Au Revoir, Salmiaki

Today was my last show for 3 months.
I'm heading off to the snowy banks of the Seine to work on my pristine pearl like complexion (at least the bits between the freckles).

Tim Hilton will be doing the show next week - followed by Lucas Ilheim until March - when Mayhem will return in the flesh.

while away - i'll keep updating this site from some internet cafe.

In Paris - I'm going to check out some grafitti art - which is saving the Ville lumiere from being a turgid 20th century hell hole (It's not great for modern art) - I guess all the great music must have finally sppread to people's eyeballs.

Afterwards - I'm heading to London for 10 days. I'll be YBAing out my eyeballs and can't wait for the TURNER! gosh!

then'm going to Finland for a fortnight - to hang out with some extremely cool installation & dollaborative video artists....I'm packing my parka and I can't wait!

OK for the record - I've decided to skip reviewing the art school shows. NAs had skateboards. Lots of people got drunk at all openings. Lots of art was seen. SOme of it is still up. SCA postgradute show is opening tuesday 6th December. some amazing COFA masters student has a show in KUDOS. It opens tomorow night.

on the show I discussed slowly and sensibly - (tried) the show by Fiona Hall and Fiona McDonald. titled "Strangely Famliar" its been on for all of november at the UTs gallery - level 4 of the design building in Harris street. In a word? GO. It closes this weekend. Its great.

Longer words? - ricky has done SOOOO amazingly well wiht the curation - because the works by boht artists acutally form a specific collaborative installation hich trasnforms the space. fiona Mcdonlands work is especiially goood - as an an art of immersion. Stepping inside her works - through the curtain on one side and flanked by the walls, chair, lamp on the other - her 'comfort and terror' juxtapositions were.... deeply affectively charged. - Prints of fighter planes arranged as snowfalkes across geographical topograhic maps - for me - worked far more strognly when the images themselves became bigger than a paper or art object - but architectural. and Fiona halls work is, just, incredible.

here's the blurb:

We comfort ourselves as best we can. We feather our nests and are kissed by consumption. We are flying toward something we do not know and yet someone, somewhere, always knows where we are.

The art of Fiona Hall and Fiona MacDonald will turn the gallery into an environment where we see the aftershadows of the collection and the complicated folds of capitalism. The setting is a haunted domesticity. The walls are draped and wallpapered, shopping bags frighten us and all our money seems able to blow away. But this is not a simple horror. We experience the paradoxical pleasures of seeing money made into an exquisite home and flows of consumption becoming a sail across the sea or a flight on a breeze. Curated by Ricky Subritzky.

Strangely Familiar: Fiona Hall and Fiona MacDonald runs to 2 December and is open Mon - Fri 12 - 6pm

UTS Gallery, Level 4 702 Harris St, Ultimo Sydney NSW 2007
T: 02 9514 1652
E: utsgallery@uts.edu.au


Opening this week is an entirely different collaboration - by community artists and activists: Deb Wall, Ali Golding and Vikki Golding. Ali Golding is well known as a local Elder and Reconciliation Leader, and Deb Wall received an OAM for her work in commnity development and multicutlurlalism.

The two have worked together in reconciliation and community development for over a decade, and both have campaigned for and mentored koori artists at the Redfern Community Centre. In this exhibition they are bringing together a variety of work that shows their activities, loves and passions and celebrates aspects of friendship and collaboration.

Called ‘In-dwelling’ to stress that artistic work basically comes from a spark within the self, the exhibition will include photographs, paintings and hand-made pottery. Deborah calls it ‘an evolving signature, a discovery, a search for deeper meaning’. Aunty Ali sees it as an expression of her culture and spirituality. For Victoria, it is like a ‘coming together’of raw ideas.

The exhibition opens this Thursday, 1st December, 7-9 pm, Alpha House Glint Gallery,
Level 1, 226 Union Street, ERSKINEVILLE (South Newtown) and runs until December 15th. the gallery will be open
11am-5pm wednesday to sunday - just for this show only.

Ciao.

DEGENERATE PUNKS PERFORM PUBLIC CLEANSING

It’s easy to hide behind the security of our televisions, observing the spectacle of conflict and war. How easy is it to hide from the eternal struggle within? George Tillianakis, Sari Kivinen and Naomi Oliver are Project Degenerate and are stepping outside a culture of fear and hiding, taking an inevitable step forward, towards a collaborative resolve to their inner conflicts. Project Degenerate: To be blacklisted is a four-act process of figurative cleansing, performed as an experimental hybrid of cabaret and performance art.

Since being awarded the Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre and University of Western Sydney Emerging Arts Scholarship in 2004, George Tillianakis has taken performance art onto a new platform, and with each new work breaks new ground by challenging himself and his audience. Now he is returning to Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre but this time Tillianakis is not alone, he will challenge the audience with his collective.

