Aug 10

RAW: STC’s Three Sisters – Anton Chekhov – Playhouse – 3K

It is true that Chekhov’s astute observations of life at the beginning of the 20th century apply as much today to us all as then with his fellow countrymen. Here three well off sisters and their brother find themselves stuck in a smallish Russian town after their father’s death yearning to return to Moscow, a place they believe will deliver for them what matters in life, wealth, success and love. Their lives there are made as complete as they wish them by the presence of an army garrison but, when they get moved on, the hollowness of their positions gets exposed.

Chekhov spares no one, even those happiest with lot manage to cock things up by the end, layering on the misery for three hours that by its conclusion leaves you drained if not haunted by the self imposed plight of these people.

This is a big production with 14 players and the STC has pulled out all stops to deliver a result of similar proportions with such well known names as (perennial favourite) Edwin Hodgeman as Ferapoint, the slightly deaf business manager to the family and Peter O’Brien (Underbelly etc) as Vershinin, a philandering officer seemingly too scared to face his own home life.  However, the results fall somewhat sort of hopes.

Renato Musolino does well as Baron Tuzenbach and Michael Habib as Chebutykin, the drunk military doctor staying with the family. Of the sisters, Kate Cheel as Irina stands out.

But, at the risk of generating howls of ‘what a cretin’ in the STC’s office at a level that would resonate out into the railway station hall, what was the staging all about? For a well to do family of 100 years ago, the piles of sand in the corners, the cavernous blue areas above the stage with the door left ajar, the ladder and the appearance at the beginning and end of some modern day workers with video recorders looked at best half baked as ideas and just made no sense.

As for the lighting, well the Lighting Manger could have flicked the on-switch at about 8.02pm, gone out for a very big dinner and got back at around 11 and his audience would have been none the wiser.

After the inspired use of the stage and lighting in the STC’s Speaking In Tongues, this play was a bit of a disappointment.

Three Sisters – Great play, fine cast, pity about the staging and direction.

Aug 09

RAW: SALA – Rachel Lobban and Bill & Bob Botten – The Maid

Untitled By Bill Botten - now headed for a discerning art lover's wall

Three artists display their paintings at the Maid, two in the dining area, one amongst the punters.

In the dining rooms, Rachel Lobban attempts retro inspired pop art in bright, bold colours on square canvasses. The imagery has that feel of the 1950s-1970s, of US style diners and milk bars filled with teenage and comic book angst with the screening used reminding one somewhat of Andy Warhol works. All the icons of those times and since are there from Coke and Pepsi labels through to Ninja Turtles.

Most also feature the stencil of a strained woman’s face and the repetition of that motif and others similar tends to detract from the initial attraction of something stunning yet familiar. Ironically perhaps and fulfilling the adage less is more, probably the most successful is Pepsi Trash which has a reduced splash of icons and surrounds them with a plain fawn border.

The father and son combination of Bob and Bill Botten fill the front bar. Bob has four amusing works all designated A Bridge Too Far – featuring well known historical figures – from Marx to Machiavelli – playing cards. The one with Groucho Marx is great while the one with James Bond looks as if he has undergone recent nip and tuck surgery.

Bill has only just wrapped up a very successful exhibition at AP Bond Gallery and these nine works include some from that exhibition including Untitled now bought by one very discerning art lover. Notwithstanding, for this critic, the standout and perhaps of all the works being shown in the hotel is Theme Park which for anyone who has driven past the theme parks on the M1 near the gold Coast will be instantly recognisable.  The fulsome use of white (and minimal use of his trademark black) on this big canvas helps give this work a feel both of fun and short term gratification.

These and Bob’s card works are worth the trip and a beer there this SALA.

Aug 09

RAW: SALA – White Rabbit – Samstag – 4K

The White Rabbit exhibition at the Samstag is a portion of the contemporary Chinese art collection of the White Rabbit Gallery in Sydney which claims to be perhaps the second most important of its type in the world today. The Samstag exhibition is also the major part of the visual arts program of this year’s OzAsia Festival.

