Sunday Arts Magazine

Top Arts 2021 is a showcase of forty-six artworks by young artists from across Victoria who studied VCE Art and Studio Arts in 2020. Exploring ideas related to isolation, contemporary life, the environment and identity, the exhibition celebrates the achievements of these students who, despite the challenges posed to their schooling as a consequence of the global pandemic, have created extraordinary work that offers a thought-provoking insight into the thoughts and ideas of young people at this time.

The annual exhibition, now in its 27th year, has been organised around two themes, inside and outside, which emerged from the works after the selection process. In creating their works during the pandemic, many students looked outwards, observing their surrounding environment and changes to daily life, while others turned inward to explore the complex realities of cultural and personal identity, emotion and mental health.

Lucy Schacher’s series of paintings titled Routine, plays on the shift in routine students experienced in lockdown and celebrates the little moments in everyday life spent at home. Similarly, Bronte Green’s work Streets of your town reflects nostalgia and sentimentality in the understated beauty of suburbia. Milie Fraser-Smith is fascinated by the development of architecture over generations and expresses its layers and contrasts in her linocut print Urban.

Margaret Handolias’s For he’s a jolly good fellow shares the pain of solitude, exploring ideas of disconnection and isolation while Milly O’Donnell’s untitled collages reflect a desire to change stigmas in society around mental health conditions.

A variety of media including painting, photography, drawing, collage, video, print-making, sculpture, textiles, digital work and installation were used to convey the concerns and perspectives of Victoria’s young emerging artists. The works on display in Top Arts 2021 also highlight the innovation and resourcefulness of young artists, who, while learning from home, created artworks using found objects or digital media when access to traditional materials or studio spaces was not possible.

Cultural heritage and identity are central to many works in Top Arts 2021, such as Haiyue (JoJo) Zheng’s digital drawing Going home, which celebrates migration and Francesca Di Paolo’s slam poetry Mother(land) – a poem about immigration, which verbalises the difficulties of assimilating into a new culture. Current events were also a point of inspiration, seen in Matthew Chan’s deliberately crass sculpture The holy trinity of 2020 (whilst stocks last!) which reflects on global events, while Amilie Hsiao’s cartoon-like series considers viruses that plague society.

Tony Ellwood AM, Director of the National Gallery of Victoria, said: ‘This exhibition is a testament to the resilience of Victoria’s young artists during one of the most tumultuous years in recent memory. Top Arts 2021 showcases the many ways in which young people use art and design to explore, contemplate or challenge the world around us. The exemplary works on display have been selected from nearly 1,300 submissions, demonstrating that creativity can flourish even during times of adversity.’

Artworks in the exhibition are chosen by a selection panel made up of VCAA State Reviewers and regional representatives, and NGV Learning and Curatorial staff. Top Arts 2021 will be complemented by a dynamic schedule of online opportunities including introductory talks, virtual tours and folio viewings to inspire and support current VCE students in their Art and Studio Art studies.

Top Arts is a part of the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority’s (VCAA) annual VCE Season of Excellence showcasing outstanding VCE and VCE VET students through a festival of concerts, exhibitions, film screenings and a research presentation program.

Electric Loneliness is a strange and mysterious seaside cabaret that explores contemporary themes of isolation, human connection, and belonging through vaudevillian storytelling and an eclectic mix of reimagined tunes.

This haunting original story follows the Lonely Lady – a multi-limbed chanteuse, trapped alone at the bottom of the ocean, and the Lonely Man – a gentle fellow with a penchant for flowers and fantastical seahorses on a quest to fill the hole in his heart. These unusual, yet relatable characters will take you on an eerie and enthralling journey, meeting a host of slippery and strange creatures as they deep dive toward making sense of their place in the world.

Featuring bewitching new arrangements of the music from:

Whitney Houston

Leonard Bernstein

Daft Punk

The Bee Gees

Janet Jackson

…and much, much more!

Take a dive into this haunting deep, where only the loneliest of creatures dare to light up the dark.

The Wedding Singer

As the cast wows in rehearsals, David Venn Enterprises is thrilled to announce the stellar creative team and full cast list behind the hilarious, feel-good musical, The Wedding Singer.

Tickets to Adelaide, Melbourne, Gold Coast and Sydney are selling like Madonna records viaweddingsingermusical.com.au. Get in fast to snap up the good seats before they’re gone!

Multi-Green Room Award nominated director Alister Smith is helming this Tony nominated musical. Alister’s 2018 and 2019 tours for Bring It On: The Musical received widespread acclaim including sell out seasons. He is buzzing with excitement since The Wedding Singer rehearsals began in Melbourne.

