Archive for the 'Public Lecture' Category

COFA Talks: Reason and Emotion in Art

Posted in COFA Talks, Events, Public Lecture on September 8th, 2009

When: Tue, 15 Sep, ‘09
Where: College of Fine Arts, cnr Oxford Street and Greens Road, lecture theatre: EGO2, 6:00 pm

Nina McIlwain, Nina-Sky-Bliss, 2008, mobile phone photo.

Nina McIlwain, Nina-Sky-Bliss, 2008, mobile phone photo.

In the panel discussion, Reason and Emotion in Art, a curator, a gallery director and a senior lecturer in psychology explore the tension between reason and emotion in art and in other expressions of creativity. This event is a preview of the special Reason/Emotion issue of Artlink magazine due to hit the stands on September 16.

Glenn Barkley

Glenn Barkley is a curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney. His recent projects include Avoiding Myth & Message and Making it New – Focus on Contemporary Australian Art. Barkely was curator of the University of Wollongong Art collection from 1996 - 2008. In 2008, he co-curatred, with Peter Fay, Without Borders, an exhibition of international and national outsider art.

Mary Knights

Mary Knights is the Director of SASA Gallery, School of Art, Architecture & Design, University of South Australia. Before moving to Adelaide to take up this position, she was Manager and Art-coordinator at Irrunytju Arts, a remote art centre at the edge of the Gibson Desert in Western Australia. She is currently completing her PhD with the Tasmanian School of Art, University of Tasmania.

Doris McIlwain

Doris McIlwain is a senior lecturer in psychology at Macquarie University, teaching personality and philosophy of psychoanalysis. Researching emotion and personality, she profiles narcissism, machiavellianisn and psychopathy in terms of affective personality dispositions. McIlwain is interested in self-reflective awareness of the bodily broadcast and pursues this new interest exploring colonising the body via yoga.

FREE

For details on how to get to COFA and to navigate yourself around the campus, please visit: www.cofa.unsw.edu.au/about/location/

To listen to the past COFA Talks please visit UNSW TV:
Semester One Talks: http://tv.unsw.edu.au/collection/cofa-talks-sem-1-2009
Semester Two Talks: http://tv.unsw.edu.au/collection/cofa-talks-sem-2-2009

COFA Talks: Aboriginal Art and Politics

Posted in COFA Talks, Events, Public Lecture on August 19th, 2009

When: Tue, 25 Aug, ‘09
Where: College of Fine Arts, cnr Oxford Street and Greens Road, lecture theatre: EGO2, 6:00 pm

The Ladies of Bigotbri Concerned Women's Association, 2005.

The Ladies of Bigotbri Concerned Women’s Association, 2005. Image courtesy of R. Dante Allas.

Aboriginal Art and Politics examines the complexities of the indigenous art scene, and a range of other issues facing indigenous artists in contemporary society, from two different perspectives. Djon Mundine, whose his Father is Bundjalang and Mother is Ngaku, speaks from within the indigenous community, while John von Strurmer discusses the topics as a white Australian.

Djon Mundine is a curator and art historian, originally from the Northern Rivers area of NSW. He is currently Indigenous Curator, Contemporary Art at Campbelltown Arts Centre. Mundine is well known as the concept curator of the permanent Aboriginal Memorial installation at the National Gallery of Australia and was awarded an OAM in 1993. Previous positions have included: Senior Curator, Gallery of Aboriginal Australia, National Museum of Australia, Senior Curator of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Programs, MCA, and Art Adviser for the Ramingining Community of Central Arnhem Land.

John von Sturmer is an anthropologist with a particular interest in Aboriginal art. Fieldwork in the western Cape York Peninsula formed the basis of his PhD research. In 1970 he was appointed the first lecturer in Aboriginal Studies at the University of Queensland, in association with the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies, Canberra. In the 1970s, he was active in the promotion of Aboriginal dance and ceremonial life. In more recent years, he has been involved in negotiating the nexus between government, big business and traditional owner groups.

The Ladies of Bigotbri Concerned Women’s Association (aka Tess Allas and Lina Kastoumis) are a tongue in cheek comedy duo who raise serious issues by taking the mickey in the guise of their alter egos Mrs Beryl Myers and Mrs Coral Henderson. Allas has a Bachelor of Creative Arts and a Masters in Curatorship and Modern Art. She currently works at COFA where she researchs and write biographies for the Storylines Project which are published on the Dictionary of Australian Artists Online. Kastoumis has worked extensively with emerging artists as an instructor, deviser and director at companies such as Shopfront, Sidetrack and Powerhouse Youth Theatre. She is currently Artistic Associate at Urban Theatre Projects.

