Well, I think I’ve almost caught my breath after a pretty busy weekend of doing, seeing and thinking. I must admit, I don’t quite have the stamina I used to for a day on my feet, thanks to those delightful rounds of chemo last year. But, I am feeling very pleased with myself, and with how much I’ve managed to get along to this last week. I do feel I’m making up for lost time rather nicely.
And so, Saturday the boys set off for the footy, and I wandered off to the Royal Exhibition Building to see Art Melbourne. It’s an amazing venue, and the exhibitors filled the space most impressively.
It took me a little while to get my bearings, but once I did I started to work my way up and down the aisles so as not to miss anything. To start with I wasn’t so sure that I’d find anything that took my fancy… there seemed to be a bit of a glut of oil paintings (not my favourite medium) and a bit of the work seemed to come across as a little ‘decorative’. Nonetheless, after I paused for a few minutes to watch a printing demonstration by Basil Hall, of Basil Hall Editions in Darwin, my head stopped spinning from the sensory overload that had hit me when I first walked in and I started to be able to sift through the same-y work, to find the brilliant pieces.
I could have loitered around the display by Urban Uprising all afternoon, so taken was I by the works they had chosen to show – Shepard Fairey (famous for that Obama poster), Marsha Meredith and Banksy. Urban Uprising is a Sydney-based gallery, and you might like to check out their website for some samples of their work. They’re in the process of moving from their Darlinghurst address, so keep an eye on the site for their new address.
I was very pleased to get to catch up with Joi Murugavell and her whimsical Oodlies. You’ve already heard about how much I like Joi’s work, but I’ll say it again anyway. If you ask me (which I’m assuming you are) Joi’s work really was a stand-out on the day. It had so much more life to it than much of the other work and it’s originality was drawing crowds. Oodlies are full of colour, boldly presented on the page and are at times delightfully naughty. I loved the hand-drawn chairs, and the shoes were being very well received.
Image: Joi Murugavell
Last to catch my eye was a really unassuming little stand featuring works by Alana Aphoy Photography. Her original photography, worked with photoshop to construct new and mesmerising images really fascinated me. Her shots would have been great works in their unworked form, but the work done to them has created a new, rich landscape. If you like photography that’s a little left of centre, check out the artist’s site here…
Image: Alana Aphoy
As you can see, I ended up finding a few great collections of work to which I took a shine and although I left the hall a little worse for wear, needing a good sit down, I think it was a most worthwhile day out. Thanks to Rushcrowds for making it so easy for me to get along on the day.
Stay tuned…
Tomorrow, I’ll put together a few thoughts about June Loves’ chat about ‘Hen-Lit!’ The Shelly Beach Writers’ Group‘ part of the Bayside Literary Festival.
That Book You Like... 