“Taking place in New York in 1985, this musical is about finding your voice and following your heart, during a decade of great change and exponential evolution. It’s about self-expression, breaking away from the norm and defining your own rules. Our rehearsal room is electric – both our principal cast and ensemble are on fire; they’re working together so well!” says Alister.

Michael Ralph (Georgy Girl, The Boy From Oz) is choreographing the explosive 80s spectacle, following a Green Room Award for his work on Bring It On: The Musical.

“Audiences can expect high energy dance sequences, plus plenty of fabulous, iconic 80s dance moves. Our choreography is inspired by the most iconic music videos and dance films of the 80s, which I’ve had a ridiculous amount of fun immersing myself in,” says Michael.

His choreography is inspired by music videos from Madonna, Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson and Paula Abdul and film classics like Flashdance, Footloose, Stayin Alive, Fast Forward andBreakin’.

Musical Director Daniel Puckey was formerly the Music Director for the Australian tour of Muriel’s Wedding The Musical, in addition to being the Associate Musical Director and Conductor on The Book of Mormon, The Wizard of Oz, The Bodyguard Musical and The Lion King.

“The Wedding Singer musical will be an 80’s dream; a neon fantasy that remembers everything we loved about the 1980s. We’ve got the most fantastic original score, with a couple of favourite tunes from the movie mixed in,” says Daniel.

Costume Designer Kim Bishop’s credits include Sweeney Todd, while he was nominated for a Green Room Award for his costume design on The Light in the Piazza (Life Like Company).

Triple threat actress Kirby Burgess (Barnum, Dirty Dancing) has been cast in the role of Robbie’s ex-girlfriend Linda, joined by dynamite talent Hollie James (Shrek the Musical, Rocky Horror Show) as Angie, and Haydan Hawkins (Miss Saigon, Into The Woods) as Sammy.

They join the previously announced lead cast including Christian Charisiou in the title role of Robbie Hart, Teagan Wouters as Julia, Stephen Mahy as Glen, Nadia Komazec as Holly, Ed Deganos as George and celebrated character performer Susan-ann Walker as Robbie’s naughty Grandma, Rosie (played by Betty White in the film).

Bringing the high-impact 80s dance sequences to life will be ensemble members Annie Chiswell, Romy Vuksan, Asmara Soekotjo, Katrina Bickerton, Brittany Page, Connor Morel, Jerome Javier, Simon Fairweather, Sebastian Johnston, Max Patterson and Luke Haberecht. Amongst them, they’ve lit up stages for major musicals including The Wizard of Oz and Shrek the Musical,

The man who knows everything about films talks to the Sunday Arts Magazine Show.

This Midsumma Festival, Dolly Diamond

will be rescuing contestants from their mundane lives, transforming them into their idols and

making them stars for a night! Which stars will be unveiled? And who will win? Music icons

and idols will be brought to life in DOLLY DIAMOND’S STAR FOR A NIGHT, Midsumma’s

newest spectacular at Chapel Off Chapel from 21 – 24 April.

“I am so excited to be back on stage live this Midsumma and can’t wait to find out who your

favourite stars are,” says megastar Dolly Diamond. “Making dreams come true is all in a

day’s work for me and now people are paying to watch!” she added.

Fresh from your lockdown livestream, Dolly Diamond has converted Chapel Off Chapel into

a television studio where, each night she will put celebrity contestants through their paces.

They will perform the songs and take on the look of their favourite entertainment idols – and

this can be any music superstar, alive or dead.

Dolly’s special guests for these performances include Bob Downe, Silvie Paladino, Rhonda

Burchmore, Lucy Holmes, Tash York and Matthew Hadgraft.

DOLLY DIAMOND’S STAR FOR A NIGHT will run for five shows only at the City of

Stonnington’s premier entertainment venue, Chapel Off Chapel as part of this year’s

Midsumma Festival in April. Once Dolly hears the magic words, “Well Dolly, I would love to

be…”, the wheels spin into motion on Dolly’s very own star factory and the results at each

show will amaze.

Dolly Diamond, Melbourne’s queen of cabaret, has proven herself to be one of the country’s

finest talents. She is right at home at Midsumma, having performed in, produced and hosted

events at seventeen Midsumma Festivals.

The new exhibition Light Gestures: Samara Adamson-Pinczewski will come to City of Boroondara’s Town Hall Gallery on Saturday 17 April – 3 July. The bold, colourful exhibition features works from Samara’s 20-year career alongside new paintings and sculptures commissioned by the Town Hall Gallery.