“The inner-war must be faced before ultimate implosion.” GEORGE TILLIANAKIS, 2005

Project Degenerate: To be blacklisted allows three degenerate punks to move forward and cleanse themselves of the overwhelming fears and anxieties commonly experienced by Western Sydney youth, faced by a world of drugs, crime, stereotypes and prejudice.

Project Degenerate will be performed at Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre over four nights, commencing Wednesday 23 November, in a series of cabaret style performances that will rip apart our perceptions of alcoholism, war, television and casual sex.

Be prepared from Wednesday 23 to Saturday 26 November at 7pm, where the stage will transform as a metaphorical journal. The collective, Project Degenerate, will recite spoken word and music while the audience leers with naughty eyes at the forbidden scripture, waiting in suspense for the unexpected to happen.

The 100-minute performance has four acts and a 20-minute interval. The degenerate Westy punk revolution is here.

WHO: Adults 16+
WHERE: Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre
WHEN: Wednesday 23 – Saturday 26 November
TIME: 7pm with a 20-minute interval
COST: $5
BOOKINGS: Call 02 9824 1121 or Email reception@casulapowerhouse.com

Sedition

Click on the title above
this kind of intimidatory shit is what terrorism really is

One of the tings I love about Australia is the furtjer you go from any where that could possibly serve as a terrorist target - the more obsessive and paranoid people are about it.

In the past month - I've overheard long anti terrorism conversations in Sandlfly, Huonville, Werris Creek and Glen Innes. Are these places even on Google Earth?

Up a Tree

Radio 2ser monday 14 nov 2005

if we coulda got thru to her, we woulda talked to
margaret who is up a tree in tassie. seemed she had no
reception tho.

instead, we talked about:

here at first draft
organised by terminus projects
Brian Fuata, Shane Haseman, Koji Ryui, Huseyin Sami
6-8pm ONLY , Wednesday the 2nd, 9th and 16th of
November.
Firstdraft Gallery
116 - 118 Chalmers Street, Surry Hills 2010

( i have written up a similar thing at my blog:
http://bilateral.blog-city.com/here_at_first_draft.htm
)

........

if i had time i would have raved about:
INTERESTING TIMES PERFORMANCE: Dissident Voices
Friday 11 November, 6.30 pm – 7.30 pm
Ania Walwicz, Amanda Stewart, Ruark Lewis and Rainer
Linz mark the historic events of ‘The Dismissal‘ 30
years ago, in an experimental sound-based performance.


which was bloody great!

............

and then we had a chat with tim hilton, from the wild
boys, who played his track "i hate you" and discussed
the wild boys "lives of the artists" launch this wed
night:
wild boys
wed 16th nov 6-9pm
newtown hotel
174 king st newtown
tim hilton / robert lake / richard gurney / trevor fry
/ guests inc shirley valentine / liam benson etc
http://www.livejournal.com/community/thewildboys/
launch – lives of the artists issue 10 (spring issue)
(usually edited by liz pulie )
dress code: dress up!
edited by wild boys
(previous shows at mememememe and phatspace)
music by Lakey and Mikofanclub djing and trashy music
special perforMANCE by cover star of the issue –
shirley valentine
hoola hoop performances,
cd launch “camp tracks” put together by robert lake
video work being screened, and tim hilton's
photographic work as featured on his flickr site.
Special pink cocktails: wild boys drink.

........

and we promo'd the upcoming show at the ACP:
Beyond Real Part 2: Making a Scene
Opening Thursday 17 November 2005 6.00-8.00pm
Exhibition runs: Friday 18 November - Saturday 24
December

Curated by Alasdair Foster
CALUM COLVIN, ROSE FARRELL & GEORGE PARKIN, LES KRIMS,
ROSEMARY LAING, CLARENCE JOHN LAUGHLIN, BRENDAN LEE,
ANGUS MCBEAN, DUANE MICHALS, TRACEY MOFFATT, JULIE
RRAP, ARTHUR TRESS, JERRY UELSMANN, WILHELM VON
GLOEDEN

Visual Puzzles, Arcadian idylls, gothic nightmares,
dysfunctional families, wistful dreams. The artists in
the concluding part of Beyond Real create whole new
worlds - sometimes strangely familiar, and others
totally alien.
While some images are created through digital
manipulation or darkroom trickery, many involve the
creation of elaborate settings that are then
faithfully recorded on film. With the camera no
longer wedded
exclusively to notions of neutral documentation, the
exhibition explores photography's other romance with
worlds beyond the real.

FLOORTALK 1.00pm Saturday 8 October – FREE Breaking
free from notions of the truth of photography, the
artists in this, the concluding part of the Beyond
Real exhibition, create worlds of fantasy and
illusion. Discussing the joys and challenges of such
an approach will be some of the contemporary
Australian artists included in the exhibition.

