Luckily for all of us left behind in Sydney this weekend, Splendour has not created a good times vacuum. There’s plenty of gigs, parties, arts events and other fun stuff to go to – and I’ve compiled a list of activities that will deliver you a truly splendid weekend for $460 or (very) under.

Posted by Jenny Noyes in Art, Culture, Events, Music

Tags: biennale of sydney, big scary, brmc, Carriageworks, Circle Pit, Cloud Control, cockatoo island, Future Classic, gaelic club, good god small club, jingle jangle, laura marling, metro theatre, MIDLAKE, oxford art factory, rethreads, sandringham hotel, Splendour In The Grass, THE DRUMS, the factory theatre, THE MAGIC NUMBERS, the Maple Trail, the motifs

Walking through the streets of Sydney it seems that on just about every street, or possibly behind every street there’s a paste up by SMC3. An army of rats and fast food gripping to the walls waiting for you to spot them. Street art has no plaque next to it, no explanation of the works concept – and so I thought I’d throw a few quick questions at the artist to give us all a bit more insight into the workings of the mind of SMC3.

Posted by Scott Owen in Art

I tell Simon Degroot that I’m calling him from the lobby of a giant circular office building where I briefly worked because I’m hiding from completely insane rain, and he’s concerned for my safety. A “Can they hear you?” is whispered conspiratorially, and he readily endorses my strategy of saying “TORTS” loudly if anyone looks suspicious. And then we are, ahem, on to business. His upcoming show at Blank_space is called “All in again sometime,” a title that refers to his return to showing artwork after a year as a stay-at-home Dad but also works as an indicator of his artistic method. 

Degroot’s pictures have a mixture of graphic and abstract, gestural and delineated forms. My immediate points of reference are paste-ups and Paul Klee, and I like that the different media and styles he uses share a kind of energy? Dynamism? Robustness? Something that you clench your fist while describing, anyhow. Read more for the full article…

Posted by Bethany Small in Art, Features

Tags: blank_space, Simon Degroot

We held this poster competition and we found a winner and it’s all happening. The posters will be up very shortly. But for now, please admire the amazing submissions we received. These are the finalists, and we are proud to say we love them all like our own children…

Posted by amelia in Art, Features

Ross Jenkinson is a photographer and a writer, so he’s in this exhibition and has also written about it. He interviewed the man behind it all, Oliver Bryce Yates, before it opened, and now just before it closes Ross has also interviewed Pedro Ramos, an amazing photographer from Portugal.

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+ You’re originally from Portugal, right? How long have you been in Sydney, what brought you here, and has it changed your work with photography in any way?
> I was born in Madeira, a small portuguese island in the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Northern Africa. This is my second time in Sydney, so I’ve been here for almost a year and a half combined.

I’m still not entirely sure why I came here and I don’t think it has directly changed my work. However, it has presented me with new opportunities in fashion and commercial photography, and that has been a good thing so far. Read more for the full interview…

Posted by Ross Jenkinson in Art, Features

Tags: black scabbard research centre, Oliver Bryce Yates, Pedro Ramos, portugal, Ross Jenkinson, sixteen, Somedays Gallery

Read more for the full article…

Posted by Bethany Small in Art, Features

Tags: 22, bec winnell, Kareena Zerefos, kristy milliken, lara allport, maddi boyd, national grid gallery, shannon crees

Just a quick Friday announcement: we chose the winner of the Throwing Secret War Shapes poster competition (and we had some absolutely amazing entries, too). It’s this work by Dominik Krupinski, who you can find out more about over the coming weeks when we do an interview with him.

For now, here’s his self-written bio: I’m a 28 year old self-taught writer, illustrator and photographer from Sydney via sunny Eastern Europe and shitty, shitty Canberra. I like movies about the sea or desert, morality, and/or starring Leslie Cheung. I like books about adulterers, man or woman. I’m all for collaboration or some extra work. I made a webpage!

And here’s his amazing design:

Dominik Krupinski's winning entry for the Throwing Secret War Shapes poster competition

You will be able to find this baby posted up all round Sydney very soon, and prints will be available on this here fine website. Happy long weekend, go to the Biennale.

Posted by amelia in Art, News

Tags: biennale of sydney, dominik krupinski, The Wall, throwing secret war shapes