What’s on Calendar

EXHIBITIONS

• 10am

  Gallery opens

  Open every day, except Christmas & Good Friday

  Times vary. See Opening hours

• Performance

  BMX bike performance

  A celebration of street culture in contemporary art

  In association with New contemporary galleries.
  Duration 15 minutes
  Front of the Gallery
  Free

• 10.30am

  Exhibition talk

  Exhibition talk by Edmund Capon and John Kaldor

  Gallery director Edmund Capon and John Kaldor introduce the new contemporary galleries.

  In association with New contemporary galleries.
  Duration 30 minutes
  Contemporary galleries
  Free

• 11am

  Tour

  Contemporary art speaks Korean

  Free Korean language tour 무료한국어투어

  Join us for a highlights tour of the new contemporary galleries, featuring the John Kaldor Family Collection, in Korean and explore the profundity of contemporary art.

  존칼도가의 소장품을 전시하는 새 현대미술관의 하이라이트 투어에 참여하세요.
  진행시간 30분

  In association with New contemporary galleries.
  Duration 30 minutes
  Ticketing and membership desk
  Free

• For kids    Performance    Tour

  Interactive character tour: Pertinos

  Join our new Gallery character Pertinos on a lively tour of the contemporary galleries, specially written and created by children’s author Geoffrey McSkimming

  In association with New contemporary galleries.
  Duration 30 minutes
  Entrance court
  Free

• Exhibition talk    Tour

  Walking tour with Justin Paton

  The curator of ‘Unguided tours’ explores the idea of the journey in art.

  In association with Unguided tours.
  Duration 45 minutes
  Temporary exhibitions gallery
  Free

• Course    Lecture / symposium

  American Classics

  Flappers and dreamers: F Scott Fitzgerald and Dorothy Parker

  They partied, drank, cracked jokes and wrote, and they helped define the Jazz or Flapper Age. The Great Gatsby, almost perfect in its form and symbolism, depicts the glittering surface and the hollowness beneath. Dorothy Parker also discovered suicidal unhappiness behind the veneer of fun and success. As a poet, short story writer and reviewer, she acerbically exposed foibles and pretensions, while at the same time making her readers laugh.

  Duration 2 hours
  Domain Theatre
  Charges apply

• Workshop

  Help create a Sol LeWitt wall drawing

  A rare chance to participate in creating one of LeWitt's wall drawings.

  In association with New contemporary galleries.
  Duration 9 hours
  Function space
  Free

• 11.30am

  Auslan    Exhibition talk

  Curator talk: Tracey Moffatt

  Judy Annear, the Gallery’s senior curator of photographs, introduces the new photography gallery and discusses ‘Up in the sky’.

  In association with Tracey Moffatt.
  Duration 30 minutes
  Photography gallery
  Free

• Film

  ArtDocs film screenings

  De Larges Détails, sur les traces de Francis Alÿs (Wide details on the traces of Francis Alÿs)

  Dir. Julien Devaux and Francis Alÿs, French edition (subtitles in English) 56mins, DV-Cam, 2006
  This documentary focuses on Belgian-born contemporary artist Francis Alÿs, who has lived in Mexico City for the past fifteen years. Alys works across a wide range of mediums and genres and is known for the thought-provoking, performative nature of his work. In his most famous work When faith moves mountains 2002, for example, Alÿs enlisted 500 volunteers to help him move an entire sand dune from one spot to another.

  This film explores the artist’s process in transforming the action of wandering into an art form. The film opens in Mexico City and then follows Alÿs on a journey to London, Berlin, Lima and Jerusalem. A major theme of the film is an exploration of the relationship between individuals and the urban environments they inhabit.

  In association with New contemporary galleries.
  Duration 1 hour
  Centenary Auditorium
  Free

• 12pm

  Exhibition talk

  Contemporary artists talk

  Patricia Piccinini

  Piccinini works in a variety of media, including painting, sculpture, video, sound, installation and digital prints. She enjoys exploring what she calls ‘the often specious distinctions between the artificial and the natural’. The concepts that underpin modern science, such as genetic engineering and other forms of biotechnology, appear to fascinate her. In her talk, Piccinini will discuss her practice and work The comforter 2010, which is on display in the contemporary galleries.
  