.......................
basic email netiquette:
http://www.georgedillon.com/web/netiquette.shtml



Next week - lucazoid and mayhem do a big chinwag about the state of the arse err arts

A (scatalogical) Valediction for an Alma Mater

Right now I should be writing up a nice paper on interdisciplinarity for some seminar I've got on tomorrow. Hell -tho! Procrastination is such a fuel for for blogging!
In the paper that will be I considered disucssion the french word for discipline which is fomration - much nicer, it sounds malleable and constructive whereas discipline sounds so repressed and well behaved.
this leads onto the segue of this blog posting whihc will have very little to do wiht the show on monday.
Lucas will be talking about art and I'll be up a tree in the tarquin in Tasmania. Stay tuned

Ahem.
digression

Next week, the silly season cranks up big time. Its a sweaty, smothering, plastic cup, chateau cardboard boozy midsummer night's slurrrrr.. Spring shows have flowered every where and the art schools are having their end of year pissups... err soirees, err,,,,, shows. its a sweaty sinky boozy time between Spring exhibitions and the Christmas season (read end of ratings periods). ahhh the christmas shows - when the artworld becomes like a bing crosby album, or a $2 shop. Two of my favourite things. Its a fine time.

I'm returning from Tassie expressly to head on out to the SCA show. It opens on Tuesday the 14th and I've got friends finishing masters and loyalty defeats the ignominy of paying $2.00 for splashes of seriously shite goon, served up wiht a sermonizing line " under VSU this service won't exist" (stop it - you're turning me liberal).

Next Thursday (24th) - there's the annual darlo double up of COFA and NAS - both swilling away their fine young things. NAS has better alcohol but much longer speeches. COFA has alcohol comparitive to Frank Watters, but much shorter peeches and an opening night ambiance compariable to wild warehouse parties back in olden days of surry. (god bless you, F-Block).

I should of course be reviewing the art. i'm not. Hell, who cares about the art? I always thought art school was about having a crazy time and getting trashed. Art is not brain surgery. If you spend 3 years making total garbage no one is going to die!

For me, art schools are interesting - not fomr the exceltional quality of theiry star graduands (fortunately the sheer nausea inducing quality of this phrase is enough to repress my pointed barbs) but from the amount of fun that people seem to be engaging in. If Georgio Morandi came out of an art school you'd be bloody worried. Misery and solitude was the crucible of his genius - thats not what you want at art school. Art school should (here I am sounding like an old bat and I'm not even 35) give people a reason to live, and a glimpse of the possibliity of living well. People learn how to make shit mean something when they're fucked up and alone in the real world.

Anway Formation. I'm an alumnus of National art school. I drank my way through in the late nineties just as it was becoming independent. I did a painting major and didn't do any paintings - just lots of manifestos, junk assemblages, performances, soft err sculptures, and other random stuff - and I could feel like a rebel. I also scored another degree with no additional Hecs debt. I also made an incredible bunch of really close friends who I still know to this day. the fun and the friendships is what sustained me afterwards, shit poor and shit bored and often quite depressed and deciding to learn how to paint. the type of professional formation I had - was -to stick to what i believe in.(even when i don't know what it is) Push the envelope. Don't take anyone's shit. OK take some poeples shit. this is all sounding banal - and i guess most of it gets covered in bohemia 101 - but I still reckon its got a place.

I know lots of people from my old art school - stretching back across decades. A long lineage of dodgy daubers and drunks, plus the odd success story, we see each other around and nod and patter - for me it was the informal networks of community that I really have benefitted from since leaving at art school. My closests friends were whingeing bitter cantankerous foot stomping yelling terminally late for class fuckups - we've kept in contact since and kept going since. Lots of the nice girls and nice boys haven't - coz chasing success can get boring in a milieu where the odds stacked against success are so high. Not as boring as the art . go down glenmore road and shudder. Or the gunnery on a bad night.

I don't think NAS is unique for creating a fun filled sanctuary for crazy boho types. theres some GREAT stuff happening at SCA at present - and COFA has supplied most of the BYT's of the artist run initiative, contemporary art, primavera circuit etc.. I had friends going through COFA at the same time as me at NAS and they had just as many crazy parties as we did.. I dunno if there was the same split between the official art school stars and the seriously silly bohos, but I'd be scared if there wasn't. If poeple's art school activities and trasngression is a nice seamless segue into official avant-gardism - thats quite frightening. As my friend Fabian From the Academy of Young Urban Fuck-ups said - fucked up people don't win prizes.

OK Here comes the seriously preachy bit. I believe that learing how to make art involves learning how to fail, again and again and again. Creativity is the right to create somehting new, unforseen, unexpected and incomprehensible. This involves risk, incomprehension and incompetence. Learning to live with failure and not as a single hamlet style damning moment - but as a regular state of stumlbing - make sthe pssibilities for living and risking life - a lot more interesting. Vale the ludic theory of human life. There's a bit more - I'm scared society is beccoming dictatorial and moncultural - where the space to be non productive, to do stuff because its pointless?

