Compiler

Denise Ferris, Untitled, 2005/6, inkjet print. In Weather report at Helen Maxwell Gallery, Level 1, 42 Mort Street, Braddon, until 30 July. Visit www.helenmaxwell.com.

New gallery in Pialligo

Now longer just a haven for gardeners, Pialligo welcomed a new art gallery at the end of May with the opening of the Greg Hourigan’s Hayshed Gallery. Hourigan is a photographer and curator (and graduate of the ANU School of Art) and will exhibit digital photographs of the Canberra region in his new gallery at 7 Beltana Road, Pialligo. Call 0408 424 907. KJD

At ANCA in July

The Australian National Capital Artists (ANCA) are always an interesting cross-section of Canberra’s talent, and to prove that they work in many different ways and derive inspiration from differing sources, this year’s tenants’ show Process: Inspiration to presentation will explore these differences. From 19 to 30 July. Visit www.anca.canberra.net.au.

http://www.anca.canberra.net.au.

Captain Cook continued

Following on from the NLA’s Cook’s sites exhibition, an exhibition of rare, eighteenth century, functional and spiritual objects collected in the Pacific islands by Captain James Cook goes on show this month at the National Museum of Australia (NMA) until 10 September. The NMA is the exclusive Australian venue for Cook's Pacific Encounters, an exhibition of exquisite objects, renowned among anthropologists but rarely seen by the public. Visit www.nma.gov.au.

http://www.nma.gov.au

Drill Hall happenings

A survey exhibition of David Rankin, covering his work from 1967 to 2004 is showing at the ANU Drill Hall Gallery until 23 July. Rankin, although living in New York since 1989, still exhibits frequently in Australia. This show includes paintings, drawings, prints and works on paper. Opening on 27 July, the Sixth Drawing Biennale will include the work of Vernon Ah Kee, Yvonne Boag, Peter Maloney, and many others.

And more celebrities

An exhibition of Karin Catt: Portraits is at the National Portrait Gallery at Old Parliament House from 22 July to 12 November. Catt has worked for leading international publications such as Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, HQ and Marie Claire and has photographed a vast array of international personalities. The exhibition will feature images of world leaders Bill Clinton and the Dalai Lama, Australian compatriots Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett, Rose Byrne, Naomi Watts and Russell Crowe as well as supermodels Naomi Campbell and Amber Valletta. Visit www.portrait.gov.au.

http://www.portrait.gov.au

Three Canberra artists in portrait prize

Three Canberra artists made it to the finals of the Shirley Hannan Portrait Prize, with its substantial $30,000 prize. Sue Taylor, Kerry McInnis and Pamela Van Kerk were among the thirty-five finalists this increasingly popular prize. Raelene Sharp of Victoria was the winner, and the show was hung at the Bega Art Gallery last month.

Animation at Megalo

Megalo Access Arts in Watson is running two workshops with animation artist Kirrily Schell at the Print Studio on 8 and 9 July, and again on 15 and 16 July, from 10 am to 4 pm. You will need to be computer savvy and preferably acquainted with Photoshop. For bookings call 03 6341 4844 or email megalht@cyberone.com.au.

Face as place

This year’s Canberra Contemporary Art Space Members’ show, entitled Visage, called for self-portraits. There were sixty-four responses to the challenge exhibited at Manuka last month. The winning work was by Penny Cain with her self-portrait entitled Self-portrait as the National Gallery of Australia (not to scale) which sketches a schematic map of the gallery mapped over a face in profile that is then re-labelled according to the digestive tract. There were interesting interpretations of the self-portrait, and particularly appealing was the small scale that made these reflections very intimate.

That lake again

Wet or dry, Lake George continues to inspire artists. This time the inspiration won Evan Dunstone first prize for his Werriwa chair in furniture section of this year’s Timber and Working on wood show in Sydney. (There are several spellings of the Aboriginal name of the lake, and this short vowel version was understood by some early settlers to represent the sound of ducks.)

New shows at the NGA

Imants Tillers: One world many visions and Michael Riley – Sights unseen are at the National Gallery of Australia (NGA) from 14 July to 16 October; and in the Orde Poynton Gallery, Rosenquist: Welcome to the water planet runs until 12 September. Visit www.nga.gov.au.

http://www.nga.gov.au

NAIDOC Week events for kids

At the Canberra Museum and Gallery, Phil Yubbagurri Brown and Norman Shillingsworth will host a program of Aboriginal-inspired art for children aged eight to twelve years on 20 July from 10am to 4pm. To book, call 02 6207 3968. Phil Yubbaguri Brown will also be at the National Library of Australia (NLA) inspiring the four to six year-olds on 18 July and the seven to eleven year-olds on 19 July. To book, call 02 6262 1271.

Have you seen Marasmus?

Sculpture seems to grab the media’s attention, so it follows that it would make good hoax material. Or apparently, so thought a research chemist, Ray Crawford, at the Australian National University (ANU) forty years ago. Highly sceptical about modern art, but a lover of the April Fool’s Day joke, Crawford found a chunk of marble with an iron stake imbedded in it in the basement of the Geosciences Department. Apparently, he and a colleague, Mike Vernon, welded together a modern sculpture from bits of scrap iron and had a brass plate made and inscribed it with Marasmus (a severe type of malnutrition) and mounted it on the marble base. They planted their creation in the pond at University House in the early hours of 1 April 1966. Ray had persuaded the art critic of the The Canberra Times to write a spoof appraisal about this magnificent work of art to be published in the paper that day. The Editor was apparently worried about this, so it did appear – on the front-page – but with a note about the date. The Master of University House (Dale Trendall) went along with the joke for a while but eventually had the sculpture removed. It is probably still around Canberra someplace – does anyone know where? The son of the hoaxer is now in search of the work, rumoured to be resting somewhere in a North Canberra garden. Please email art.monthly@anu.edu.au or call Art Monthly Australia on 02 6125 3988 if you know where it is.

Photography in the snow

Now that winter has arrived with crackling frost, stark bare branches against a brilliant sky, and flocks of parrots feasting on the rose hips, we still need to get up to the mountains for a good tramp through the snow. Denise Ferris is back from her recent residency in Switzerland at Schloss Haldenstein, a castle in a small village in the spectacular area of Graubunden. It sounds as if she had a great time getting out with her camera and being a happy flaneur/flaneuse in the snow-covered streets of Haldenstein. She will be showing her work at Helen Maxwell Gallery in Braddon, until 30 July. The complementary show will be works by Tony Coleing. Visit www.helenmaxwell.com.

http://www.helenmaxwell.com