From her artists’ studio in Alice Springs, Dorothy Napangardi paints her country. As a Warlpiri woman from Mina Mina, Dorothy has significant ties to her land and her people. But instead of using the visual language of the Mina Mina people, Dorothy has created her own language and bounces from one perspective to another. Using an intricate system of colours, lines and dots to create beautiful and complex paintings, Dorothy is a highly respected contemporary Aboriginal artist. Bringing her paintings to Brisbane’s Institute of Modern Art (IMA) this month, Dorothy will exhibit alongside John Reynolds, a New Zealand painter. Often using systems of broken lines to create architectural and abstract paintings, John is considered to be one of New Zealand’s key artistic figures. Catch Dorothy and John’s joint exhibition at IMA until April 25.
Image: Karntakurlangu Jukurrpa (Women’s Dreaming) by Dorothy Napangardi
With a barely functioning alcoholic mother, a cruel bully as a sister and an absent father, Hugh is trying to keep his family from falling apart at the seams. Flying in from overseas, he is met with an emotional minefield of anger and fragility. A tale of a contemporary middle-class family in turmoil, That Face has opened this week in an Australian premiere by Queensland Theatre Company at the Bille Brown Studios. British playwright Polly Stenham wrote That Face at the tender age of 19, and has received critical acclaim across the UK. Queensland Theatre Company’s production, directed by recent NIDA graduate Nic Dorward, is set for an equally electrifying and popular season.
Brisbane artist Anthony Lister has opened a show, titled The Pain of Feeling, in Italy.
Yesterday I stumbled upon one of the coolest places to be on a sweltering morning in Noosaville. With A-Grade air conditioning bouncing off dark grey slate floors and sliding up walls of books stacked to the ceiling, the new {Embiggen Books} on Weyba Road makes for a soothing refuge from the outside world. It’s only a few weeks shy of its three-month anniversary but looks like it will become one of those stores that locals attach themselves to with sturdy safety pins, especially with the hearty Organika cafe and wholefoods shop next door (try the papaya and banana fruit smoothie - deeeelicious!). Embiggen’s catch cry is: “Where science meets art”, and to that end it stocks an inspiring collection of art and science tomes (it’s already the largest science bookstore in Queensland and the third largest in Australia) and you’ll also find a sexy selection of mainly non-fiction books dedicated to design, religion, philosophy, the environment, economics, atheism, and skepticism. One wall is saved for use as a fine art gallery and I fell instantly and deeply in love with the works by current exhibiting artist, Silvi Glattauer, from Melbourne. Her six nature-based photographic pieces (image inset) are printed on 100 percent cotton ragpaper using museum grade archival methods, which makes for a textured and eerie glow to the unadulterated images. Embiggen will host regular artist talks with local and visiting artists, scientists and philosophers, and is also the new HQ for the newly established Sunshine Coast Skeptics Society to promote critical thinking about life, the universe and everything in between. On January 21, Peter Ellerton, winner of the 2008 Prize for Critical Thinking will speak to the topic Bullsh*t Detection for kids, for life. If you want your thinking to be challenged, head for arguably the coolest new store in Noosa.
James Bond fans are holding their collective breath until the newest film in the series, Quantum of Solace, is released next week. Daniel Craig and Judy Dench return to the big screen for the follow-on from 2006’s Casino Royale. In the great tradition of Bond films, the release will be accompanied by a new theme song. Following on from signature Bond theme songs performed by the likes of Madonna, Chris Cornell, Tom Jones, Shirley Bassey, Nancy Sinatra and Tina Turner, Alicia Keys and Jack White (of the White Stripes) have joined together to create, Another Way to Die, which marks the first ever duet in the history of Bond tunes. Continue reading ‘bond. james bond.’