I like to see shit art. I like to see shit art in art schools. Lots of it. Art that is shit in ways I can't even imagine. 20 year olds and the state of the universe. Serously offensive bad porn 'that's like so ironic' and is like, so NOT. I LOVE Bad paintings. Especially if they refer to the deacde just past. we need more bad chunky primary coloured expressionism, espceialy next to the beige, and more malevich, with some textured glitter/klimt stuck in and more bad pop, and a bit of dodgy jungian shit just to help the goon come back up. Bad metal sculpture, and bad performance art. Lots of bad performance art, and lots of self obsessed 19 year old skinny art school girls stuck in the lacanian mirror phase but citing nan goldin. there are always rare special flowering wonders - but they deserve to be nurtured in a ruch hummus of strange crap.

Art schools are interesting if they can foster communities of people who are successful at not succeeeding - at living in an undisciplined, cantankerous fucked up barely functional way. I don't think there is any successful pedagogical model for doing this - and I think the less of a pedagogical model there is - the greatest change of success there is. I've inwardly shuddered at the moved towards streamlining and profesisnalism at my old stomping grounds, as I shudder at the increasing numbers of 4WD's parked outside and the freaky Bellevue blonde helmets among the students - and even though I'm doing doctoral research on art education - I really don't know what the fuck an Atelier model actually means - beyond fairly vapid francophonic citations that were bandied about the Slade in the late nineteenth century. (Trust me, I've got the references). In increasingly regulated, managerial performance outcome driven model of infomration economy management it'd be surprising if any art school can get away with much that hasn't been codfiied as a core learning requirement. But I reckon there is safety in numbers. The more art schools that can survive, defining themsleves against each other in bitchy, crazy little fights left over from the seventies (the painting vs new media bitchfights - ya gotta love that one) ,or even the fifties (welded steel vs everything else three dimensional) the more space there is for interesting and odd things to ferment. the scary sedition laws wil make it harder than before to create anything a bit ambiguous, suss or playful - we'll all either be forced into the serious subversive martyrdom camp or the sell-out successful non confrontational camp - and thats a great pity - art should confuse and mix shit up on many levels.

Anwyway - this is an extremely long winded way of getting to the point of this post - which is that rumour has it that the National Art School is going to be merged with the College of FIne arts - or 'aquired' by the latter. Its a bit of a shame - and not only because lots of the NAS staff have seen COFA as their Nemesis ever since the bad old days of the Mackie Merger that left the remnants of the old NAS stuck as a sculpture and design deparmtnet in TAFE. If it goes through the furr flying should be pretty intense - but probably not very pretty or productive for staff or students. COFA has done extremely well in surviving the yoke of UNSWinc. , they have a vibrant and diverse culture of research and practice across a numbe of fields - and I frankly wish I was going there now. But its not NAS, and it wouldn't be interested or able to kep NAS as a distinct school - and the site would too easily be subsumed into the profit imperatives of Kensington. So I'm a bit sad, a bit cross that Bob Carr has broke another election promise immediately apon retirement - (an independent art school? what?) and a bit scared about whatever else may come unstuck.........

Am I the only one who gives a sincere disinterested* shit?

* I'm not a paid employee of any art instututions in sydney at present - though I'm open to any offers

Squatting Mayhem

Art and Mayhem has been airjacked by roving cultural pirate Lucazoid. Mayhem has been kidnapped and tied to a tree in Tasmania.

If you missed the show - here's what Lucas mentioned.

Mayhem will return as soon as she finds a ladder long enough to scrampble down.




We had jim singline on the radio, talking about 2 ventures he's been involved in:

mays lane
MAY LANE, ST. PETERS | SYDNEY | (02) 9550 4232
open 24 hours
“mini graff” is the current artist
(she makes milk crate stencil work with small icons
showing the many uses that milk crates can be put to).
a very fine stencil artist.
http://mays.org.au

and Jim is one of four artists (together with Mickie Quick, Hana Shimada, and Melody Willis)who are hosting
the newest and most innovative venture in town: entitled "Sydney"
2 doors down from fatimas
302 cleveland st surry hills
1-6 saturdays
http://officialsydney.com/
sydney is the home of jimmy sings mix tapes and reggae
dancehall imports:
http://www.jimmysings.biz/
each week, a new mix tape is launched on saturday
arvo, with cool drinks...

-----

interesting times at the mca:
until 27 nov
http://mca.com.au/default.asp?page_id=10&content_id=1475
special event:
Friday 11 November, 6.30 pm – 7.30 pm:
Ania Walwicz, Amanda Stewart, Ruark Lewis and Rainer
Linz mark the historic events of ‘The Dismissal‘ 30
years ago, in an experimental sound-based performance.

