Archibald Prize 2011

Ben Quilty's portrait of Margaret Olley wins this year's Archibald Prize.

When Ben Quilty first asked legendary painter Margaret Olley to sit for him she said no. ‘Her lack of ego is so appealing,’ says Quilty. ‘Margaret didn’t understand why anyone would want to see a portrait of her.’

Quilty met Olley when she was a guest judge for the 2002 Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship, which he won. ‘She’s been a friend and great supporter of my work ever since,’ he says.

Born in Lismore in 1923, Olley was awarded the Order of Australia in 1991 for service as an artist and to the promotion of art. In 1996, she was awarded the Companion of the Order of Australia.

‘She’s such an inspiration,’ says Quilty. ‘She was a feminist ahead of her time. She’s vigorously passionate about social and political issues, as well as art, and is enormously compassionate. Margaret has such an infectious attitude to both life and death. Recently, I was amazed at how many new works she had on the go. She said to me, “I’m like an old tree dying and setting forth flowers as fast as it can, while it still can.” I thought that was such a powerful metaphor.’

As for the bright palette: ‘You just need to walk into her home, which is also her studio, to see that you couldn’t use anything but striking colour. It’s full of translucent works-in-progress, beautiful drawings, sculptures and flowers, so I wanted the portrait to reflect that.’

Most of Quilty’s work to date has been about masculinity but he says, ‘Margaret has had such a powerful bearing on my career. She has asked me constantly for years to stop painting ugly skulls and paint something beautiful.’ Quilty has just finished a series of paintings of his wife.

This year, the 90th year of Archibald, there were 798 entries for Archibald, 810 for the Wynne and 633 entries for the Sulman. The Archibald and Wynne prizes are judged by the Trustees of the Art Gallery of New South Wales. The judge for the Sulman Prize was Richard Bell.

The Archibald winner receives $50,000, the Wynne Prize winner receives $25,000 for landscape painting or figure sculpture, the Sulman Prize winner receives $20,000 for subject/genre painting and/or mural work and the Watercolour Prize (part of the Wynne Prize) winner receives $2,000.

On view
16 Apr – 26 Jun 2011
Art Gallery of New South Wales
Art Gallery Road, The Domain, Sydney

Julian Assange's Support Rally

On 6th February 2011 the Wikileaks Support Coalition held a rally in Sydney on behalf of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. Speaking at a rally held at Sydney's Town Hall in support of the 39-year-old Australian, Mr Brett Assange, Julian’s stepfater urged people to support his stepson as he prepared to face a London court this week.
The court will decide whether Julian Assange will be extradited to Sweden to face sexual-related allegations.
There is growing concern the internet whiz will then be extradited to the US, after a catalogue of high-profile leaked diplomatic and military cables were published on the WikiLeaks website.
Mr Assange said that the Swedish government had abused his stepson's human and his legal rights by "having him in line" for this extradition.
"They should be ready to grant him shelter instead," Mr Assange told the crowd assembled at the rally on Sunday.
"He's been nominated for a Nobel Prize so how could he be a criminal?
He's exposed global corruption everywhere, he's done no harm except to those who do harm the people," he said.
Julian Assange was nominated for the Sydney Peace Foundation's gold medal and the Nobel Peace Prize on the same day last week.
Both Julian Assange's mother and stepfather have criticised Prime Minister Julia Gillard for washing her hands of him.
Mr  Brett Assange said that people could show their support for Julian by getting in contact with their local member of parliament.

Picassos and Chinesse warriors coming to Sydney

Yesterday in Art Gallery of NSW

Premier of NSW, Kristina Keneally and Arts Minister Virginia Judge announced yesterday during a media call at Art Gallery of NSW, inaugural the Sydney International Art Series, which will bring major exhibitions from around the world to Sydney, including China's famous Terracotta Warriors and a collection of Picasso paintings, as part of a new annual event.

Ten of the life-size warriors and horses, buried more than 2,000 years ago near the city of Xian in northern China, will be on display at the Art Gallery of New South Wales from December to March.

The exhibition will be the first in the Sydney International Art Series, launched today by Events New South Wales, the Art Gallery of NSW and the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Also on display at the gallery will be the largest-ever collection of Picassos to come to Australia.

The Museum of Contemporary Art, meanwhile, will host a retrospective of work by celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz.



Premier Kristina Keneally says the new event will draw thousands of tourists to Sydney bringing $20 million a year for the NSW economy.

Art Gallery of NSW director Edmund Capon says the Picasso exhibition will likely be the biggest show the gallery has ever hosted. 



Edmund Capon,
 Director of Art Gallery NSW

 

Premier Kristina Keneally
 during announcement

 















RSFF: The Gala Opening

Sydney came in at number seven on the list of global fashion cities, while Melbourne was 11th.

New York won the top gong on a list compiled by the non-profit group Global Language Monitor, while Hong Kong, London, Paris and Los Angeles rounded out the top five cities.

The news coincides with the launch of this year's Rosemount Sydney Fashion Festival on Monday.

NSW Arts Minister Virginia Judge said on Tuesday the survey showed there was "no doubt" Sydney was leading Melbourne in the fashion stakes.

"Sydney is the home to Australia's best fashion designers including Akira, Carla Zampatti, Collette Dinnigan, Jayson Brunsdon, Romance was Born, Zimmerman, Lisa Ho to name but a few," Ms Judge said in a statement.