In the context of the White Rabbit collection, ‘contemporary’ refers to works of this millennium which in turn are considered to be of the third phase of overall contemporary Chinese art that kicked off around 1985. This phase heralds from China’s hard won entry into the World Trade Organisation in 2001 and is marked by its emphasis on individuality, with artists involved not old enough to have lived in the days of Mao and the Cultural Revolution.

Nonetheless, whether by curatorial choice or generally, the collection has a very political feel to them. If art is a way to express one’s feelings about the world around you (eg Australian landscapes of the Heidelberg School), then the world of these contemporary Chinese artists does not indicate any sense of individual freedom but rather persistent anxiety due to state domination, violence and repression.

With China now little more a capitalist country without democracy, this uncomfortable feel should make us all the more wary of where our economic dependence (or at least current prosperity) is coming from and where it may lead.

There are many provocative works to enjoy but my favourite is Wang Zhiyuan’s Object of Desire (pictured), a huge fibreglass construction of a piece of pink lady’s underwear. In it, behind opened curtains, is a reclining, corpulent bureaucrat (as the devil) gawking at the breasts of some local prostitute. Above them is written ‘Diamonds Matter Most’. The work is garish and offensive with its flashing party lights and sound track, yet so large as to make it both unavoidable and almost part of the cultural furniture.

The exceptional craftsmanship of in Shi Jindian’s motorbike and side car (Blue) is also worth the trip. Made entirely of stainless steel yet it is at times so delicate and precise in its construction of detail (of petrol caps, engine parts, gauges and the like) that you think maybe it is of cotton or even the work of a creative spider.

Zhou Xiaohu’s Renown features a video installation of some luminary prattling on to recording media of the West. No translation is provided (and is not much needed) of his thoughts but the more you look at or observe the work the more one questions the status the media is according this fellow, nicely dressed in white, and how narrow are his thoughts and the picture casual viewers in the West receive of China generally relative to the horror of the whole.

This is a thought provoking exhibition worthy of a visit, especially as OzAsia kicks in.

Also see the video on the exhibition at Samstag Exhibition Video

Aug 07

RAW: SALA on Hindley Pt 1 – Ruby Chew, Meg Cowell

By Meg Cowell

As part of the well intentioned but nonetheless struggling attempts to revitalise the west end, there is a number of small galleries now located on Hindley and adjoining lanes, many of which are hosting exhibitions during SALA.

Ruby Chew is at Magazine Gallery (on Clubhouse Lane – somewhere you only want to visit in day light hours). Ms Chew first came to notice for her colourful portraits in this year’s Helpmann Academy’s Fringe exhibition (for which she won the Hill Smith Gallery / Helpmann Academy Friends Award), her feature work of ‘Tom’ with Mickey Mouse ears.

This first solo exhibition has 32 pieces, five large oil canvasses and the remainder as small water colours. With her oils, the standard motifs are colourful large red lily like plants with black veins (that set off her subjects’ lips) adorning burnt orange backgrounds (use to compliment skins tones on others), with white dresses and hats carrying black zigzag like patterns.

The water colours are much less striking, not only by virtue of their size or the media employed (and are priced accordingly.)

The 32 pieces are portraits of four sitters, the two most interesting of which are ‘Tom’ (not certain it is the same Tom as previously mentioned), shirtless with a shocking wave of blond hair and ‘Stavroula’ a saucy yet strong womanwho wears aforementioned the white dresses with zig zags well.

While the exhibition has been fabulously successful, all but a handful sold on opening night, the paucity of sitters is perhaps a weakness as one seeks to understand Ruby’s abilities to create stunning images beyond these four and whether amidst all the stylised motifs she can capture the sense or personalities of others. Time will tell but certainly this exhibition is worth a visit and Ruby Chew is a new force in the local art world to follow as she develops.

Meg Cowell’s photos a hundred metres west on Hindley in the Reading Room are perhaps less successful.

These feature feminine garments removed from road sides, car parks and public toilet waste bins which are immersed in water and photographed with some bubbles. Cowell suggests there is a tension created between the new characteristics of the garment, its former life and the circumstances of the abandonment.