Admission: $12/$10 concessions/$8 MCA Members &
Ambassadors
Bookings essential: 02 9245 2484 or email
education@mca.com.au
http://www.mca.com.au/default.asp?page_id=13&content_id=1712

deborah kelly http://www.bewareofthegod.com/
for a pic of her amazing projection:
http://www.bewareofthegod.com/?p=72
Accompanying Interesting Times are two off-site
projects. Sydney artist and activist Deborah Kelly’s
project Beware of the God appears outside of the
museum in a variety of forms, including Avant Card
postcards (distributed throughout Sydney), a fence
plaque (available in the MCA Store), a projection
event (dates to be advised), animations in 9 CBD
underground train stations, and a website,
http://bewareofthegod.com
The animation and website are also accessible in the
George Street Foyer on Level 2 of the MCA.

george gittoes,
Wednesday 9 November, 6.30 pm
screening and question and answer session from the
films soundtrack to war and rampage (miami)
Rated M15 + coarse language
Dendy Opera Quays Cinema
Admission: $25/$20 MCA Members and Ambassadors/Dendy
Club Members
Bookings: 02 9247 3800 ($2.20 booking fee applies on
telephone sales)

there's plenty of other good work in this show, my
fave's included: (but i didnt have time to talk about)

Ricky Maynard -photos of sites in tasmania, especially
massacre sites, with small stories accompanying them –
eg about tassie aboriginal men digging up the bones
from a women's burial site and transferring them to a
secret place so that the museum couldnt steal them.
understated and disquieting

Robert Boynes –
silkscreened paintings, put together from grungy
degraded photographs. people in the streets, at
underground train stations.

------

other issues discussed included:

the sedition law: there is still time to make a
submission as there will be a senate enquiry into
these proposed amendments in the coming weeks.
for all the info visit nava website: visualarts.net.au
or civilrightsnetwork.org

sedition comedy night:
organised by new matilda,
http://www.newmatilda.com/policytoolkit/policydetail.asp?PolicyID=143
Sunday 13 November, 5pm, at the Sydney Theatre at
Millers Point, hosted by Wendy Harmer with Andrew
Denton and starring Max Gillies, Gerry Connolly, Wil
Anderson, Eddie Perfect, Wharf Revue (Jonathan
Biggins, Phil Scott, Drew Forsythe, Genevieve Lemon),
and the boys from the Chaser.

Speakers are: Tom Keneally, Chas Savage, Spencer Zifcak (New Matilda), Jose Borghino (New Matilda), Dave Madden and Jeremy Heimans (Get Up).

-----

i ran out of time to mention  terminus projects 6-8pm this wed night at first draft, chalmers st sydney, this week brian fuata presents "in the daytime I am, in the nighttime I am, - three spectacles about menial work" a "happening"!

Illuminart - projections in Marrickville

Illuminart 2005 : LAST SCREENINGS!

This email is to let you know about your last chance to see Illuminart
2005.

ILLUMINART is a series of mobile audiovisual projections, around the
streets of Marrickville. Artwork has been contributed by 25 local
artists & media makers, and is projected onto buildings and streets
around the area. Artists include Loris Quantock, Jan Blake, Matthew
Syres, Jude Hotchkiss, and many more - turning local architecture into
art, and creating a bit of surprise to the locals....

Our initial plan was to hold Illuminart over 6 nights during October,
and as so many people have been interested in it we have decided to
have two more nights' presentation.

The second will be our FINALE event with food & refreshments, as our
opportunity to make it a bigger event, and to thank all the
contributors and artists. Come and join us for a fun evening at Stone
Villa...


THURSDAY NOVEMBER 10th

7:30 PM - at the ever popular wall near old Thanh Huong... we love this
spot because all the locals pass by on their way to the restaurants, or
going home from the train. It turns a drab corner into a lively meeting
place....

8:30 PM - WALL IN McNEILLY PARK - if you would prefer to sit in
comfort, this is a good spot. Lots of comfy grass! Look for us at the
western end of the park, right near the corner of Jersey and Moyes Sts.

9:30 PM - WALL OPPOSITE BRADDOCK PARK - Just for 45 minutes, this
street will get interesting... come and join the locals on the grass in
the park, south end of MEEKS RD.



FRIDAY NOVEMBER 18th: ILLUMINART FINALE (the day after the Arts
Night)!!!!


This the FINAL SHOWING of illuminart 2005
PLUS BARBECUE! (veggo options catered for too)

7:30 PM - 9:30 PM at STONE VILLA
19 Railway Rd, Sydenham - about 50 m west of the Princes Hwy

The BBQ and refreshments by donation will be provided by the artists of
Stone Villa,
BYO picnic blankets or cushions, there's plenty of grass for sitting
and parking nearby.

Illuminart will be screened at 8:00 PM
With more images and music to follow....