 

Samara Adamson-Pinczewski’s practice focuses on the relationship between geometric abstract art, architecture and urban space. Her striking, coloured paintings, constructions, sculptures, drawings and studio-based installations explore ambiguous spatial readings created through the use of reflective materials, fragmented abstract forms and oblique linear structures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This exhibition celebrates Samara’s sinuous compositions that encourage the viewer to move around the works, to figure out their geometry and catch their colour shifts, illustrating her mastery of paint technology and colour theory.

 

Samara explains: “Because I often use reflective pigments, my artworks appear markedly different at different times of the day.  Their appearance is ever-changing, depending on the light conditions – sometimes the colours shimmer or sparkle or flash, sometimes they glow in the dark. My work can be installed in multiple orientations and I really want the viewer to experience the work from different angles and viewing positions. There is no one way to view an artwork; no one sees the world the same way, and we all experience colour differently. My work is about the way I see and experience the world. Some people are sensitive viewers, and I would describe myself this way too.”

 

Melbourne based Samara Adamson-Pinczewski has a Master of Fine Art (Research) from the Victorian College of the Arts, and a PhD from the School of Art, RMIT University. She has held eleven solo shows since 2000, and has also participated in over 70 group exhibitions in Australia and internationally since 1998. In 2013, Samara was the recipient of the Sam & Adele Golden Foundation for the Arts Residency Program in New Berlin, New York, USA.

Full media release with image credits attached.

 

Light Gestures: Samara Adamson-Pinczewski

Saturday 17 April – Saturday 3 July

Town Hall Gallery

360 Burwood Road, Hawthorn

A University Office, 1962: Homosexuality is illegal. A lecturer is

dismissed. His secret is out. Will he choose legacy or the law?

Award-winning solo show, ‘The Will To Be’, returns to the Melbourne

stage this April to mark the 40th anniversary since homosexuality was

decriminalised in Victoria.

Playing at La Mama Courthouse as part of the Midsumma Festival from

April 19 to 23, ‘The Will To Be’ explores homosexuality, society and shame

in 1960s Australia, and is laced with the words of Shakespeare.

Writer, co-producer and actor, Mark Salvestro, is looking forward to

returning to Melbourne since relocating to rural NSW due to the COVID-19

pandemic.

“I’m thrilled to be returning to Melbourne to remount ‘The Will To Be’,”

Salvestro said. “I can’t wait to reconnect with Melbourne’s rich arts and

queer communities, especially because the dates coincide with both

Shakespeare’s birthday and the 40th anniversary since the law decriminalising

homosexuality in Victoria came into effect in 1981.”

‘The Will To Be’ was awarded a Best Theatre Weekly Award at the 2020

Adelaide Fringe, receiving five and four-and-a-half star reviews. Since its

premiere at the 2019 Melbourne Fringe, the one-man show has been hailed

as “a masterful performance” (Stage Whispers) and “compelling and must-

see theatre” (Melbourne Observer).

“As a gay man and a theatre-maker, I consider it my duty to give voice to

a generation of repressed homosexuals and shine a light on how far we’ve

come in terms of LGBTQIA+ rights and visibility,” Salvestro added.

“While we still have a long way to go, I’m a big believer that the act of

storytelling leads to empathy, which leads to a better, more inclusive society.

I hope the play will continue to educate Melburnians on the hardship,

advocacy and sacrifice that its queer community has endured, and remind

them what’s being celebrated when it comes to pride events today.”

Prior to creating ‘The Will To Be’, Mark Salvestro completed a national tour

of his debut solo work, ‘Buried at Sea’. He is also co-founder of Melbourne

theatre collective, North of Eight, and performed in 2018 with Australian

Shakespeare Company at the Prague Fringe Festival.

It has been too long Melbourne.  Rohan is back with all the gossip in the Arts world.

Australia’s renowned songwoman of contemporary South Sudanese music, Ajak

Kwai will release her fifth studio album, supported by a live album launch at

Melbourne’s Night Cat on Friday, April 23.

With Ajak’s dedication as a passionate activist for refugees in Australia, the album

is aptly titled Let Me Grow My Wings, an eclectic collection of twelve self-penned

songs which reflect her observations, influences and connections since moving to

Australia in the late nineties.

Performed in English, Arabic and Ajak’s native language, Dinka, the record sees

Ajak honouring the traditions of her homeland, yet defying stereotype in what is

best described as “modern South Sudanese rock” (credit to award-winning

composer, songwriter and producer Jan Skubiszewski who mixed and performed

additional instruments on five songs).