  

  Interpreted into Auslan

  In association with New contemporary galleries.
  Duration 30 minutes
  Contemporary galleries
  Free

• Auslan    Exhibition talk

  Patricia Piccinini artist talk

  Contemporary artist Patricia Piccinini will discuss her practice and work ‘The comforter’ 2010

  In association with New contemporary galleries.
  Duration 30 minutes
  Contemporary galleries
  Free

• Tour

  Eikoh Hosoe guided tour

  An introduction to the exhibition

  In association with Eikoh Hosoe.
  Duration 1 hour
  Upper Asian gallery
  Free

• Music

  Live music with Lily Dior

  Lily Dior, one of Australia's finest jazz and soul artists, performs live in the ArtBar

  Duration 1 hour
  Free

• 12.30pm

  For kids    Performance

  Interactive storytelling: contemporary art

  With Open Stage Productions

  In association with New contemporary galleries.
  Duration 30 minutes
  Entrance court
  Free

• 1pm

  Performance

  Bodyweather dance performance

  Butoh artist Tess de Quincey and sound artist Jim Denley perform ‘Line in line’

  In association with Eikoh Hosoe.
  In association with New contemporary galleries.
  Duration 30 minutes
  Entrance court
  Free

• 1.30pm

  Exhibition talk

  Contemporary galleries talk

  Tony Bond, the Gallery's head curator of international art, discusses minimalism and the work of Sol LeWitt.

  The John Kaldor Family Collection holds one of the most comprehensive representations of LeWitt’s work in the world. LeWitt (1928–2007) was a pivotal figure in establishing conceptualism and minimalism as dominant art movements of the postwar era. His work radically shifted traditional ways of thinking about art in the late 1960s, particularly with his wall drawings, which were temporary and could be executed not just by LeWitt by also by other trained artists and students.

  In association with New contemporary galleries.
  Duration 30 minutes
  Contemporary galleries
  Free

• Exhibition talk

  Photography & place artist talk

  Australian photographer Anne Ferran talks about her series 'Lost to worlds'.

  In association with Photography & place.
  Duration 30 minutes
  Temporary exhibitions gallery
  Free

• Music

  Live music with Lily Dior

  Lily Dior, one of Australia's finest jazz and soul artists, performs live in the ArtBar

  Duration 1 hour
  Free

• 2pm

  Performance

  Performance art by Destiny Deacon

  An opportunity to see the first presentation of a new performance work by artist Destiny Deacon.

  In association with art + soul.
  In association with New contemporary galleries.
  Duration 15 minutes
  Centenary Auditorium
  Free

• For kids    Performance

  Performance by Ms Kandinsky

  Colourful tales of artistic discovery through contemporary art, performed by Alex Norman.

  In association with New contemporary galleries.
  Duration 30 minutes
  Entrance court
  Free

• Film

  Open Weekend 2011 film

  I shot Andy Warhol

  Dir. Mary Harron, 1996
  102 mins 35mm Colour Rated MA15+
  Lili Taylor, Stephen Dorff
  Lili Taylor stars in this retelling of the life of the woman who shot the artist Andy Warhol, and whose public identity was subsequently defined by her act. Set in New York between 1966 and 1968, the script is based on the true story of Valerie Solanas, a ’60s radical preaching hatred towards men in her incendiary Scum manifesto. Mary Harron’s film started out as a documentary before the producers convinced her to transform it into a dramatic interpretation. The result is impressive and provocative.

  In association with New contemporary galleries.
  Duration 1 hour, 42 minutes
  Domain Theatre
  Free

• Performance

  Drawing demonstrations

  Discover more about drawing techniques in our newly refurbished works-on-paper study room.

  In association with New contemporary galleries.
  Duration 2 hours
  Study room
  Free

• 2.30pm

  Performance

  Beat poetry with Miles Merrill

  Miles Merrill performs Jack Kerouac's ‘On the road’ and Allen Ginsberg's ‘Howl’ with multi-instrumentalist Trevor Brown

  In association with New contemporary galleries.
  Duration 30 minutes
  Contemporary galleries
  Free

• Exhibition talk

  Eikoh Hosoe talk

  Bec Dean, associate director of Performance Space, discusses the work of Japanese photographer Eikoh Hosoe.