For further information about Illuminart:

Fun in Brisbong

If anyone is heading up north - this looks like fun

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:::::::::::::The:White:House:::::::::::::::::::::          
:::::Artist-Run Space and Curiosity Chamber::::::         
:358 George Street Brisbane QLD 4000
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::Ph:0732364488                                       
::::::::e: info@whitehousespace.net       
::::::::::::::W: www.whitehousespace.net
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Greetings White House Lovers and Haters!

The White House is reeling and shaking after the bizaare architechtural
and psychological trauma that was Mutantric Love Hotel, only to come
back and hit you in the face with more cerebellum-stretching activity.
November is all about domination, with two exhibition openings and the
opening of a very special addition to the White House....

Hoarders of The Absolute runs from the 11th to the 13th of November,

Hoarders of the Absolute   is a collaborative exhibition that will
evolve, mutate, decompose and combust over a 72 hour period. 7 artists have
come together to create a living, breathing organism that will be fed
with light, sound and large inanimate objects. The exhibition will
feature ongoing live and live-in performances, comprised of large kinetic
instruments, 16mm film and video projections, and marathon knitting
events, streamed live via the web for the three running days
(www.whitehousespace.net/hoarders). Come and witness the unnatural shifts and
macroscopic spasms that will stretch time and space and set it alight like a
heap of slow motion carcrashes.  Featuring : Joel Stern, Cerae Mitchell,
David Spooner, Patrick King, Sally Golding, Madeleine King and Jacqui
Vial.  Curated by Madeleine King.
Opening Night: November 11 6-9pm
Continues November 11, 12 and 13, 11am-6pm


Toytakeova runs from November 18 - December 2

'Toytakeova' looks at our relationship with consumption and  the
inexplicable anxieties associated with a culture focused on unattainable
desire. The White House will become a temporary Toy Shop for the weird,
wonderful, curious and repulsive objects spawned from the bent, twisted
hands and underslept eyeballs of a selection of Australia's most
outlandish toy and object creators. Malformed  and psychotic farm animals,
murderous kewpie dolls, genetically regressive plush creatures and
haywired robotic minions are preparing for the invasion. Mr Toys Toyworld this
surely ain't.
Featuring:  Anita Fontaine, Kirsty Boyle, Alicia King,  Michael Swift,
Van Sowerine, Alice Lang, Troy John Emery, Karina Averlon Thomas and
Simon Scheuerle. Curated By Laura Krikke.
Opening Night Friday 18th November, 6-9pm
Continues till December 2, open Friday, Saturday and Sunday 11am - 6pm


And thats not all. We won't give the whole game away, but there is more
- we're soon to be opening a little curiosity chamber within the big
curiosity chamber - a little shop of horrors called 'The Cell', where
artist's work, music, comics and rarities will be on sale or handed away
for free. We'll keep you up to date as to the opening day, but its
definetely going to be worth a peek for some of the most obscure, unsellable
but undeniably loveable stuff on the planet....

AND REMEMBER - our website is constantly being updated, you may even
find a photo or video of yourself loving and hating the White House.

Till next time, with love -

Mad.E.Zilla, Mad.Alpha, Jesse and Abraham.

I can't believe you are saying this to me!!!!

I'm outta town and stuidously avoiding visual stimulation in the country.

At first I thought I'd be like Lucas in Kellerberrin and write critically and intelligently about nothing (no disparagemetn intended - space is a great subject)

But I've come here preceisely in order to avoid 'being' anywhere - to avoid engagemetnt & resopnse with anything beyond my books and papers.........

After a solid seven day cramming crunch I stepped out yesterday to a local cafe.

country cafes a great. the coffeee is finally drinkable (it only took 2 centuries) and they have plenty of space to sit around and cheap meals. I bought lunch and beverages for me and mum and had CHANGE from $15.00!!!!

I was distracted by the art on the walls. Immaculate watercoloursof RODEO scenes, and those weird rustic genre scenes all ingreys and beiges - that I grew up with.

Barbizan meets Banjo patterson

Its VERY VERY HARD after looking at cetain types of paitnigns NOT to be infected - and end up painting that way myself.

I end up wanting to do nice blue hills on the horizon and immacaulte glowing trees, and soft streams and babbling brooks - and stretching skies..... and then I think SHIT!!!!!!

BAD ART IS CONTAGIOUS - so I tried not to look too long.

I liked the watercolour rodeo scene though........gems are everywhere.

OK so this is probably uninformative for sydney readers.

Despite being very far away - with crap mobile reception and a only dialiup ocnnection between me and the wrold - I still hear of stuff.

I missed the dyke porno plates at MOri and have chewed through my piollow with teeth gnashing regret

TOngiht he's got something new - opening - but h err... the white invite didn't give me much of clue.

(that was a really uninformative sentence).

Tomorrow there is an opening at 4A. Think free cognac - but there's probably some art as well. Sorry i've shown my dileetante lieangins or the baject alcoholism of my infromant. I'll blamd the latter. I am a credible cutlrual connosieur aren't I?

