Anish Kapoor

Anish Kapoor has created some of the world’s most ambitious and recognisable contemporary artworks, including, Orbit (2012), a 115-metre-high tower created for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Leviathan (2011) for the Grand Palais in Paris, Cloud Gate (2004) in Millennium Park, Chicago, Sky Mirror (2006) for the Rockefeller Centre in New York and Marsyas (2002) for the Turbine Hall at Tate Modern.

See the first major exhibition in Australia by celebrated artist Anish Kapoor this summer as part of the Sydney International Art Series. In this selection of key works across two floors of the Museum, you can encounter Kapoor’s powerful artworks up close and in-depth.

Highlights include 1000 Names (1979-80), his early powdered pigment geometric sculptures; Void (1989), a large deep blue sculpture that changes from a convex to a concave form depending on your position.

 

One of the artist’s most ambitious works, the 24-ton Memory (2008) which completely fills one of the MCA’s spacious galleries as if squeezed between the white walls; and the monumental My Red Homeland (2003), which replicates the role of the artist. In this enormous circular sculpture, a large motorised steel blade slowly cuts a course through 25 tons of red wax, endlessly dissecting and re-shaping it into new forms.

Influenced by both his Indian heritage and western philosophy, in particular metaphysics, Kapoor’s artworks seek to understand what it is to be human. Explore Kapoor’s interest in the relationship between the contrasting forces of light and dark and see how he uses colour, form, size and medium to challenge perception, developing immersive and sometimes unsettling experiences.

Discover how Kapoor’s continual experimentation with structure and medium has led him to work with a wide variety of materials from clay, fibreglass and paint pigment, to steel and wax, creating beautiful, strange and intriguing works that counter conventional ideas of art.

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to see these impressive works by one of the world’s leading artists, in Sydney for a limited time.

Anish Kapoor
Exhibition: continues to 1 April 2013
Venue: Museum Of Contemporary Art
Address: 140 George St, The Rocks, Sydney
Entry fees apply

For more information, visit: www.mca.com.au for details.

 

Image: Anish Kapoor, Sky Mirror, 2006, MCA installation view 2012-13, stainless steel, courtesy and © the artist, photograph: Alex Davies

MilkMilkLemonade

A playful, outrageous and funny coming-of-age tale about sexual identity, growing up gay … and what happens when your best friend is a chicken.

Emory is an 11 year old boy who lives with his God-fearing grandmother on a chicken farm in the Bible Belt of rural America. His best friend Linda is a depressed giant chicken who wants to be a stand-up comic.

His favourite pastime is choreographing ribbon dances, he 'plays house' with Elliot, the 12 year old pyromaniac who lives down the road, and his greatest ambition is to be a contestant on a TV talent show.

Written by young New York based gay writer Joshua Conkel, New Theatre is proud to be presenting the Australian premiere of this seriously wonderful queer romp, as part of Sydney Mardi Gras 2013.

The play is full of delicious one-liners and absurd moments, but underlying the comedy is a real anger directed towards the homophobia, bullying and small-mindedness that constitutes daily life for many young gay people.

There has been much in the media lately about the high rates of suicide amongst young gay people, often triggered by a feeling of hopelessness, exacerbated by relentless bullying and contending with homophobic attitudes expressed both overtly and subliminally by peers, parents, teachers and the wider community.

In telling Emory’s story, Conkel has flipped the victim/bully paradigm on its head.  How Emory navigates the dark side of growing up gay is at the heart of this play.  He survives because of his imagination, his courage and his love of life.

MilkMilkLemonade is a painfully funny exploration of gender, sexuality, life, death and the need to dream up a world where you can be true to yourself.