When: Tuesday 25 August, 6:00pm
Where: COFA, Main Lecture Theatre (EG02)

FREE

For details on how to get to COFA and to navigate yourself around the campus, please visit: www.cofa.unsw.edu.au/about/location/

Live Futures 2020: A World of Convergence

Posted in Events, Exhibition, Public Lecture on August 10th, 2009

livefutures2020

Live Futures 2020: A World of Convergence is a futures festival which is in it’s third year, with previous festivals covering the themes of A World Without Borders and A World with Possibility.  The festival looks to explore possible futures and technology with artist, scientists, climate experts, students, performers and anyone else interested in what the future may hold and how we can create a better future together.  This years festival, A World of Convergence, COFA and UNSW students are being asked to participate in an experimental collaboration project between practitioners, artists and designers from COFA and UNSW with scientists, technologists and researchers from Academia and Industry. The idea is for a collaboration to form in these pairings resulting in a creative work embodying the knowledge, skills and creativity of the collaborators.

The timeline of the collaboration will be over 6 - 8 weeks with resultant works being selected and curated into an exhibition held over Science Week (August 15 - 23, 2009) as part of Live Futures 2020: A World of Convergence festival. The event will run on 15 th August 2009 at the College of Fine Arts, Paddington Campus, corner of Oxford Street and Greens Road.

This year’s Live Futures 2020 symbol is C as in Convergence, Collision, Community, Collaboration, Collusion, Collection, Communication, Celebration …

Fore more information and list of events visit: http://livefutures2020.com/about/

COFA Talks: Outside In: Drawing and Fashion in Shanghai

Posted in COFA Talks, Events, Public Lecture on July 29th, 2009

Michael Esson, Outside In. Image Courtesy of Michael Esson

Michael Esson, Outside In. Image Courtesy of Michael Esson

When: Tue, 4 Aug, ‘09
Where: College of Fine Arts, cnr Oxford Street and Greens Road, lecture theatre: EGO2, 6:00 pm

In April 2009, a suite of sculptural garments designed by Michael Esson, an artist known for his obsessive drawings of human anatomy, featured in, Outside In, a dramatic catwalk show on the opening night of the Shanghai Fashion and Cultural Festival.
Esson took inspiration from anatomical diagrams, acupuncture charts and surgical procedures. He will discuss the process of translating drawings of the body into garments which occupy a space on the body. Esson will also elaborate on his use of drawing as a means of communication between himself as the designer and the talented staff at Dong Hua University in Shanghai who fabricated his garments. As he says, “Cross-cultural collaboration is complex and demanding, and an acceptance of the potential for misinterpretation and ambiguity offers exciting unexpected solutions to the design process.”

Michael Esson is a senior lecturer in COFA’s School of Art. He is also the director of the International Drawing Research Institute, an initiative comprised of three founding members: COFA, UNSW in Sydney, China Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing and Glasgow School of Art. Esson’s research is part of a wider cultural climate, forging links between art, anatomy and surgery. In 2005, he received the position of honorary Visiting Professor of Drawing at Dong Hua University, Shanghai, leading eventually to his participation in the 2009 Shanghai Fashion and Cultural Festival.

When: Tuesday 4 August, 6:00pm
Where: COFA, Main Lecture Theatre (EG02)

FREE

For details on how to get to COFA and to navigate yourself around the campus, please visit: www.cofa.unsw.edu.au/about/location/

COFA Talks: We Went to Venice

Posted in 2009 Venice Biennale, COFA Talks, Events, Public Lecture on July 20th, 2009

COFA students working with Claire Healy & Sean Cordeiro on, Life Span, 2009 at The Ludoteca, Castello 53rd International Art Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia.

COFA students working with Claire Healy & Sean Cordeiro on, Life Span, 2009 at The Ludoteca, Castello 53rd International Art Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia.

When: Tue, 21 Jul, ‘09
Where: College of Fine Arts, cnr Oxford Street and Greens Road, lecture theatre: EGO2, 6:00 pm (please note new time)

The Venice Biennale is the world’s oldest and most prestigious biennial art exhibition. In the panel discussion, We Went to Venice, a professional artist, a curator and a current COFA student reflect on their experiences in Venice and the impact of this internationally acclaimed event on their careers.

Felicity Fenner
Felicity Fenner curated the Australian group show, Once Removed, at the 2009 Venice Biennale, which featured COFA alumni Sean Cordeiro and Claire Healy. Fenner is a curator at COFA’s Ivan Dougherty Gallery. She also curates independently.

Bronwyn Bailey
Bronwyn Bailey Charteris is an editor, artist and also a current COFA Masters of Art Administration student. As part of her degree she went to Venice in 2009 to assist Felicity Fenner in installing the work and liaising with the artists.

Narelle Jublein
Narelle Jublein represented Australia in the 1990 Venice Biennale. She has exhibited widely both nationally and internationally and is well known for her minutely worked petit points. Jubelin will be talking about the long term impact of representing Australia at Venice on her career.

