Suggested Reading
Unboxing the cultural impact of sneakers
Sneakers are a cultural phenomenon made up of paradoxes. Some see them as an accessible and inclusive force in fashion that serve as an outlet of self-expression for many; yet to others they are a symbol of out-of-control consumerism. Two Queensland exhibitions are embracing these dualities, though from contrasting angles: Sneakers Unboxed: Studio to Street at HOTA on the Gold Coast, and Torsion at Brisbane’s Metro Arts.
Barnaby Smith
Betty Muffler on ways of healing Country
For Betty Muffler art making and healing are indistinguishable. Evoking Country through the view of the eagle, she’s now showing in the NGV Triennial alongside a host of international names.
Maya Hodge
The spirit of Emily Kam Kngwarray’s Country
A comprehensive new survey at the National Gallery of Australia pays tribute to Emily Kam Kngwarray and the Country she loved.
Andrew Stephens
Andrew Taylor on the impossible task of preserving the present
In a new exhibition at Olsen Gallery, Andrew Taylor interrogates how we perceive time, the nature of memory, and how today is just tomorrow’s yesterday.
Barnaby Smith
Mike Parr on catharsis and confrontation
Since the 1960s Mike Parr has been defining performance art. Known for his performances of extremis, from hacking off a fake arm to burying himself underneath a Tasmanian road for three days. With a new, three-part exhibition at Anna Schwartz Gallery, Parr talks about catharsis, the institutionalisation of performance art, and the motivations behind what he does.
Tiarney Miekus
The women raised by wolves
From crones to witches to grandmothers, the feminine monstrosity offered by fairy tales is an antidote to our current, unsatisfying forms of female transgression—as a new exhibition at the Gallery of Modern Art reveals.