Bodily functions in art - Pulse: reflections on the body

Pulse: Reflections on the body is an art exhibition at the Canberra Museum+Gallery in the heart of the city, Canberra. Twenty-seven artists are exhibiting paintings, floor-talks, public conversations, sculptures and performance programs from October 18, 2014 to February 22, 2015.

The exhibition explores the constituent elements of the human body – tissue, water, fat, muscle blood, and bone. The 27 artists were selected to represent the “perplexing qualities of uniqueness and commonality which our bodies reflect and the methods by which we perceive and understand ourselves.” Therefore the range of media includes moving images, painting, performance, photography, sculpture, text, and printmaking.

Exhibits include Nell’s (1975-) 2008 bronze figure amid 33 hand-blown glass figures and Jude Rae’s (1956-) Interior Series (2004-2005) of oil on linen depicting portraits with eyes closed. Rory (2012) by Charles White (1989-) is a black and white/silver selenide print of young man while Peter Maloney (1953-) presents ‘an occasional portrait’ (2007) of a male in black and white acrylic paint and ink on canvas. Contrasting the black and white photographs and inks are Heatwave (2014) by Robert Boynes (1942-) and John Nelson’s (1952-) striking eye called Hugh (2014). Patsy Payne (1955-) has a series of stencil drawings from mild steel matrix ink on Thai Sa paper separated into two sheets, called Shadow 3 (2009), Shadow 4 (2014) and Shadow 5 (2014). Michael Zavros (1974-) has a series of four oils on boards, called Man in a wool suit (1999), Handkerchief (2000), Tux (2000), and Grey suit (2001).

On November 12, the exhibition curator, Mark Bayly, will discuss how contemporary artists are exploring ideas about the human body and what it means to be human. On November 14, the Canberra Museum+Gallery will host a Writers Workshop: Writing on the body which aims to provide a session to express a sense of the body through creative writing. November 29 will present a seminar Taking the Pulse where art and science will be expressed through discussions with two artists, a scientist, and a performance artist.

Comments

Pir-E-Kamil - The Perfect Mentor by Umera Ahmed: book review

The Perfect Mentor pbuh (2011) is set in Lahore and Islamabad in Pakistan. The novel commences with Imama Mubeen in medical university. She wants to be an eye specialist. Her parents have arranged for her to marry her first cousin Asjad. Salar Sikander, her neighbour, is 18 years old with an IQ of 150+ and a photographic memory. He has long hair tied in a ponytail. He imbibes alcohol, treats women disrespectfully and is generally a “weird chap” and a rude, belligerent teenager. In the past three years he has tried to commit suicide three times. He tries again. Imama and her brother, Waseem, answer the servant’s call to help Salar. They stop the bleeding from his wrist and save his life. Imama and Asjad have been engaged for three years, because she wants to finish her studies first. Imama is really delaying her marriage to Asjad because she loves Jalal Ansar. She proposes to him and he says yes. But he knows his parents won’t agree, nor will Imama’s parents. That

Flaws in the Glass, a self-portrait by Patrick White: book review

The manuscript, Flaws in the Glass (1981), is Patrick Victor Martindale White’s autobiography. White, born in 1912 in England, migrated to Sydney, Australia, when he was six months old. For three years, at the age of 20, he studied French and German literature at King’s College at the University of Cambridge in England. Throughout his life, he published 12 novels. In 1957 he won the inaugural Miles Franklin Literary Award for Voss, published in 1956. In 1961, Riders in the Chariot became a best-seller, winning the Miles Franklin Literary Award. In 1973, he was the first Australian author to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for The Eye of the Storm, despite many critics describing his works as ‘un-Australian’ and himself as ‘Australia’s most unreadable novelist.’ In 1979, The Twyborn Affair was short-listed for the Booker Prize, but he withdrew it from the competition to give younger writers the opportunity to win the award. His autobiography, Flaws in the Glass

Sister cities discussed: Canberra and Islamabad

Two months ago, in March 2015, Australia and Pakistan agreed to explore ways to deepen ties. The relationship between Australia and Pakistan has been strong for decades, and the two countries continue to keep dialogues open. The annual bilateral discussions were held in Australia in March to continue engagements on a wide range of matters of mutual interest. The Pakistan delegation discussed points of interest will include sports, agriculture, economic growth, trade, border protection, business, and education. The possible twinning of the cities of Canberra, the capital of Australia, and Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, were also on the agenda (i.e. called twin towns or sister cities). Sister City relationships are twinning arrangements that build friendships as well as government, business, culture, and community linkages. Canberra currently has international Sister City relationships with Beijing in China and Nara in Japan. One example of existing

FEAST OR FAMINE

Search This Blog