When: Tuesday 21 July, 6:00pm
Where: COFA, Main Lecture Theatre (EG02)

FREE

For details on how to get to COFA and to navigate yourself around the campus, please visit: www.cofa.unsw.edu.au/about/location/

COFA Talks: Artists and Dealers

Posted in COFA Talks, Events, Public Lecture on May 27th, 2009

Mellissa Collins, Stella downer and Stuart Purves

Mellissa Collins, Stella downer and Stuart Purves

Do artists really need dealers? Ever wondered what an art dealer actually does? Three of Sydney’s prominent commercial art dealers discuss the sometimes fraught relationship between the people who make art and the people who sell it. Speakers: Melissa Collins, Stella Downer and Stuart Purves

Melissa Collins
Melissa Collins recently left her position as director of Hogarth Galleries, which specialises in Indigenous art, to pursue further postgraduate research in Aboriginal art. Prior to her five years at Hogarth she was gallery director of Blaxland Galleries.

Stella Downer
Stella Downer is a well respected art dealer, consultant and valuer. She has worked with leading contemporary galleries for over 25 years. Downer was the manager of the well known Roslyn Oxley 9 gallery, Macquarie Galleries and Australian Galleries before opening her own gallery, Stella Downer Fine Art, in 2001.

Stuart Purves
Stuart Purves, director of Australian Galleries in both Sydney and Melbourne, continues to strengthen and diversify the thriving enterprise started in 1956 by his parents Anne and Tam. From the beginning, Australian Galleries developed a reputation for representing prominent Australian artists and since joining the business in 1966, Purves has continued this tradition.

When: Tuesday 2 June 2009, 6:30pm
Where: COFA, Main Lecture Theatre (EG02)

FREE

For details on how to get to COFA and to navigate yourself around the campus, please visit: www.cofa.unsw.edu.au/about/location/

COFA Talks: Biennale Futures

Posted in COFA Talks, Events, Public Lecture on May 20th, 2009

Photo of David Elliott by Wilk

Photo of David Elliott by Wilk

Since 1973, the Biennale of Sydney has been a momentous event in the contemporary art calendar. The next BoS will be held in 2010. Biennale Futures is a chance to discuss directions and visions. The distinguished panel consists of David Elliott, the artistic director of the 2010 Biennale; Nick Waterlow, the only Artistic Director to be asked back more than once, and Luca Belgiorno-Nettis, current BoS Chairman.

David Elliott
David Elliott is the Artistic Director of the 17th Biennale of Sydney. Elliot is a UK-born curator currently based in London, Berlin and Istanbul. He has worked as the director of the Museum of Modern Art in Oxford, the Moderna Museet in Stockholm and the Istanbul Museum of Modern Art. He was the founding director of the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo.

Luca Belgiorno-Nettis
Luca Belgiorno-Nettis is currently Joint Managing Director of Transfield Holdings, Chairman of the Biennale of Sydney, Director of Transfield Services and the Chairman of the Arts Advisory Committees at UTS and UWS. He has a special interest in urban infrastructure and its related politics. In 2009, he was awarded an AM for his work in arts and the community generally.

Nick Waterlow OAM
Nick Waterlow OAM is director of COFA’s Ivan Dougherty Gallery and a senior lecturer in the College’s School of Art History and Theory. He was director of the Biennale of Sydney in 1979, 1986 and 1988, and chaired the International Selection Panel for the 2000 BoS. Waterlow was director of the Visual Arts Board of the Australia Council from 1980 to 1983, and has curated many exhibitions in Australia and internationally.

When: Tuesday 26 May, 6:30pm
Where: COFA, Main Lecture Theatre (EG02)

FREE

For details on how to get to COFA and to navigate yourself around the campus, please visit: www.cofa.unsw.edu.au/about/location/

COFA Talks: The Survival of Aboriginal Art

Posted in COFA Talks, Events, Public Lecture on May 11th, 2009

Martha Mcdonald Napaltjarri, Water Dreaming (detail), acrylic on canvas, 40.5 x 61cm. Courtesy the artist and Papunya Tjupi Arts.

Martha Mcdonald Napaltjarri, Water Dreaming (detail), acrylic on canvas, 40.5 x 61cm. Courtesy the artist and Papunya Tjupi Arts.

When: Tue, 12 May, ‘09
Where: College of Fine Arts, cnr Oxford Street and Greens Road, lecture theatre: EGO2, 6:30 pm.

While the making of Aboriginal art predates modern definitions of art, in recent years Aboriginal artists have adapted their visual culture to suit the contemporary art market. In this they have been spectacularly successful. In the panel discussion The Survival of Aboriginal Art, both indigenous and non indigenous artists and curators explore the best ways of ensuring the continuity and the integrity of Aboriginal culture.

