SYDNEY.- Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre kicks off their massive 25th anniversary year with a FREE launch day unveiling four spectacular new exhibitions on Saturday 19 January, 2019.
Launching will be What a Life! Rock Photography by Tony Mott (12 Jan. – 24 Feb.), a striking showcase of the veteran Australian photographer’s work over the past thirty years; and a series of exhibitions offering Perspectives on Indonesia: looking here looking north (12 Jan. – 10 Feb.) and Jumaadi (12 Jan. – 10 Feb.) The perspectives will be complimented by Landscape of the Soul, which runs until 3 February.
Complementary canapes will be served up by in-house bistro Bellbird Dining + Bar, using hyperlocal seasonal produce to craft mouth-watering culinary creations, alongside wines by the Southern Highlands’ Artemis Wines.
“From Big Day Out to Bowie and Bjork, Tony’s unique brand of photography is a flawlessly definitive documentation of the Australian music scene over the last thirty years. If it happened, Tony was there taking stellar shots of it,” said CPAC Director, Craig Donarski. “His work is especially crucial at this time of monumental change in the industry, with the on-going decline of legendary music venues and street press publications.”
“We’ll also be putting a lens on the unique experiences of Indonesian-Australian artists, many drawing on traditional methods in ingenious new ways, as a means to re-interpret and connect with the incredible tapestry of Indonesian culture,” he said.
Rock ‘n’ Roll Gods
From Taylor Swift and Rihanna to The Rolling Stones and U2, and Australian artists Kylie Minogue, The Divinyls, and Silverchair, What a Life! Rock Photography by Tony Mott is rock and roll fans’ last chance to catch this jaw-dropping collection of star-studded photography. Provided by the State Library of NSW, this exclusive selection features works specially selected by Tony and the CPAC curators. Tony’s extensive career spans 30,000 photographs published in 20 countries, and the covers of 500 CDs, 400 posters and over 900 magazines.
Mott will engage in an intimate Q&A (1 – 2pm) at the launch, recounting experiences and adventures with some the world’s biggest rock stars across Australia’s largest music events.
Perspectives on Indonesia
looking here looking north is presented by Woven, an artist collective shining a light on their own personal connections to Indonesia. Identity, memory and cross-cultural experience will be dissected through a kaleidoscope of mediums including performance, painting, installation, photography, video and sculpture. The exhibition features Sydney artists Kartika Suharto-Martin, Ida Lawrence, Sofiyah Ruqayah and Alfira O’Sullivan plus Melbourne artist Mashara Wachjudy and Bridie Gillman from Brisbane.
Artist Alfira O’Sullivan will also present an incredible dance performance at the launch at 2.30pm alongside her Suara Indonesian Dance Group, presenting an intriguing blend of dance and body percussion mixing traditional and contemporary influences.
Indonesian-Australian artist Jumaadi presents Bring Me Back My Body and I Will Return Your Soul, a contemporary take on traditional Indonesian Wayang Kulit (shadow puppetry). Jumaadi brings the ancient art form into the present day, conjuring dreamlike figures to divulge captivating stories with modern resonance. Jumaadi’s previous shadow puppet works have featured at Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art.
Landscape of the Soul is a showcase of eight intricately-stitched quilts exploring artist Frances Larder’s Indonesian-Dutch heritage, and the genocide of the Dutch Settlers at the time of Independence. Larder’s exquisite quilts trace their journey to Australian shores, and are the outcome of her near-completed Master’s studies at Curtin University, well into her 70s.