To be sure the images are large and bright and superficially interesting but beyond they lack that third dimension that draws the viewer in; the how of their construction, that something extra that indulging inspection reveals or any real interest in the subject matter as presented.

Aug 05

RAW: SALA – Ducks & Nonsense – Wendy Fantasia – Hotel Richmond

Seven Deadly Sins 3

Like any form of art, it is the apparent perfection to the eye and seeming ease with which the work has been created that denotes its quality. The art of body painting has a few additional quirks that must also be mastered including ensuring the contours of the body are kept in harmony with the design and then the models themselves (mostly female) have the composure and confidence to carry it off, mostly topless bar the paint.

Wendy Fanstasia is Adelaide’s leading body painter and one of the nation’s most acclaimed and her first solo exhibition Ducks and Nonsense at the Hotel Richmond is a retrospective of her best work over the past few years, work that has won prizes for both body painting and photography.

Of course, such an exhibition adds one further dimension to the demands on craft and that is capturing images of the work that engage in two dimensions as much as they may when the original work is being shown round full of life.

For that, Wendy has been well served by most of her photographers with particular note of the work of Leanne King who, using mostly dark backgrounds, has been able to create stunning images of stunning work.

Of the twenty or so works on show, Goth Fairy, Dragons, Nonsense, Spirit and 7 Deadly Sins are highlights but others may well take your fancy as the bright reds and deep blues set against stunning whites have you questioning where the designs ends and the body starts, and the depths of the effectiveness between the various media involved; the model, the camera and the paint.

Spirit 1

A cocktail after work at the First Bar at the Richmond this month will be a rewarding experience with Wendy’s work as a back drop.

Aug 05

RAW: Fashion Friday – DAS – Ebernezer Place

By Sebastian White

Just behind the cafe scene of Rundle Street lies a quaint store with a German name. Das embodies an effortless cool, from its decadent decor to the auditory aesthetic of vinyl music. As a boutique it succeeds in bringing the creations of several international designers to Australian shores, whilst also featuring the national talents of Tom Guerin, designer of Morning Theft and Kat Frith, designer of Can’t Take You Anywhere.

The hangers, racks and shelves at Das are home to an arsenal of exclusive clothing brands including (and please take a long breath), Toddland, Threadless, A.T.G, They Thank You, Pinup Couture, Hot Couture, Bernie Dexter, Monkee Jeans and The Unbranded Brand. The labels are sourced from the stylistic perspectives of European, Canadian, American and Australian designers, ensuring a diverse range of looks, which are sure to appeal to a wide audience.

Styles are a mixture of contemporary fashions with both retro revival and legitimate vintage ensembles. The contemporary brand Toddland indulges in vibrant colours and striking images, whilst Morning Theft designer Tom Guerin, shortens sleeves and toys with collars, successfully renewing the shirt. Labels like Bernie Dexter and Pinup Couture revive the era of the pinup model, and should be commended for highlighting the female figure, as opposed to drowning it in fabric. Vintage is covered by Kat Frith and her label, Can’t Take You Anywhere, which contemporises vintage dresses by adding and subtracting from the fabric to generate original and unique garments.

Accessories are often the perfect complement to an outfit, whilst also lending themselves to practical means. Das features a range of must have accessories, such as Keds shoes, Billy Goat bags and a range of satchels from The Cambridge Satchel Company (Satchel, Satchel, Satchel!). Genuine goat leather bags made by Billy Goat, pun probably intended, are the stylish and efficient way to get your possessions from A too B. Das also showcases the amazing works of Bluebayer, who hand crafts intricate metallic jewellery, including skull and animal rings with necklaces to match.

Das is the small store that just keeps giving, housing not only the fashion perspectives of several talented designers and their respective labels, but also a modern hair salon with a “no bullshit” philosophy. It is home to the collective talents of Dominic Ossa, SA’s 2011 hairdresser finalist of the year, Adam Hadley Darrie, the 2011 men’s hairdresser of the year finalist and the gorgeous and style savvy Jhai Finlay. You can expect to have your head of hair pampered and styled with the leading products in the market, including Evo, Schwarzkopf and Wella, and leave with a hot head of hair. Das offers everything from cuts to colours without putting a dent in your bank account and students can expect to pay less for a cut and style.