Backed by a pulsing rhythm section, piano and guitars feature throughout, with

rhythmic rock gems like the opener, Love Not Bitterness (sung in English, urging

people of the world to choose love over hate), Cool (Track 3 – Ajak’s message to

young people, sung in English and Dinka, telling them they don’t need to act the

fool to be cool, Life Is A Mystery – sung entirely in Dinka – in which Ajak questions

why she ended up in Australia whilst so many of her people lost their lives (the final

track on the album), and the album title track (Track 2) – one that Ajak says she

feels closest to and is the first single off this album – in which she expresses (also

in English and Dinka) her desire for the people in her community to have the same

opportunities and be treated equally in Australia.

Then there are emotive ballads such as In Our Hearts (Track 7), featuring the

Yogyakarta State University College of Music Choir, with a poignant message (in

English and Dinka) that we are all the same, no matter what colour or race and

Don’t Make The Woman Cry, Ajak’s dedication to women, urging suppressors to

choose kindness over harm.

Says Ajak, ‘My experiences in Australia inform my songs and my music. Music is a

universal language – maybe one day we will forget our differences and hold the

hands of one another.

‘This album is a collection of those hopes and dreams for an integrated future

where we are one and can share and be accepted for what my community has to

offer.’

Ajak also explains, “It has taken years to complete this album, as I’ve kept getting

distracted with my work as a community promoter and educating people at the

Migrant Resource Centre, which takes me to many areas of Melbourne’.

She hopes that by taking time out to concentrate on her own art and completing

this album, she will inspire people with her music and lyrics to create a more

positive environment for themselves.

Let Me Grow My Wings will be available worldwide on CD and download, on all

major online stores from April 23, 2021.

In addition to Ajak’s band, the album’s impressive credits include

Jan Skubiszewski, Nicky Bomba, Simon Lewis, Boris Conley, Chris Basile

(prominent on guitar throughout), Kate Madden, Robin Mai and Aaron Wilson

(who has also directed her forthcoming music video for the title track). Filmmaker

and Ajak’s longtime friend, Margot McDonald executive produced the project. The

songs were recorded at Nicky Bomba Studios, Jan Skubiszewski’s Red Moon

Studios, and Simon Lewis’ Panorama Studios, where it was also mastered.

In her live shows, Ajak, with her stunning, distinctive vocals fronts a four-piece rock

band consisting of lead guitarist Kumar Shome, Matt Erickson on bass and Kofi

Kundpe on drums/percussion, occasionally joined by special guest musicians.

As well as being ambassador for the Melbourne I...

The City of Greater Dandenong will be blossoming with a series of programs and events as

part of the Flora exhibition, an immersive art program exploring the importance, beauty and

fragility of nature and the plant world.

Held across five locations, the exhibition will provide an array of stunning works for residents

and visitors to enjoy.

Walker Street Gallery will host an exhibition by artists from across Australia including Artists

of Ampilatwatja, Ali Choudhry, Baden Croft, Merran Esson, Tashara Roberts, Georgia

Szmerling and Katie West. These works will highlight intrinsic and unique connections to

native plants and flora from the desert to the forest, and use a variety of mediums including

ceramics, photography, painting and living plants.

Artist Baden Croft said he feels comfort in exploring the more rugged natural parts of the

world, rather than places dominated by human influence.

“My interest in the natural environment and its unpredictability translates directly into the

somewhat chaotic way in which I paint. I am inspired by a variety of subjects and more

conceptually by the way people interact with the natural world, and how we are often

drawn back to places untouched by human interference,” Mr Croft said.

Heritage Hill Museum and Historic Gardens will present an open-entry exhibition, celebrating

the creativity and talent from the art community.

As part of the exhibition, four students from Holmesglen College floristry have filled the

Garnar Lane display boxes with contemporary floral displays. The work has been

professionally photographed and will be installed in the display boxes. This public art display

will become an optical illusion for passers-by.

Dave Thomson is the selected artist for Atmospherics: A Sound based residency. The

residency will respond to the environment in and around Alex Wilkie Nature Reserve, with

Dave developing an accessible sensory experience that celebrates local flora and fauna

while also providing solace and mental well-being through natural sound. The outcome of

this will be performed at Walker Street Gallery.

A selection of artwork from the ‘Painting on the Hill’ art competition held in the 1990s and

early 2000s will be on display as part of ‘Inspiration on the Hill’ at Heritage Hill, Benga

House. This historic display will give the community access to objects from the City of

Greater Dandenong collection and encourage people to visit the gardens and buildings of

this inspiring space.

Flora will run from March 25 to May 1, 2021. Venues include Walker Street Gallery and Arts

Centre, Heritage Hill Museum and Historic Gardens, Garnar Lane Display Boxes, Alex Wilkie

Reserve and Connection Art Space.