Art Almanac February 2023

Creativity can be unrestricted, non-linear and, at times, complex. Yet, beauty lies in the tension between order and chaos, simplicity and intricacy, pattern and randomness. And art lies in the exploration of these “between” states. In this issue, self-worth, perceived worth, and financial worth is assessed and re-assessed through the transitional nature of glassmaking; the invisible is made visible, as our exchange with our internal and shared environments are examined in the cultural, ecological and political dimensions of air; images of darkness, abstraction and the surreal are contrasted with the quietness and normalcy of artmaking in the studio; and we enter “the interior” which furnishes a developmental space for consideration, perception, discussion, and confrontation. A space where societal stereotypes and the male gaze are recast to reimagine the idea of…

The Lock-Up 10 February to 26 March 2023 Sydney Sara Morawetz examines rulers, clocks, weights, and calendars as a network of physical, emotional and perceptual apparatus that position the body in time and space. Through this collection of experimental actions and investigative artefacts, Morawetz underscores the performative, repetitive, and durational knowledge embedded in acts of measure “in the field.” Measure Twice, Cut Once includes Morawetz's new, large-scale durational work étalon – a 112-day / 2,100km walking journey along the Paris meridian to re-measure the curvature of the Earth and redetermine the length of the metre – each step an act of (re)evaluation and (re)consideration, examining the performativity of science, exploration, and the creation of a standard through a female gaze; exploring what it means to measure, be measured, and if…

Art news Adelaide Fringe is the biggest arts festival in the Southern Hemisphere, transforming the city and greater South Australia across thirty-one summer days and nights from 17 February to 19 March, with a range of eclectic and vibrant events, including cabaret, theatre, comedy, circus, music, visual arts, and workshops. The visual arts program includes highlights such as emerging Aboriginal artist, Arabana and Kokatha woman Mali Isabel living in her glass studio at Glutton. Creating her trademark contemporary rainbow artworks, Mali draws inspiration from the land that surrounds her, capturing the environments and translating them into magical landscapes. We are invited to view the creation process up close and personal as she captures the spirit of the Adelaide Fringe around her. Similarly, Biophilia at the Majestic Roof Garden Hotel spans…

Introducing the first twenty-four-hour festival in Sydney: MOPOKE takes over Macquarie Street. Launching on 4 February at 6pm, MOPOKE will run all through the night until 6pm the next day. From music to live arts, drawings to paintings, storytelling to poetry, native gardens to gastronomy, and art market to philosophy debates, the programming is not only uniquely eclectic but unprecedented. Macquarie Street becomes pedestrian from the Hyde Park Barracks to the State Library of NSW – transformed into an artist playground with live theatre, live music, street art and a giant glow in the dark Playdough Garden where you can express your creativity, play with shapes, and create art. This night and day festival invites an adventurous mind and restless curiosity, complete with resting nooks and espresso martinis to see…

This year welcomes a new international sculpture prize for Newcastle in the Hunter region of New South Wales. The grounds of an 1880s military fort at the entrance to Newcastle Harbour will host the inaugural Sculptures@Scratchley prize, worth $40,000. Sculptures@Scratchley has been developed by local sculptor Grahame Wilson in partnership with Newcastle Museum, and Fort Scratchley Historical Society which runs the former coastal defence installation, now a museum. The Prize's Major Award will be decided by the public, with the non-acquisitive People's Choice award set at $25,000. The Prize's Peer-judged Award, also non-acquisitive, is $15,000. A finalist exhibition will be on view at Fort Scratchley from 13 to 28 May, with further details to be announced soon. Open to local and international artists; enquiries grahamewilson@yahoo.com.au sculpturesatscratchley.com.au…

Returning to Western Australia's capital, from 10 February to 5 March, Perth Festival brings a range of art, performances, and activities to the city – this year, under the theme of ‘Djinda (stars)’. The visual arts program links cultural and traditional knowledge with contemporary art inspired by the stars, connecting First Nations astronomy with theoretical concepts of the visible and invisible. A range of mediums including film, photography, painting, sculpture, installation, and a participatory project communing with the stars, explore both light and the darkness of spaces in-between. Artists embrace the multiplicity and diversity of stories, learnings and beliefs that shape our sense of being human and inform our understanding of the world. “The projects assembled for this year's program take the idea of Djinda as a provocation, collectively sharing…