Compiler

Michael Doolan, Blue story (bear and bird), 2007, hand-modelled earthenware and nylon. Featured in the exhibition Arafura Craft Exchange: Trajectory of Memories, Tradition and Modernity in Ceramics at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, from 12 July to 18 January 2009. Image courtesy Karen Woodbury Gallery. Photograph by Graham Baring. www.magnt.nt.gov.au

NORTHERN TERRITORY Hayley West

hayley_west@yahoo.com

A town like Alice

KID... is an exhibition by Lucy Stewart Kenneth in collaboration with Afton Kenneth, exploring the relationship between kids and contemporary art. It’s showing at Watch This Space ARI from June 28 to July 19 (opening Saturday June 28, 5pm) … and for a mass ‘happening’ - apparently on July 2 there will be a mass mooning protest (or officially ‘turn their backs’) towards the north from Territorians below the Berrimah line. The Alice Springs Deputy Mayor is organising a Hate Darwin Day; basically, Darwin gets all the goodies in the NT. Listening to Graeme Sawyer (the fabulous new Mayor of Darwin and enemy of the cane toad) on the radio the other day, when asked his opinion of the mass mooning he responded with: ‘Will we notice?’ Ha! I love it! South of the Berrimah line-ers, go crazy!

Pet coconuts?

From 16 July to 2 August (opening Friday 18 July, 6pm) at Woods Street Gallery, DVAA studio artist Jengis Isdianto shows Coconut Headed (and so on and so on). Jengis uses coconuts as a medium to explore the surreal nature of human experience as well as the importance of Javanese traditions within Australian contemporary life. Also showing is Joy Enever with Fannie Bay Rock Art, paintings inspired by the Fannie Bay foreshore. And in DEAF Space, WA artists Yvonne Doherty and Justin Spiers are showing the daring results from their Pet Photo Booth June 24HRArt residency … and Brisbane artist Des Rolph is showing a new collection of landscape works, Desert Symphony, at Harriet Art Space from July 18 to August 4 (opening Friday July 18, 6pm).

An artist like Henry

Showing from Friday 11 July until Sunday 31 August at the Araluen Galleries is Treesong, an exhibition by Alice Springs-based Charles Darwin University lecturer (Sculpture/Drawing) Henry Smith which features paintings and sculptures. In his own words, Henry ‘uses steel and watercolour to explore the fragility and strength of river red gums in the desert’. His 3.3metre-high steel sculpture Carbon copy was a finalist in last month’s 2008 Alice Prize exhibition which showed at Araluen Galleries.
And a town like Darwin …

Butcher and the Pollies

Raft Art Space has two great exhibitions on offer: from 2 to 12 July, infamous local painter and musician Colin Holt presents the usual comical pieces, this time portraits of past and present politicians of the Northern Territory. Everyone loved the fridge and Darth Vader mask mural last year … well, almost everyone. Then from 18 July to 9 August is our chance to see the work of Fitzroy Crossing’s Butcher Cherel. Butcher was included in last year’s MCA show curated by the late John Stringer, Cross Currents: Focus on contemporary Australian art.

Are you confused?

Ever feel a little unsure when looking at art? If Carol Phayer is not posing with Gucci, her pet crocodile for Pet Photo Booth, then she’s running free Art Appreciation Workshops in town at Art Warehouse, 23 Daly Street, Darwin. Sessions are available from Monday to Friday, just call to make a booking, t: 08 8981 4778.

24/7

Already opened but still running until 26 July at 24HRArt is a plethora of curious exhibitions. Curated by Canadian Haema Sivanesan, Urban Myths, Modern Fables brings together works from artists of Pakistani and Indian background; optically beautiful Visitant by 24HRArt artist-in-residence Kate Shaw, who Darwinites have had the absolute pleasure of meeting; in the Box Set is His Master’s Voice by an older Italian artist with a surrealist and mad bent with furniture. If you missed his show last year at DVAA, you can’t miss this snippet; and Quiff & Hidden Talents is showing in the Monitor, a low-fi video piece by James Gulliver Hancock.

Volunteers come hither

Art at the Heart, the Regional Arts Australia national conference from 3 to 5 October this year in Alice Springs, is part conference, part festival – all art. If you’d like to be a much valued volunteer, download a form from the Web: www.artattheheart.com.au, or contact Nicky Schonkala, t: 08 8951 1152, e: artattheheart@nt.gov.au … The Darwin Festival (14 to 31 August) is also calling for enthusiastic volunteers to be part of one of the biggest NT arts events of the year. Contact Sarah Price, t: 08 8943 4211, e: sarahp@darwinfestival.org.au, w: www.darwinfestival.org.au  

Beswick’s so hot right now

Hot on the heels of last month’s cover image, the community of Wugularr/Beswick practically scooped the pool at last month’s Barunga Art Awards. Marcus Blanasi, son of the late David Blanasi, won the major prize, named after his father, with an intricately cross-hatched painting of freshwater life: crocodiles, turtles and file snakes(?) among other forms. The Paddy Fordham Emerging Artist Award went to 13-year-old Jason Armstrong Ashley, also from Beswick, who picked up a cool $2000 pocket money for his efforts, with the wonderfully open-ended ‘Best in Other Medium’ category won by Dorothy Bienenwangu Dullman, represented by Mimi Arts and Crafts in Katherine.