Director: Melita Rowston  Cast: Mark Dessaix, Leah Donovan, Sarah Easterman, Kieran Foster, Pete Nettell

Set and Costumes: Antoinette Barbouttis  Lighting: Richard Whitehouse  Sound: Kent Rowston  Production Manager: Fern George  Stage Manager: Gaëlle Clark  Choreographer: Angela Blake  Assistant Choreographer: Joel Thomas  Vocal Coach: Helen Tonkin

MilkMilkLemonade
Season: 7 February - 2 March 2013
Venue: New Theatre
Address: 542 King St, Newtown
Bookings: 1300 347 205 or online: www.newtheatre.org.au
Image: Bob Seary

MilkMilkLemonade is presented as part of the 2013 Sydney Mardi Gras.

Finucane & Smith's Caravan Burlesque

The legendary, indefinable, genre-busting salon of seductive, subversive and electrifying acts that has critics raving and audiences around the world in raptures is coming to the Northcote Town Hall!

 

From the multi-award-winning house of Finucane & Smith comes Caravan Burlesque, a travelling emporium that fuses Parisian nightclub with jaw-dropping cabaret and seductive spectacle.

 

Expect the unexpected in this feast of sultry songs and under-dressed sirens, razor sharp wit, hula-hooping madness, butoh and disco, Bollywood and sizzling jazz moves, exotic live art, backroom ballet and gothic divas.

 

Led by the undisputed empress of provocative variety, Moira Finucane, and packed to the rafters with internationally acclaimed stars including handsomest dancer ever born Paul Cordeiro, circus sideshow star Lilikoi Kaos, showgirl like no other Maude Davey, Parisian dance siren Holly Durant, pocket rocket Anna Lumb, and velvet voice of the North Kamahi Djordon King!

 

So grab your friends, dress to the nines and ride the Caravan Burlesque.

Caravan Burlesque

Season: 31 January - 9 February 2013
Venue: Northcote Town Hall
Address: 189 High St, Northcote
Bookings: (03) 9481 9500 or online at: www.midsumma.org.au

For more information, visit: www.moirafinucane.com for details.

Caravan Burlesque is presented as part of the 2013 Midsumma Festival.

 

Here Lies Henry

Henry seems a little on edge. He is a man with a mission to tell us something we don't already know. But who is Henry and why does he have such a compulsive aversion to the truth?

 

Here Lies Henry challenges the conventional relationship between actor and audience and spins it completely on its head in a powerful exploration of purpose and humanity.

 

Canadian playwright Daniel MacIvor defies traditional narrative structure, describing the play as “experimental and experiential. The narrative varies for each person who experiences its elements.”

Directed by Sydney Theatre Award nominee Jason Langley, ‘Henry’ is embodied by well-known Sydney actor Matthew Hyde.

 

Provocative and uncompromising, this compelling comedy/drama about life, love, lies and the body in the next room is as elusive as it is enlightening and as profound as it is laugh-out-loud funny. Henry is a great big tease and definitely the one to see.

Here Lies Henry
Venue: Theatreworks
Address: Acland St, St. Kilda
Bookings: (03) 9534 3388 or online at: www.theatreworks.org.au
Image: Richard Hedger

For more information, visit: www.theatreworks.org.au for details.

Here Lies Henry is presented by TurnAround Productions in association with Theatreworks as part of the 2013 Midsumma Festival.

OVO - Cirque du Soleil

Australia’s love affair with Cirque du Soleil continues with the Melbourne season of OVO, a show which takes audiences into the colorful and energetic world of insects.

 

OVO meaning “egg” in Portuguese, is a headlong rush into a colourful ecosystem teeming with life, where insects work, eat, crawl, flutter, play, fight and look for love in a non-stop riot of energy and movement. The insects' home is a world of biodiversity and beauty filled with noisy action and moments of quiet emotion.

 

When a mysterious egg appears in their midst, the insects are awestruck and intensely curious about this iconic object that represents the enigma and cycles of their lives.

 

It's love at first sight when a gawky, quirky insect arrives in this bustling community and a fabulous ladybug catches his eye - and the feeling is mutual.

 

Since its world premiere in Montreal in April 2009, OVO has visited more than 15 cities in Canada, United States and Mexico, delighting over 2 million spectators.  The current Australian tour is the first time OVO has toured outside North America, and will be presented under the trademark blue-and-yellow Big Top.