Das has evolved beyond being merely a store; it is an experience of art, fashion and hair.

das.istcool@live.com

08 8232 8539

Shop 3 Ebenezer Place, Adelaide

Models – Kyle Coleman (top) Scott Bray (below) Photography by Harry Pearce

Aug 04

RAW: SALA – Two Countries, Two Cameras By Ben McGee and Nerissa Stanley – Urban Cow Studio – 4K

Street Games by Ben McGee

SALA arrived early last night at the Urban Cow Studio where two young photographers, Ben McGee and Nerissa Stanley opened their exhibition of a combined 31 images of Cuba (and Trinidad) and India. The idea of the exhibition was hatched some time ago as each set about their separate travels.

For Ben this is his second exhibition following on from the successful Wanderlust and here he has taken time off from his Geology PhD studies to travel to Cuba, live with locals and observe the country. And what a fine job he has done.

All but one of his works are in black and white, no more than 30 cm in the longer dimension and nicely framed. His visit coincided with the change in Cuban’s political leadership from one Castro to another but all embraced the blight that 50 years of isolation from the US has brought.

Vedado By Ben McGee

There are many fine images including Fidel, capturing Fidel Castro’s first appearance on state TV in years at the time of his transfer of power, Street Games (above) featuring children playing football, Gran Teatro de La Habana, a downward view of a wonderful tiled floor and grand staircase of the only operating theatre in the city, Policia, an inspired composition of police lingering on the street below with dark ominous shadows stretching forth and, perhaps the most outstanding Vedado (left), a wonderful capture of a lone boy on a wet street with line funelling down on him.

However, as good as any of these images are, for a photo essay like this to really succeed the photographer needs to marshal a collection that captures in their totality the look and feel of the subject matter – what Ben describes in the case of Cuba as ‘the intense contrast of great joy and happiness mixed with sadness and hardship, youthfulness and age.’ This he does in trumps – one has a very sense of place and people and a political regime that pervades, snuffing out hope for the older citizens and oblivious to possibilities and responsibilities to its youth.

This is an excellent series of images that warrant a visit, especially if you have spent any time in Cuba.

Perhaps with less enthusiastic passion, I can comment on Nerissa Stanley’s images of India which while enjoyable, mostly colourful, featuring people often in market places, seem to lack the daring do and sense of natural connection of place of McGee’s work. Golden Temple, Armristar is perhaps the best though there seems a lot of potential was left in the country itself. A fascinating place like Agra (net even of the Taj Mahal nearly) deserves rather more than a series open doorways.

But for a talented go at capturing a place, in a country, to be sure, that is never easy for women, Nerissa Stanley’s work acts a nice compliment to McGees and is also worth the visit.

Aug 02

RAW: Worldhood – ADT with Thom Buchanan – Aug 10-13 Her Majesty’s

Australian Dance Theatre,
TAFE SA Adelaide College of the Arts and Adelaide Festival Centre present
WORLDHOOD

After an extensive European tour, world-renowned Australian Dance Theatre returns home to the Adelaide stage with the
world premiere of its new work, Worldhood, by Garry Stewart featuring Thom Buchanan with TAFE SA Adelaide College
of the Arts, from 10 – 13 August at Her Majesty’s Theatre.

Australian Dance Theatre has thrilled audiences across the world with its ingenious choreography, extraordinary athleticism and commitment to producing enthralling and provocative dance. From Paris to New York, London to Adelaide, Australian Dance Theatre continues to amaze audiences.

For Worldhood, Artistic Director Garry Stewart again creates a rare experience that stretches the boundaries of dance as
we know it. For this world premiere, the phenomenal Australian Dance Theatre dancers will unite with final year TAFE SA
Adelaide College of the Arts students and award winning visual artist Thom Buchanan.

“Worldhood explores the nexus between live drawing and live dance in relation to structures in architecture and in nature,”
explains Garry Stewart.

