OBSERVER: The Arts with Peter Kemp
Presented by The Signal Curators Group, the show Unreal is concerned primarily with the relationship between perception and reality.
Within this overreaching concept lies a particular focus on the politics of perception and reality, system of knowledge and their particular bases
explored, the question “who benefits from this message of the truth” presented by viewer to interrogate.
The diversity of artistic mediums within this exhibition targets s broad sensory base an effort to infiltrate and re-imagine the perceived reality of the viewer, challenging their pre-conceived notion of perception and encouraging viewers to become more critical of their own experience of reality.
Viewers of this exhibition will therefore be invited to examine what lies between, and behind the real, engaging with mythologies, dualities and mirrors.
Exhibition opens March 20 -29.
Blender Studios
400 Spencer St, Melbourne
Floribunda
is an exhibition organised by Bunjil Place in partnership with the National Gallery of Victoria.
It is curated by David Sequeira.
The title, Floribunda, Latin for many-flowering is a hybrid of ‘flower’ and ‘abundance’.
The exhibition, a major partnership between the National Gallery of Victoria and Bunjil Place, is an intoxicating larger-than-life mashup of floral imagery, design and motif drawn
exclusively from the NGV Collection. Through its ‘Wunderkammer’ style of display Floribunda celebrates and reimagines the nature and significance of one of Australia’s most important collections, including Decorative Arts, Fashion and Textiles, Painting, First
Nations Australia and Pacific Art, the selection of works spans multiple histories, cultures and art forms.
Featuring poignant still life paintings, culture embellished with swirls of floral pattern and objects lavishly adorned with buds ansd blooms, Floribunda connects human experience with the beauty and poetic symbolism of flowers.
Exhibition opens March 20 and closes July 20.
Bunjil Place
2 Patrick North East Drive,
Narre Warren
Maroondah
Gallery
Artspace at Realm
Showcasing six moving image artworks by Australian artists in Maroondah, this exhibition celebrates ACMI’s vibrant collecting and commissioning program.
Working in video offers artists the opportunity to use editing as their primary technique, mixing and matching elements from films or their own work to tell new stories.
By remixing or rearranging footage they built different rhythms and moods, create hilarious juxtapositions to shed new light on cultural cliches ad presumed histories.
The works in this exhibition all demonstrate irrepressible desire to bring deep themes to the surface with humour and an incredible attention to detail
Exhibition opens March 24 and closes May 18.
Maroondah Gallery
32 Greenwood Ave, Ringwood
Opera
Mansfield Park by Jane Austenish and lacking in spirit, a striking contrast to the witty and confident Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice
Fanny is a poor relation brought at the age 19 to live with her aunt’s family, the Bertrams at their stately country house Mansfield Park.
She has four cousins, all older two boys and two girls.
There is also another aunt Mrs Morris, living nearby who is one of Austen’s most odious characters and who makes Fanny’s life a misery with her nagging,
The only person who bothers to get to know Fanny is her cousin Edmund, who treats her with kindness and respect.
Fanny comes to love him deeply, but without hope.
The family lives in the countryside and never seem to visit London. When Fanny is 18, and her cousin Maria has become engaged to a rich but unimpressive young man named
Rushworth.
Henry and Mary Crawford come from London to live nearby.
Rich, worldly and attractive, Henry and Mary dazzle the Bartrams with their wit and sophistication.
Fanny is wary of them. Complications ensue when the young people decide to put on a play while the Bertrams’ father, Sir Thomas, is away tending to his estates in Antigua.
Fanny’s disapproval of the family theatricals is another reason for readers’ impatience with her.
She’s a spoilsport, they say. She doesn’t anyone to have fun. But she can foresee the intimacies encouraged by acting in a play and how dangerous they are at this point on the lives of these young people.
Season: April 4-5.
Venue: Her Majesty’s Theatre Ballarat.
Melbourne Horti Hall. May 30 – 31.
Eltham Montsalvat. Saturday June, 6.
Bookings: 9001 6400
Peter Kemp