 

Comprising 55 performing artists from 14 countries specializing in many acrobatic acts. One highlight of OVO is the stunning Flying Act in which a group of scarabs soar high above the stage, from both edges to the middle landing on a platform. This breathtaking act combines many circus disciplines: banquine, Russian swing and swinging chair. 
 

OVO

Season: 17 January - 31 March 2013

Venue: The Grand Chapiteau

Address: 473 Docklands Drive, Melbourne Docklands

Bookings: www.cirquedusoleil.com/ovo
Image: courtesy of Cirque du Soleil

 

For more information, visit: www.cirquedusoleil.com for details.

Rubber Duck at Darling Harbour

Internationally-acclaimed artist Florentijn Hofman isn't high-brow or elitist when it comes to his urban sculptures - he wants to astonish audiences and give them a new perspective on public spaces. His sculptures are big, very big, and Rubber Duck is no exception.

 

Hofman takes great care in finding a suitable habitat for his larger-than-life works. Rubber Duck, he says, doesn't discriminate and has no political connotation. "It relieves everyday tensions, as well as defining them. Its purpose is to do no more than amaze."

 

The bright yellow inflatable is five storeys high and five storeys wide and has been popping up in various cities around the world since 2007. Surprising, whimsical and a whole lot of fun for no apparent reason.

 

Rubber Duck

Season: continues to 23 January 2013
Venue: Darling Harbour, Sydney

For more information, visit: www.sydneyfestival.com.au for details.

 

Rubber Duck is presented as part of the 2013 Sydney Festival.

The Small Poppies

It's Clint's first day of school and he doesn't want to be there. His best friend Maria has moved away and Shane is a bully. Theo is obsessed with kangaroos and Lep's lunchbox smells.

The Small Poppies is a funny, playful look at the rite of passage of starting "big school" through the eyes of a five year old. With the innocence and clear-sighted wisdom of children, Clint and his friends show how, with a little tolerance and understanding, we can all get along in our multicultural society, and that who you are matters so much more than what you are.

 

New Theatre is pleased to welcome NIDA graduate Felicity Nicol to direct The Small Poppies in her first production for the Company.

“I’ve wanted to direct this play  ever since I saw the production with Geoffrey Rush at Belvoir St 12 years’ ago when I was a teenager,” says Felicity.

 

“It made the strongest impression on me. Never had I seen such a celebration of imagination on stage before.  So I was thrilled when New Theatre offered me the opportunity to bring it to life."

 

This delightful classic of Australian children's theatre is a treat for the whole family. Suitable for ages 5 and up.

 

The Small Poppies

Season: 17 - 26 January 2013
Venue: New Theatre

Address: 542 King St, Newtown

Bookings: 1300 347 205 or online at: www.newtheatre.org.au 

Image: Peter Gahan 

 

For more information, visit: www.newtheatre.org.au for details.

 

 

Fag Boy & The Married Guy

Because tonight you get to see what it feels like to be helpless. To feel what it’s like to be punished and for it to be out of your control.

What would you do if you found the school bully and your tormentor from high school on Grindr, ten years later? A psychological sexual thriller, Fag Boy & The Married Guy is the latest work by Tunks Productions.

Will was persecuted at High School for his emerging homosexuality, barely making it out alive following a savage beating from bullies and a suicide attempt. He’s tried to move on, losing considerable weight and becoming a successful vet but still struggles trusting people.

 

Unexpectedly he receives a message on Grindr from a familiar face - his school bully Alex. Alex is now a failed footballer with a wife, mortgage, kids and a life he resents. Forced to face his own demons, Alex isn’t prepared to go down without a fight.

As these two men face off, it’s clear that neither will be the same again. Revenge may be a dish best served cold, but one you may choke on yourself.

Wayne Tunks is an award winning writer, director, producer and actor. His theatre credits include the previous Midsumma Festival hit 37 Ways To Say I’m Gay and most recently, His Room, which opened the True West Season at the Riverside Theatre in Parramatta earlier this year.