Djon Mundine
Originally from the Northern Rivers of NSW - his father is Bundjalang and his mother Ngaku - Djon Mundine is a curator and art historian. He is currently Indigenous Curator, Contemporary Art at Campbelltown Arts Centre. Mundine is well known as the concept curator of the permanent Aboriginal Memorial installation at the National Gallery of Australia and was awarded an OAM in 1993.

Vivien Johnson
Proffessor Vivien Johnson’s ongoing advocacy for contemporary Aboriginal art and Indigenous cultural and intellectual property rights has helped to revolutionise the Australian artistic landscape. She recently published, Lives of the Papunya Tula Artists (IAD Press, Alice Springs, 2008) Her curatorial credits include the Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri retrospective and Papunya Painting: Out of the Desert. Johnson is currently a Global Professor at UNSW.

Kelli Ryan
Kelli Ryan is a practising artist. In 1995, Ryan received an OAM for showing leadership to the youth of Australia. In 2007, she became CEO / Director of Boolarng Nangamai Aboriginal Corporation where she works towards empowering the Aboriginal community. Ryan has travelled extensively into remote Aboriginal communities and established links with regional art bodies including Arts NSW, Regional Arts NSW and Arts Law.

When: Tuesday 12 May, 6:30pm
Where: COFA, Main Lecture Theatre (EG02)

FREE

For details on how to get to COFA and to navigate yourself around the campus, please visit: www.cofa.unsw.edu.au/about/location/

Public Lecture: The Arts and the Media

Posted in COFA Talks, Events, Public Lecture on April 15th, 2009

Archibald Prize winner Guy Maestri in front of his work. Photo: Carley Wright, Art Gallery of New South Wales.

Archibald Prize winner Guy Maestri in front of his work. Photo: Carley Wright, Art Gallery of New South Wales.

Why do particular artists receive so much media coverage, and others none at all? How do editors choose which stories to run, and which to ignore? Why do journalists write about particular events? Does anyone read art criticism any more? Is a picture in a newspaper really worth 1000 words?
In the revealing panel discussion, The Arts and the Media, experienced arts media professionals, Lisa Corsi, Elizabeth Fortescue and Clare Morgan, expose the secrets of their trade.

Lisa Corsi
Lisa Corsi is a COFA alumnus with over 10 years experience within the visual arts and crafts sector. She is the founder and director of ARTCELL which provides a diverse range of arts administration and management services to individuals, businesses and organisations.

Elizabeth Fortescue
Elizabeth Fortescue is the visual arts writer for the Daily Telegraph, Sydney. She is also a regular contributor to The Art Newspaper in London, as well as to numerous Australian art magazines.

Clare Morgan
Clare Morgan is the current arts editor of the Sydney Morning Herald, and has also written extensively on the arts.

When: Tuesday April 21, 6:30pm
Where: COFA, Main Lecture Theatre (EG02)

FREE

For details on how to get to COFA and to navigate yourself around the campus, please visit: www.cofa.unsw.edu.au/about/location/

Figuring Landscapes Symposium

Posted in Events, Exhibition, Public Lecture on April 1st, 2009

Shaun Gladwell, Approach to Mundi Mundi 2007 production still HD/DVD, 2-channel, 3:50 and 4:40 minutes, 16:9, silent videography: Gotaro Uematsu photography: Josh Raymond courtesy the artist & Anna Schwartz Gallery

Shaun Gladwell, Approach to Mundi Mundi 2007 production still HD/DVD, 2-channel, 3:50 and 4:40 minutes, 16:9, silent videography: Gotaro Uematsu photography: Josh Raymond courtesy the artist & Anna Schwartz Gallery

The symposium Figuring Landscapes explores the use of landscapes in moving image works by artists from Australia and the United Kingdom, as well as notions of movement, stasis and change in landscape, politics and art. The symposium accompanies the exhibition Figuring Landscapes, which was recently shown at London’s Tate Modern and is a remarkable collection of moving image works that has grown from the political and cultural history that links Australia and the United Kingdom.

WHO
Speakers include the artists Vernon Ah Kee and John Gillies, Deborah Kelly, John Conomos and exhibition curators Pat Hoffie and Danni Zuvela.
Convened by Ross Harley and Margaret Farmer of UNSW College of Fine Arts, in association with the Museum of Contemporary Art and dLux Media.
This event is supported under the Australian Research Council’s Linkage scheme.

WHEN
Thursday 2 April, 10 am – 4 pm

WHERE

EG02 (main lecture theatre) COFA UNSW

REGISTRATION
Please register for this free event by contacting Karen Ryan at karenryan@cofa.unsw.edu.au or on (02) 9385 0758.

EXHIBITION
Figuring Landscapes
2 - 25 April 2009, Ivan Dougherty Gallery, College of Fine Arts, University of New South Wales
To be opened by Vernon Ah Kee on Wednesday 1 April, 5-8pm.