  In association with Eikoh Hosoe.
  Duration 30 minutes
  Upper Asian gallery
  Free

• Workshop

  Zoetrope workshop

  Explore early technologies in the development of new media art with artist and curator Ricky Subritzky

  In association with Unguided tours.
  Duration 2 hours
  Domain Theatre foyer
  Free

• 3pm

  Performance

  Breakdancing performance

  A celebration of street culture in contemporary art

  In association with New contemporary galleries.
  Duration 15 minutes
  Entrance court
  Free

• 3.30pm

  Exhibition talk

  Contemporary artists talk

  Aleks Danko

  Danko is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice includes sculpture, installation, performance/live art, drawing and printmaking, and incorporates collaborations with other artists, including practitioners from other cultural disciplines. Danko’s work also has a strong focus on aspects of Australian culture, unravelling the social and political mores of our society in a wry and sardonic critique. In his talk, Danko discusses his works Log dog and Art stuffing, both in the John Kaldor Family Collection, and the performative nature of his practice, past and present.

  In association with New contemporary galleries.
  Duration 30 minutes
  Contemporary galleries
  Free

• Music

  Live music with The Rescue Ships

  Singer/songwriters Brian Campeau and Elana Stone of The Rescue Ships perform original music and sounds from the 1960s.

  In association with New contemporary galleries.
  Duration 1 hour
  Cafe
  Free

• 4pm

  Exhibition talk

  Sam Smith in conversation

  Artist Sam Smith talks to Anneke Jaspers, the Gallery’s assistant curator of contemporary art

  In association with Sam Smith.
  Duration 30 minutes
  Contemporary project space
  Free

• Celebrity talk    Lecture / symposium

  Contemporary collectors forum

  Sydney collectors John Kaldor, Naomi Milgrom Kaldor, Andrew Cameron and Daniel Droga discuss collecting contemporary art

  In association with New contemporary galleries.
  Duration 1 hour
  Centenary Auditorium
  Free

• 4.30pm

  Exhibition talk

  Unguided tours artists talk

  David Haines and Joyce Hinterding discuss their work in 'Unguided tours'.

  In association with Unguided tours.
  Duration 30 minutes
  Temporary exhibitions gallery
  Free

• 5pm

  Exhibition talk

  Contemporary artists talk

  Mike Parr

  Parr is widely regarded as one of the most prominent Australian performance artists and printmakers. His three-decade body of work has accumulated as a vast and complex self portrait project that includes performance, installation, sculpture, drawing, drypoint etching and photography. The self in Parr’s work is not a recognisable person as such, but a kind of surface on which the artist acts out a monologue about the nature of representation. In his talk, Parr discusses his sculptural work Bronze liars (minus 1 to minus 16) 1996 and his series 26 untitled self-portrait 1981-96 and the performative nature of his work.

  In association with New contemporary galleries.
  Duration 30 minutes
  Contemporary galleries
  Free

• Music

  Live music with The Rescue Ships

  Singer/songwriters Brian Campeau and Elana Stone of The Rescue Ships perform original music and sounds from the 1960s.

  In association with New contemporary galleries.
  Duration 1 hour
  Cafe
  Free

• 5.30pm

  Exhibition talk    Tour

  Architecture tour

  A walk-through of the new contemporary galleries with architect Andrew Andersons and deputy director Anne Flanagan

  In association with New contemporary galleries.
  Duration 30 minutes
  Free

• Film

  ArtDocs film screenings

  Open Score by Robert Rauschenberg

  Dir. Barbo Lundestam, USA, colour, magnetic stereo, 30 min, 2007
  In 1966 ten New York artists and thirty engineers and scientists from Bell Telephone Laboratories collaborated on a series of innovative dance, music and theatre performances. Entitled 9 Evenings: theatre & engineering, the event was held at the 69th Regiment Armory, New York City. Participating artists included John Cage, Lucinda Childs, Öyvind Fahlström, Alex Hay, Deborah Hay, Steve Paxton, Yvonne Rainer, Robert Rauschenberg, David Tudor and Robert Whitman.

