts Centre
HOW MUCH: $5-$10, more info

September 17th is the last day to see ‘Infinite Variation’, a group show featuring 11 artists working in and exploring the possibilities of contemporary collage, presented by Sydney Collage Society. Each artist has developed a unique approach to their art making, whether it be in form, concept and or process which move beyond cut and paste collage.

WHAT: Art Exhibition
WHEN: 11am-4pm
WHERE: STACKS Projects, Potts Point
HOW MUCH: Free, more info