Virginia Judge, Minister for the Arts and Jackie Frank, editor of Marie Claire
Jayson Brunsdon


Kate Waterhouse, media celebrity and fashion editor for the Sun Herald in Sydney


Alex Perry

Election 2010

Dziś w Australii odbyły się wybory do parlamentu federalnego. O władzę rywalizują rzadząca od niemal trzech lat Partia Pracy ( Labor Party) premier Julii Gillard i opozycyjna koalicja liberalno-narodowa, której liderem jest zdobywający coraz większą popularnośc Tony Abbott. Komentatorzy spekulują, że po serii pomyłek, niespełnionych obietnic i niespodziewanym w czerwcu usunięciu ze stanowiska popularnego premiera Kevina Rudda, który trzy lata temu wygrał wybory przejmujec wladzę po dekadzie prosperity liberalnych rzadów Johna Howarda , obecne wybory może wygrac Tony Abbott. Dzien wyborów nie zakończyl się rozczygnięciem, kto wygra

ł. Aby rzadzic samodzielnie rywalizujące partie muszą zdobyc minimum 76 miejsc w parlamencie. Dzien zakończyl sie wynikiem 70 dla Labour Party I 72 dla Liberalów.Jeden mandat zdobyli Zieloni, 5 niezależni a trzy nadal są nierozstrzygnięte.Może powstac sytuacja patowa i wtedy Gubernator Australii będzie musiała podjąc decyzje, kto ma rzadziec lub oglosic powtorkę wyborów.

Street Action: We Are Change

"Little Rose" in Sydney

Film "Różyczka" od 1 do 22 sierpnia jest pokazywany w Australii. Obraz Jana Kidawy-Błońskiego otworzył stałą i regularną dystrybucję polskich filmów na antypodach, w sieci kin "Reading Cinemas". W każdą niedzielę miesiąca polska produkcja jest pokazywana w multipleksach, w Melbourne, Canberze, Sydney, Perth i Adelajdzie.

Na pokazach "Różyczki", uhonorowanej na festiwalu gdyńskim przez australijskich dystrybutorów nagrodą Kangura, sale kinowe wypełnione są po brzegi. Film zdobywa uznanie nie tylko widzów, ale także prasy australijskiej. Najstarszy i opiniotwórczy dziennik australijski "The Age" umieścił "Różyczkę" wśród dziesięciu najlepszych filmów prezentowanych obecnie w Australii.

Twórcy "Różyczki", m.in. Jan Kidawa-Błoński i szef WFDiF Włodzimierz Niderhaus, odwiedzili już Canberrę, Sydney i Melbourne, a przed nimi jeszcze wizyty w Perth i Adelajdzie. Spotkaniom z publicznością, organizowane po projekcji filmu, towarzyszą ciekawe dyskusje, widzowie są bardzo zainteresowani polską kinematografią, odbierają "Różyczkę" jako opowieść o wielkiej miłości z historycznym tłem.

Pomysł promocji polskich filmów wyszedł od działacza polonijnego Tadeusza Matkowskiego, który już zapowiedział, że kolejnym polskim filmem w australijskich kinach będzie "Enen" Feliksa Falka.

culture.pl


Reżyser Jan Kidawa-Bloński z malzonka, Malgorzatą (poslanką PO, rzeczniczką Bronislawa Komorowskiego w kampanii wyborczej) i producentem filmu Włodzimierzem Niderhausem podczas pokazu filmu w Auburn w Sydney.

Lions Clubs Parade

12 tys. delegatów ze 146 krajów przybyło do Sydney w ostatnim tygodniu czerwca na doroczną konwencję Lions Clubs International. Tym razem światowy zjazd Lionów organizowali Australijczycy.
Członek Klubu Lwów – jak czytamy na stronie internetowej organizacji - to ten kto osiągnął sukces, kto żyje dobrze, dużo się śmieje i kocha ludzi. Kto wśród mądrych traktowany jest z respektem i kogo kochają małe dzieci. To ten, kto zostawia świat lepszym, niż go zastał, kto widzi w drugim tylko to, co dobre i kto sam z siebie daje to, co najlepsze.
Wczoraj ulicami Sydney od Hyde Park do Opera House, uczestnicy konwencji - członkowie Lions Clubs, przeszli w barwnym pochodzie. Wśród nich byli Polacy: pięć pań z Gdanska: Katarzyna Gebert, Joanna Wasiluk, Elżbieta Szmyd, Helena Polejko i Lucyna Czajka oraz Ryszard Jakubowski z Poznania, który obecnie pełni funkcję Gubernatora Okręgu - 121 Polska.

Slash's Dr. Dan Theme is in Sydney !

Sydney's Radio Triple M listener Nick Prichard returns from Paris, where he got meet Slash, ex-member of Guns N’ Roses and collect the guitar legeend's version of the Dr.Dan theme.
This iconic piece of rock was Triple M’s theme music for around 20 years.Everyone knows this classic riff as the ‘Spirit of Aussie Rock 'n' Roll.’


See all my photos of the world exclusive delivery of Triple M's Dr. Dan theme recorded by Slash! Nick's trip with Harley bikes escort from Sydney Airport early morning today to Triple M studio at Goulburn Street in city.

See also: Triple M

Suicide in Bondi Junction shopping centre

46-year-old man prepared to jump from a balcony ledge on the top floor of one of Sydney's busiest shopping centres in Bondi Junction today.
It was a scenario all too common in Australia, which has one of the highest suicide rates in the Western world.
The final moments of the man's life, which unfolded before hundreds of lunchtime shoppers, including children, at Westfield shopping centre in one of richest Sydney's suburb - Bondi Junction have raised questions about whether shopping centre management handled the situation effectively.

Few minutes latter the man died.








This is also question for designers of public spaces.