Architect, interior and industrial designer Philippe Starck’s latest hotel project was recently unveiled in France. Created in collaboration with the Trigano family (founders of Club Med) and enveloped by the heart of cultural Paris, Mama Shelter is an eclectic and atmospheric hotel that balances a fine line between bohemian and bourgeois. The unique spatial and lighting designs have created a dimly lit Parisian escape, where modestly sized rooms boast five-star bedding and internet-ready iMacs. The diverse interior switches from sleek designer surfaces and minimalist, monochromatic palettes to busy, word-filled walls, ceilings and floors, and elaborate lighting features. Tucked between artists’ studios in the Saint Blaise quartier, Mama Shelter beckons artisans and creative types who want to experience the hidden inner sanctum of Paris’ music, art and creative scene.
Lights, camera, action! It is all systems go on the film front this week, which marks the start of the 17th annual Brisbane International Film Festival (BIFF). Morgan Spurlock’s documentary Where in The World is Osama Bin Laden? kicks off the festival on Thursday night, followed by a 10 day line-up of Australian and international films that will challenge, entertain, sadden and inspire. Choke is a movie by first-time director Clark Gregg, which tells the story of Victor (Sam Rockwell), a med-school dropout who subsidises his income as a theme park mascot by pretending to choke in restaurants and profiting from the payout. But his dodgy tactics do support a good cause, with the extra dollars supporting his Alzheimer’s ravaged mother (Angelica Housten), who doesn’t remember him. Continue reading ‘biff boffins unite’
Having grown up with a domineering father in difficult household, adult siblings Wendy (Laura Linney) and John (Philip Seymour Hoffman) have long gone their separate ways to live very different lives. Wendy is a struggling scriptwriter, consumed with her own inability to achieve recognition for her work, and her agoraphobic tendencies see her largely confined to her flat. John is a college professor, specialising in obscure subjects. When Wendy gets the call to say their father is ill, the pair are plucked from their normal lives and are thrown into a new world of doctors, nursing homes and responsibility as their ailing father is slowly consumed by dementia. For the first time in a long time, the siblings have to deal with the quirks of their own family in The Savages. The film opens this Thursday in cinemas everywhere.
A little taste of up-town New York has made its way to our fine city of Brisbane. The Limes Hotel is a new, uber-hip destination for style-seekers and design lovers alike. Designed by Alexander Lotersztain inside and out, the hotel is the first Australian member of Design Hotels, an exclusive group of 150 international hotels that represent the best in original, future-forward design as well as a commitment to sustainability, inspiration and sophistication. The Limes Hotel is located just a hop and a step away from Fortitude Valley’s entertainment, dining and retail precinct. Housing a mere 21 rooms, the hotel matches sleek contemporary furnishings in a subtle monochromatic palette. The piece de resistance is Continue reading ‘limes hotel’
Voted the winner of the Audience Award at last year’s Brisbane International Film Festival, Unfinished Sky follows the story of John (William McInnes), a reclusive farmer who has retreated into himself following the recent death of his wife. When an Afghani woman (Monic Hendrickx) turns up on his doorstep – desperate, badly beaten and speaking no English – John takes her in. Not wishing to involve the police, who have treated him with suspicion due to the circumstances of his wife’s death, John attempts to keep Tahmeena’s presence a secret, which is a challenge in small rural town, full of nosy neighbours. Continue reading ‘unfinished sky’
Are you a coffee obsessive? Do you have to have three cups before you function in the morning or do you prefer to have one in a little cafe where you savour the creamy taste and quiet moment of contemplation? Either way, there’s a new coffee joint open in West End that might be worth checking out. BlackStar Roastery produces locally roasted 100% organic and fair trade coffee beans as well as fresh espresso beverages. The Roastery has already made a name for itself with a popular stall at the West End Green Flea Markets every Saturday. Now locals can get their BlackStar coffee fix throughout the week, with the new Roastery open six days and combining an espresso bar and retail outlet. Coffee lovers across town also have the opportunity to sample a latte or three at the BlackStar Espresso outlet on the corner of St Pauls Terrace and Constance Street in the Valley.
