Saturday 30 July 2011

Breakfast of champions and Bangarra Dance-Belonging to Aussie culture

Day 3 of Sydney trek..Brekkie with friends at the lodge, scrambled eggs, oj and coffee over "Spectrum" magazine to map out day's romp. Right, now prepared for battle, pack up car and go..oops, forgot to book online for Bangarra Dance at the Big House, Had to check if my portrait was on the wall of housemates at the Opera House. Deviation to Paddington to visit Roslyn Oxley- Del Kathryn Barton's beautiful, surrealistic, tattooed feminine personas. What an exquisite siting for a gallery. The leafy figs with exposed aerial roots creating shade and coolness, the sandstone facade and narrow laneway, oozing of the historic era of The Rocks' fame,  a well worn track to the Stage of elite of the Australia artworld. But where's the cafe ? No cappuccino and brioche ?
Then the newly appointed Martin Browne Contemporary gallery just down the road. Architecture of a later era, typically industrial style, the gallery is an excellent space for large works, landscapes perhaps, which is where I saw Neil Frazer's "fracture" paintings of Katherine Gorge, simply stunning, his depiction of reflection and capture of light , one place I haven't been whilst inland Northern Territory.





Next stop was the Arthouse gallery at Rushcutter's Bay to see works from Joshua Yeldham, Gary Shead, and a host of other smaller works of mixed media, prints, drawings, Melbourne mish mash etc.etc.Well time to find parking, then it's off to the dance. Spectacular weather for a stroll around the house in the sunshine. Almost hated to go indoors. The show was nothing short of magnificent. Skin colour and identity were the themes, blues and ochres , lithe costuming and fantastic grounded, angular, organic and spiritual dance moves. the music was so engaging and hypnotic that I had to purchase the CD. The music will imprint the images to my memory. Oh so happy to have made this my epilogue to my trip. Thank you Sydney, I think I enjoyed myself.

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