Friday - is a new street billboard at MAYS in PEtersham. Think free beer. Good beer. Mays is a graffittie encrusted lane just off May street in St. Peters. Hop skip and a jump form the station - the printers & graphic designers have donated their wall to a monthly turnover of STREET ART - and the local brewery have chipped in to suport the monthly soirees that launch the latest street paint patina.

Dog bless them both!

It compensates for the gloom of the fading graffitti hall of fame in Alexandria and the spreading beigefication or Erskineville (Felix the Cat WHERE ARE YOU?????)
this week is BIG

while in inner west - why not stroll down the hill to marrickville bowling club?

SNo Galleries is nearby and they've got something TRes interesante. SNO are one of the nice things that marke marrcikville interesting...........and they've gota nopening on friday of work by Andrew Leslie & Vicente ButronOpens

see cute and paste below
The next SNO exhibition opens this fri 4th November, so all are welcometoattend our BBQ and refreshments and artists discussions (yes, even ifyour arealist). The showroom is located in a wharehouse at 11 Faversham StreetMarrickville. Note: The SNO 'Showroom' lies directly behind the bowling club up fromtheservice station, and adjacent to the 'dim sim' factory and laundry.SNO 11, features two of the famed and truly mysterious SNO groupcommitteemembers. Andrew Leslie, originally from Perth and who has worked withtheAC4CA association brfore moving here, has made new 'light works' andreflective relief objects that make use of the the gallery walls - as acanvas. Vicente Butron, one time founder of 'Kerb Your Dog' magazine and CBDgallerywill show one of his 'Limited Actions', this is primarily a text basedworkin progress as I understand it - also, a series of print/materials.

I've gotta get back to the books so I'll close wiht these snippets.

I'll be raining it back to won next monday - but unsure when I'll arrive. the follwing week I intend to be in some TREE in TASMANIA. Yep in the itnerestes of art - I'm dreaming of a live crosssover like they do with the melbourne cup.

In the interests of diversity and continuity - I don't want to leave listereners stranded in a culturla wasteland - so Lucas is filling for the next few weeks.
check it out.

I'll keep updating this and be back squarking on air on the 21st.

BTw - I've cut and pasted this extremely depressing thing form NAVA.

Oh god - I think I want to emigrate.

