The title of Rae Begley’s photographic exhibition—On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing—references Indian writer and activist Arundhati Roy’s 2002 stirring speech ‘Come September’. Roy fearlessly ends her speech on the necessity of listening to and witnessing how landscapes shifts—encouraging audiences to attend to the environments surrounding them. Roy’s acknowledgment of environmental degradation prompted Begley to reconsider how she interacts with geological landscapes. In this photographic series the Sydney-based artist reveals the vast and distinctive elements of the terrain she has walked through over several years.
There’s a meditative quality to Begley’s photographs—both memorable for their otherworldly qualities and moving for their depiction of diverse settings. Begley’s work underscores the need for us to focus on the ecosystems our human actions are impacting. To enhance such sensorial experiences, the exhibition includes a soundscape featuring field recordings from photographed sites in collaboration with composer Russell Webster (now known as the band The M1). View, in pictures, Begley’s evocative series in On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.
On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing
Rae Begley
Woollahra Gallery at Redleaf
10 August—4 September
65,000 Years: A Short History of Australian Art is an extraordinary account of the unique art of this continent, published alongside a landmark exhibition at the Potter Museum of Art. Necessary and urgent, it tells the story of Indigenous Australian art; a new art history unlike anything we’ve seen. For Jane O’Sullivan, it’s a remarkable and must-read book.
In a new series of illustrated postcards available as a free gift with purchase only at the Art Guide Bookstore, Oslo Davis takes on classic and contemporary art terms and genres and reimagines what they could be referring to.
With so much to choose from, we’ve rounded up the major summer exhibitions in each capital city, open all summer long. Spanning Yayoi Kusama, Magritte, the Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, and many more.
About Face is a smart piece of marketing. The new book on portrait painting from Australia and New Zealand has a mission to change buyers’ minds about the field. But as Jane O’Sullivan discovers, any sales pitch wears thin if it’s repeated often enough, and the close attention to how portrait painting is received by the market means that other important conversations fade to the background.
Whether looking for the perfect Christmas gift or searching for a summer read, we have selected some of our favourite art books of 2024—spanning everything from comprehensive gallery monographs to notable exhibition catalogues and self-published artist books.
The growing cultural interest in art books reflects the enduring power of the printed word. Jane O’Sullivan takes a closer look.