“This is the first time I’ve worked with a live visual artist in any of my works. What struck me immediately was the inherent
connection between dance and mark making. Like drawing, dance comfortably occupies an abstracted space but can
also evoke representations of the world around us. Thom Buchanan’s images are made through a vigorous physicality
and performativity that permits them to be framed within the context of dance. As part of his performance he also
employs the erasure of images which mirrors the impermanence and ephemeral nature of dance.”

The combination of Australian Dance Theatre and AC Arts dancers will represent the largest performing ensemble on
stage for Australian Dance Theatre work in more than a decade. The larger ensemble provides an additional dimension to
ADT’s choreography as well as an extraordinary opportunity for the AC Arts students.

“The opportunity for AC Arts dance and technical production students to work with ADT on Worldhood is unbelievable,”
says Christie Anthony, Creative Director of AC Arts.

“I expect that this project will be the envy of the national dance training community. We are extremely lucky to have ADT
based in Adelaide to enable students to work together closely with the best contemporary dance company in the nation
during their final year of training. A vital aspect of the collaboration is the mentoring and career-specific advice that ADT is
providing to our students, to help them equip themselves for paid work in the industry, once they complete their training.”
Visual artist Thom Buchanan, draws live on stage with the dancers and plays an integral role in Worldhood, creating
expansive and energetic drawings on a monumental scale. Thom is no stranger to live drawing, accompanying bands and
DJs with his drawing in Adelaide and across Australia. A number of video projections of Thom’s works also feature in this
year’s SALA Festival.

There is no doubt there are a many parallels between dance and drawing but the challenge for Thom in Worldhood is the
nature of replicating the artistic process for each performance.

“Both dance and drawing involve movement, driven by energy and emotion. Garry and I have found we even use similar
language to talk about dance and drawing. But while dancers are trained to replicate the same movement time and time
again, drawing is usually done at the artist’s own pace and the result is a once off experience. This is an interesting part
of the collaboration for me – dynamic and subject to change, the drawing allows the audience to experience, moment by
moment, the thousands of visual decisions that are distilled in the drawing. ” says Thom.

Whether you’re a fan of dance or visual art, the fusion between the two artforms live on stage will be a new experience for
audiences.

For more information log on to www.adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au or www.adt.org.au
What: Worldhood
Venue: Her Majesty’s Theatre
When: 10 – 13 August at 7 pm
Cost: Preview $35 / Adult $45 / Concession $39 / Students $19.95 / Groups $39 / GreenRoom $19.95
Season Pass Adult $39
Bookings: BASS on 131 246 or online at www.bass.net.au

Jul 31

RAW: How Saving Arkaroola Ended Mike Rann

For just about everyone involved or with an interest in the possibility of mining at Arkaroola, Premier Rann’s announcement last Friday week came as quite a surprise. No more so than for the board of Marathon Resources which include former Labor Senator and lobbyist, Chris Schacht, part of what the company describes as ‘a small board of extremely knowledgeable and highly regarded resource industry professionals, who are experienced in bringing major projects to fruition’.

Kryztoff also understands well connected Labor party lobbyists for Marathon had been hard at work and too were looking to enjoy the benefits of an announcement that stated the project would proceed.

Marathon has purportedly invested $15m in prospecting for uranium at Mt Gee, within Arkaroola and after failing to properly dispose of some waste last year had from October 2010 an exploration licence that ran for just 16 months, a licence that ends early next year. But to go forward, it needed a new licence and final Government approval for mining in the sensitive heritage and tourist area.

In March, Marathon raised over $5m at $0.50 after its shares had surged around 50% from those levels in the preceeding few weeks after the company’s acceptance of the aforementioned licence renewal was announced to the exchange. Both Schacht and Chairman Peter Williams (another close to the Labor Government) also took up their entitlements at that time. After that it was one way traffic down for the Marathon share price to around 15c until speculation that a positive announcement on future mining was imminent saw its shares double in price in the days leading up to Rann’s bombshell. (Thus, this may be regarded as one of those very few market plunges that went awry – perhaps a further clue to the surprise inherent in Rann’s announcement.)