I am writing to alert you to the potential impact of the Sedition Clause inthe Anti-Terrorism legislation proposed for introduction into parliament inthe next few days (for draft legislation see www.chiefminister.act.gov.au).NAVA believes that this will jeopardise both artists' and artsorganisations' freedom of expression and action (see attached media releasesent yesterday). The government has not demonstrated a need for these newsedition laws. These changes should not be made, and certainly not withoutproper public discussion.If the government intends to proceed with the laws then the new offencesare too wide because they affect unfairly and in breach of freedom ofexpression (recognised at international law). The government must limit theambit of the new offences to protect artists, journalists and othersinvolved in the visual arts.NAVA urges you to take immediate action by writing to, ringing or arrangingto meet with any or all of the parliamentarians listed below (and attached)to tell them that changes need to be made to the legislation in order toprotect artists' and other people's rights to freedom of expression.Even if the legislation is introduced into the lower house of parliamentthere is still time to negotiate changes.We have sought the advice of the President of Australian Lawyers for HumanRights as to exactly what changes should be made. This advice is includedhere for your reference.Proposed Amendment to the Anti-Terrorism Bill 2005 Omit sub-sections 80.2(7), (8), (9) Insert after 80.2(6) the following: ³80.2A Exemption Sections 80.1 and 80.2 do not apply to anything said or donereasonably and in good faith: (a) in the creation, performance, exhibition or distribution of anartistic work; or (b) in the course of any statement, publication, discussion ordebate made or held for any genuine academic, artistic or scientific purposeor any other genuine purpose in the public interest; or (c) in making or publishing: (i) a fair and accurate report of any event or matter of publicinterest; or (ii) a fair comment on any event or matter of public interest ifthe comment is an expression of a genuine belief held by the person makingthe comment.² Change clause 80.3 Defence for Acts done in good faith, to require the onusof proof to rest with the prosecution rather than the accused." (The provision is based on s.18D of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975exemption from racial hatred.)As you know, NAVA rarely asks its members to take this kind of direct actionbut we consider this such an important issue that we are contacting you toask that you act quickly to let the decision makers know of your concerns.Thanks in anticipation for your support of artists' and arts organisations'rights.Best wishesTamara--------JON STANHOPE¹S WEBSITE:http://www.chiefminister.act.gov.au <http://www.chiefminister.act.gov.au/> FEDERAL LIBERAL PARTY Senator the Hon Helen CoonanMinister for Communications, Information Technology and the ArtsSenator.coonan@aph.gov.auminister@dcita.gov.au Senator the Hon Rod KempMinister for the Arts and SportSenator.rod.kamp@aph.gov.au The Hon Philip Ruddock MPAttorney-GeneralAg@Ag.gov.au Mr Petro Georgiou MP Member for KooyongP.Georgiou.MP@aph.gov.au The Hon Bruce Baird MP Member for CookBruce.Baird.MP@aph.gov.au Mr Russell Broadbent MP, Member for McMillanRussell.Broadbent.MP@aph.gov.au The Hon Judi Moylan MP Member for PearceJ.Moylan.MP@aph.gov.au Mr Paul Neville MP Member for HinklerP.Neville.MP@aph.gov.au Mr Malcolm Turnbull MP Member for WentworthMalcolm.Turnbull.MP@aph.gov.au The Hon Dr Brendan Nelson MP Member for BradfieldB.Nelson.MP@aph.gov.au George Brandis, Senator for Queenslandsenator.brandis@aph.gov.auMarise Payne, Senator for New South WalesSenator.payne@aph.gov.au FEDERAL LABOR PARTY Kim Beazley, Leader of the OppositionKim.Beazley.MP@aph.gov.au Peter Garrett, Parliamentary Secretary for Reconciliation and the ArtsPeter.Garrett.MP@aph.gov.auNicola Roxon Shadow Attorney-GeneralNicola.Roxon.MP@aph.gov.au STATES/TERRITORIES MINISTERS NSW: The Hon. (Bob) Robert John DEBUS, MPNSW Minister for the Arts, Attorney General, Minister for the Environment,and Minister for the Arts bob.debus@debus.minister.nsw.gov.aubluemountains@parliament.nsw.gov.au ACTJon Stanhope, Chief Minister, ACT, Minister for the arts, heritage and indigenous affairs,Attorney-Generalstanhope@act.gov.au NTMs Marion Scrymgour MLA,Minister for Arts and Museumsmarion.scrymgour@nt.gov.au The Honourable Dr.Peter Howard Toyne,Minister for Justice and Attorney-Generalelectorate.stuart@nt.gov.au QLDHon Rod Welford MP,Minister for Education and Minister for The ArtsEducationAndArts@ministerial.qld.gov.au Hon Linda Lavarch MP,Attorney-General and Minister for JusticeAttorney@ministerial.qld.gov.auAttorney@qld.gov.auCorporateCorrespondence@qed.qld.gov.au SA The Honourable Mike Rann MP,Premier, Minister for the Artspremier@saugov.sa.gov.au The Honourable Michael Atkinson MP,Attorney-GeneralAttorney-general@agd.sa.gov.au TASLara Giddings, Minister for the ArtsLara.giddings@development.tas.gov.au Judy Jackson, Attorney Generaljudy.jackson@justice.tas.gov.au VICThe Honourable Mary Delahunty,Minister for the Artsmary.delahunty@parliament.vic.gov.au The Honourable Rob Justin Hulls,Attorney Generalrob.hulls@parliament.vic.gov.au WAThe Hon Sheila McHale MLA, ,Minister for Culture and the Artssheila-mchale@dpc.wa.gov.au The Hon Jim McGinty, BA BJuris(Hons) LLB JP MLA,Attorney General; jim-mcginty@dpc.wa.gov.au STATES/TERRITORIES OPPOSITION NSWMrs Jillian Gell Skinner, MP,NSW Shadow Ministers for the artsnorthshore@parliament.nsw.gov.au Mr Andrew Arnold Tink, MP,Shadow Attorney-Generalepping@parliament.nsw.gov.au SAMrs Joan Hall MP, Shadow Spokesperson, Artsmorialta@parliament.sa.gov.au Hon Robert Lawson MLC,Shadow Attorney-Generalraelene.zanetti@parliament.sa.gov.au WASue Walker, Shadow Minister for the Artsswalker@mp.wa.gov.au Bill Scott, Shadow Attorney-Generalbscott@mp.wa.gov.au VICAndrea Coote,Shadow Minister for the Artsandrea.coote@parliament.vic.gov.au Andrew McIntosh,Shadow Attorney-Generalandrew.mcintosh@parliament.vic.gov.au TASMichael Hodgman,Shadow Minister for the Artsmichael.hodgman@parliament.tas.gov.au Jeremy Rockliff, Shadow Attorney-Generaljeremy.rockliff@parliament.tas.gov.augreens@parliament.tas.gov.au QLD Stuart Copeland, Shadow Minister for the ArtsCunningham@parliament.qld.gov.au Mark McArdle, Shadow Attorney-GeneralCaloundra@parliament.qld.gov.au ACTRichard Mulchany, Shadow Minister for the Artsmulcahy@parliament.act.gov.au Bill Stefaniak, Shadow Attorney-Generalstefaniak@parliament.act.gov.au NTJodeen Carney Shadow Attorney-Generaljodeen.carney@nt.gov.au Terry Mills, Shadow Minister for the Artsterry.mills@nt.gov.auelectorate.blain@nt.gov.au ------------------------------------------

cheers

mayhem