Performers Matthew Candeland (Crossed, La Mama Courthouse, 2011) and Benji Groenwegen (The Omega Quest, Revolt, 2012) have both previously worked with Tunks Productions and bring a youthful energy and intensity to the work.
 

Fag Boy & The Married Guy
Season: 16 - 27 January 2013
Venue: La Mama Theatre
Address: 205 Faraday St, Carlton
Bookings: (03) 9347 6142 or online at: www.lamama.com.au 
Image: Sarah Candeland

Fag Boy & The Married Guy is presented as part of the 2013 Midsumma Festival.

 

Brett Willis - 2NARAMA

After the outrageously successful 2012 exhibition, Facebook phenomenon TOONARAMA returns to celebrate TOON-tastic 2-somes as part of the 25th Anniversary of Melbourne’s Midsumma Festival!

2NARAMA is a cartoon exhibition of 50 limited edition digital artwork caricature prints featuring a collection of Incredible Icons, Cool Celebrities, Community Cuties, Sexy Sports Stars and Fabulous Friends by celebrity cartoonist Brett Willis.

TOON-tastic 2-somes include Celebrity TV chefs Nigella Lawson & Audrey Gordon, Dance Idols Ricky Martin & Beyoncé, Aussie Icons Dame Edna Everage & Sir Les Patterson, Fab TV Friends Karen & Jack and many more dynamic duos!

 

Growing up in the 80's on a diet of glamorous Angel detectives, buff mutant superheroes and Material Girl video clips, Melbourne Freelance Cartoonist Brett Willis developed an insatiable taste for Popular Culture and the cult of Celebrity.

 

Inspired to draw as a child by comic book superhero artwork, Brett has produced an extensive variety of cartoon and illustration work for children's books, TV show merchandise, magazines, newspapers, websites, corporate promotions, and successful solo exhibitions showcasing his "bright, bold and sexy cartoon style".

 

2NARAMA
Exhibition: 11 - 20 January 2013
Venue: ArtBoy Gallery
Address: 99 Greville St, Prahran

For more information, visit: www.artboygallery.com for details.

 

 

Out Cast Theatre - Here & After

Continuing their mission of delivering new Australian theatre on stages both here and around the globe, Melbourne’s Out Cast Theatre in conjunction with Steven Dawson is proud to present its first offering for 2013, Here & After.

 

It’s Melbourne 1942 and Patrick has met the man of his dreams. Tom is everything you could want:  tall, good looking, an American GI, the only thing is he may also be dead.

 

“It’s been a long time since I wrote something as straight forward and romantic as this one. I wanted it to be a simple, yet heart-warming tale coloured with my typically skewed take on the world we live in" says Steven Dawson, Artistic Director of Out Cast Theatre.

 

"It’s very Hollywood, slightly soppy but I like to think it is thoroughly engaging. There was no wish to make bold statements. I just wanted to have a good time watching it and hoped others would join me on the journey."

 

In the last four years Out Cast Theatre has toured to Edinburgh, Dublin, Manchester, London and Sydney as well its regular performances in Melbourne.  It receives no government assistance and relies solely on ticket sales and the generosity of our generous partners.

 

"Our audiences are there to see work that is aimed squarely at them" says Dawson.

 

"The themes are universal and the mixed audiences, both gay and straight are testament to that but these are our stories and we love telling them."

 

Here & After
Season: 16 January - 9 February 2013
Venue: Mechanics Institute Performing Arts Centre
Address: Corner Sydney Road and Glenlyon Street, Brunswick
Bookings: (03) 9308 4574 or online at: www.outcast.org.au

Here & After is presented as part of the 2013 Midsumma Festival.



Welcome back to Arts Review

After a hiatus of a few years, the Australian Arts Review returns in 2013. Over the coming weeks, we will be featuring performances and visual arts from Melbourne's Midsumma and Sydney Festival. We will also take a look inside the covers of the latest book releases, and for movie buffs, a selection of film and dvd releases.