Confronted with diabilical polls and the stench of the MacPherson Report only starting to grow, especially in the hands of his new Minister for Local Government, Russell Wortley, Rann unilaterally decided he needed some political points badly to reignite his popularity with the SA public. He had of course at that time stated that he was no longer available for comment to the media other than on weekends and generally was rarely seen mingling with the public even at events for which his ministerial duties would normally require him.

The Arkaroola bombshell, with Rann flanked in situ for cover with his Environment Minister, Paul Caica and Mines Minister, Tom Koutsantonis, did not go down well with Labor party warloads who had seen approving mining Arkaroola as yet another opportunity to reward party loyalists. (No doubt investors, including Schacht and Williams, who parted with the $5m five months ago aren’t exactly seeing the funny side of this either.) With that act of self determination complete, so the talks to arrange the factionally suitable succession team went into overdrive. With Weatherill clearly ahead in the perceptions of the public, the next dream team was settled across factional lines.

Although Rann had intended to see his time through to exceeding the terms as premier of both Don Dunstan and John Bannon (a moment that would arise early next year), the combination of damage to the brand and breach of party hack loyalties was too much and in his weakened poltical state the faction bosses, in a ceremony that has strong parallels with the political knifing of Kevin Rudd, advised him late on Friday that his time was up.

Whether they wished or intended the announcement to go public as quickly as it did is unclear but clearly many in the party were more than happy to start their own dance on his political grave.

With the first signs of something going on being reported mid week in Indaily, it seems amazing that Rann did not see this moment coming.

While media speculation that the Labor Government will ‘compensate’ Marathon for the loss of its mining opportunities has spread (with some talk being that the amount will be as much as $30m), independent members of the upper house, smelling a rat, are quickly moving to close that loop hole when the Arkaroola legislation reaches their chamber. Marathon shareholders now wait shellshocked with their share price back to 15c.

Rann has managed to buy time today saying he will step down after completing ‘certain projects’, ironically another one involving mining – the big daddy of them all – the deal with BHP Billiton about Roxby Downs. But the realities are that his time as premier is up and Labor party Godfathers do not think it important that the parliament or the public or even a leader of 16 years determine these matters any more.

A Rann by-election is probably not a big worry for the Government but the imminent retirement from politcs of Kevin Foley is another matter. What with already being two down in the upper house, after the suspension from the party of Bernie Finnigan and the retirement of Paul Holloway, a hot pototo in the McPherson report about to get even hotter tomorrow and now an angry leader, the Labor party can only thank their lucky stars that the Liberals rolled over on Adelaide Oval in case that too got very messy in the next six weeks.

Jul 31

RAW: Misery – Bakehouse Theatre Company – 4K – Til 6th August

When the somewhat self assured and celebrated author, Paul Sheldon (John Maurice), runs off the road in the depths of a Colorado winter, his saviour is Annie Wilkes (Joanne Hartstone), an embittered spinster who happens also to be his ‘number one fan’.

From there a horrendous nightmare for Sheldon settles in as the deranged Annie insists Paul brings back to life his most famous character, Misery, in a new novel.

Based on the Stephen King novel and adapted for the stage by Simon Moore, this is an agonising two hours as a man trapped by his injuries and the weather struggles the physical and mental anguish forced upon him by a bi-polar lunatic.

To be sure, with just two actors involved, Misery requires highly talented performers on the tops of their game or else this play would quickly become horrible. In both Hartstone and Maurice, the Bakehouse Theatre Company have found their players. Hartstone’s dress, accent, plod and child like memories quickly capture the essence of someone removed from the mainstream. Her ability to switch moods almost at will is powerful and off putting – you never know what is coming next.

Being constrained to a bed throughout only adds to the skills the Sheldon player requires and John Maurice’s performance is faultless, his gradual shift from semi-comatosed disbeliever to alert schemer is entirely believable, his passion for writing and displays of the most acute pain attract our sympathies notwithstanding the arrogant persona with which we are greeted.

Full credit also to Michael Allen’s direction and Tammy Boden’s set and costume design and most particularly for the most believable amputation effects.

Very likely to be independent theatre’s highlight of the year, so go see during this Misery’s last week.