  Open score was performed on 14 October. It began with a tennis game between Frank Stella and his tennis partner, Mimi Kanarek, on a full-scale court laid out on the Armory floor. Rauschenberg had adopted one of the oldest forms of performance that everyone recognises, a tennis match, and made it into dance. He also used the game ‘to control the lights and to perform as an orchestra’. Each time Frank or Mimi hit the ball a loud ‘bong’ vibrated around the Armory and the sound of each ‘bong’ switched off one of the lights illuminating the court.

  In association with New contemporary galleries.
  Duration 30 minutes
  Centenary Auditorium
  Free

• 6pm

  Exhibition talk

  Contemporary artists talk

  Shaun Gladwell

  Gladwell’s videos focus on how his subjects move; breakdancers, skateboarders, roller-bladers, BMX bike riders are filmed on the streets and in urban public spaces such as parks, train stations and malls. Gladwell is himself a skateboarder and he creates a mesmerising dialogue between performance and street culture. In his talk, Gladwell discusses his practice and the video work Approach to Mundi Mundi 2007, which is in the John Kaldor Family Collection.

  In association with New contemporary galleries.
  Duration 30 minutes
  Contemporary galleries
  Free

• 6.30pm

  Exhibition talk

  Artist talk by Tracey Moffatt

  One of Australia’s most successful international artists discusses her work.

  In association with Tracey Moffatt.
  Duration 30 minutes
  Entrance court
  Free

• Film

  ArtDocs film screenings

  Sol LeWitt: Wall Drawings

  Dir. Edgar B. Howard and Tom Piper, USA, colour, 55mins, 2010
  During the four decades of his career, Sol LeWitt produced more than 1200 wall drawings using a deliberately limited repertoire of lines and geometric shapes to create works of remarkable complexity. His decision to utililse other artists to install his wall drawings in architecturally diverse spaces informs the execution of his works. Like a musical score, his wall drawings play differently each time they are produced.

  This film takes as its focus the retrospective of LeWitt’s wall drawings at MASS MoCA in North Adams, Massachusetts, which opened for a 25-year run in November 2008. The exhibition includes 105 works from 1968–2008, installed posthumously, on roughly 40,000 square feet of old mill wall surface – the most expansive view of LeWitt’s oeuvre in a single space.

  In association with New contemporary galleries.
  Duration 1 hour
  Centenary Auditorium
  Free

• 7pm

  Exhibition talk

  Contemporary artists talk

  Daniel Crooks

  Spanning a range of media including digital video, photography and installation, Crooks’ complex and beautiful time structures reveal a sensibility seemingly at odds with the ordinariness of the subject matter. His digital images stretch and distort reality while questioning our perception of it. In his talk, Crooks discusses his work Elevator no.3 2002 and Static no.6 2003, both in the John Kaldor Family Collection.

  In association with New contemporary galleries.
  Duration 30 minutes
  Contemporary galleries
  Free

• 7.15pm

  Film

  Open Weekend 2011 film

  Basquiat

  Dir: Julien Schnabel 1996 (US)
  108 mins 35mm Colour Rated M
  Jeffrey Wright, Michael Wincott
  An insider’s look at the hyped-up New York art world, told through the life story of Jean-Michel Basquiat. A black, 19-year-old graffiti artist who was catapulted to superstardom with his hybrid, topical paintings, Basquiat rubbed shoulders with the likes of Andy Warhol and Julian Schnabel before burning out permanently at the age of 27. Schnabel, himself a celebrated figure in the 1980s art world, made his directing debut with this film, which was shown in competition at the 1996 Venice Film Festival.
  Note: Start time has changed from that originally advertised.

  In association with New contemporary galleries.
  Duration 1 hour, 48 minutes
  Domain Theatre
  Free

• 7.30pm

  Music    Performance

  Live music with Mr Percival

  A unique musical experience

  In association with New contemporary galleries.
  Duration 30 minutes
  Entrance court
  Free

• 9pm

  Gallery closes

  Special extended hours for Contemporary galleries open weekend 2011

  Normal hours
  Thursday to Tuesday 10am – 5pm, Wednesday 10am – 9pm
  Closed Christmas Day and Good Friday