We all need a decent excuse to leave the house once winter rolls around. Staying in, curled up with a blanket on the couch watching bad Saturday television is good sometimes, but other times we need to shake off the cold in our bones with some more strenuous activity ‘round town. This week, we have a great excuse to rug up and go on a neighbourhood adventure as there are some wonderful exhibitions happening just yonder of our own back yards. Local animation talent Josh Rufford has work on show at Urban Grind in New Farm. Check out the quirky drawings from his ‘Los Socko and Friends’ collection and have a great excuse to warm up with a hot coffee. Hop over the river to GoMA for a peek at the Gordon Bennett retrospective, Continue reading ‘winter weekend wanderings’
The current global fair trade movement involves working with local producers in developing countries to help them achieve self-sufficiency, which in turn reduces their vulnerability in the marketplace and lessens their chances of being steamrolled by global corporations when it comes to trade negotiations and deals. On May 9, Queensland will play host to the 2nd annual Fair Trade Fiesta. Organised by the Queensland Fair Trade Collective, the event is part of the Fair Trade Fortnight (May 3 – 18) – two weeks designed to bring local attention to the global issue of alleviating poverty and improving fairness in trade for smaller producers in developing countries. This year’s Fiesta promises a program of Continue reading ‘fair trade fiesta’
Watch out Sydney because here comes Oslo! Officially opened in April 12 in the presence of the Norwegian royal family, the New Opera House in Oslo was unveiled to reveal an impressive and high-tech building that rivals Sydney’s famous structure. Designed by Norwegian architectural firm Snohetta, the building’s footprint measures over four football fields and is home to over 600 employees and 1000 rooms. Adjacent to the Revierkaia sea port, the building stands at the head of the Oslo Fjord to represent the significance of opera and performance in the Norwegian cultural landscape. The unique roof landscape has been constructed from 35,000 Italian white marble slabs, Continue reading ‘oslo opera house’
If the last German film you saw was ‘Run, Lola, Run’ it might be time to refresh your experience of German cinema. Now is your chance, as The Festival of German Films 2008 will launch in Brisbane on April 23. Many of the films in the festival programme, including the opening and closing night films, have been nominated for a LOLA award – Germany’s equivalent to the Academy Awards. Considering the sold-out success of the recent French Film Festival, it might be an idea to check out the programme Continue reading ‘die feier deutscher filme 2008′
Photography may seem like relatively new optical technology as the first photograph (in the form of a daguerreotype) was documented in 1839. However photographic optical technology can traced back to the 1600s when Dutch realist painter Johannes Vermeer is thought to have used the camera obscura to create projected images of domestic interior scenes, which he would then trace around. Since that time photographic technology has developed in leaps and bounds to the point where film products are no longer being produced and a large proportion of the population own a digital camera. Speaking of photography, you may not realise that The Queensland Festival of Photography is currently taking place across the state. Continue reading ‘festival of photography’
Anyone who shares one of the greatest feats of childhood – watching Doctor Who from a position of safety behind the sofa and never once having a nightmare about Daleks and their mission to exterminate the human race – should be hot-footing it to Earls Court in London to witness the official Doctor Who exhibition. Running until September 19, the exhibition was opened last Tuesday by Doctor number four, Tom Baker, and features props from the set as well as an array of Doctor Who adversaries, including Ice Warriors, Cybermen and those pesky Daleks. As the longest running science fiction television series in the history of television (it began in 1963), there have been a total of ten actors who have had stints in the role of the Doctor. Whether you grew up with Jon Pertwee’s Doctor or have recently discovered David Tennant’s version, you will know that the show follows the time-travelling adventures of the Doctor and his time-ship, the TARDIS (an acronym for Time And Relative Dimensions In Space). Continue reading ‘doctor who?’
Having toured Japan and America, the band that bought you the official Hello Kitty theme tune, are set to tour Australia for the first time. Lullatone bring together the electronic and melodic talents of Shawn James Seymour and the sweet-as-sugar vocals of Yoshimi Tomida to create simple, up-beat tunes to make you smile. The self-confessed ‘pajama pop’ duo are touring to mark the release of their latest album ‘The Bedtime Beat’. Described as their strangest album yet, the new songs showcase the xylophone, melodica and ukulele as well as recordings of snoring and underwater humming. Hosted by the Judith Wright Centre Of Contemporary Art, Lullatone start the Brisbane leg of their tour tonight.
