The Japan Foundation Gallery will be transformed into a temporary dwelling place for a contemporary version of the obakemono, spirit-possessed creatures, evoked from their hidden worlds with an imperative warning for us all.They are a new breed that surround and haunt our routines, intangible and ever-present.

Gemma Cuneo in her first solo exhibition cleverly adopts the prevalent quirks and issues that blight society by personifying them as modern obakemonos. Her creations serve as stark reminders of the imperfect world we live in, and physically demonstrate before us the ramifications of daily human activity on the environment and ourselves.

Meet Gemma in person on Saturday 22nd August from 11am to 4pm at the Japan Foundation Gallery.

What: Urban Ghosts Exhibition
When: 12th to 28th August 2009
Where: Shop 23, Level 1, Chifley Plaza | 2 Chifley Square, Sydney 2000
Contact:

An enchanting mix of storytelling, art and exquisite hand made treasures, Akina is a multi-award winning Sydney-based label that is charming admirers all over the world.

While the whimsical fashion and accessories disappear almost as soon as they hit the shelves, it is Akina’s signature handcrafted storybooks that have fans eagerly awaiting the next in line of previous sell out releases. Multi-talented Akina artist, Lang Leav draws, writes and designs the contents of her books, before handcrafting each one in her trademark style.

‘When I can get the different parts of me – the writer, the artist, the designer and craftsperson working in unison, I feel as though I am capturing the essence of what Akina is truly about’.

Lang’s newly released book titled ‘The Little Mermaid’ is based on the haunting fairytale by Hans Christian Anderson and is her most intimate and personal work to date.

‘It is about a love story that happened so long ago yet remains untold. In a strange way, the book was my way of documenting and recognizing that one great love who completely and irrevocably changed my life.’

The little Mermaid is available exclusively from the Akina website. http://www.akina.com.au

Fabrication is the first solo exhibition by textile/mixed media artist Martin Roberts . Coming from a background in costume and fashion, Martin has taken techniques and ideas from these disciplines and evolved them into a more contemporary visual context. The exhibition is a mix of illustrative and abstract textile imagery, layers of fabric applique and acrylics built up over each other and stitched together tell a personal story of people, places and events.

Martin Roberts is an Irish born textile and mixed media artist based in Sydney. He has an extensive background in costume and fashion, having worked in these fields throughout Europe and Australia for 15 years. His artwork is a continuation of his work with textiles, an evolution of traditional techniques and ideas placed into a more contemporary visual context. He combines layers of fabric collage and paint as a medium creating both 2 and 3 dimensional works. “Everyone has a different story to tell. I take inspiration from moments in my life, from the people, places and events that I see in it.”

Thursday 15 January to Tuesday 27 January
Gaffa Gallery
Level 1 – 7 Randle Street Surry Hills, NSW
www.gaffa.com.au

Hardware Gallery has over ten years experience in exhibiting and dealing in Australian contemporary art. In 2006 the gallery relocated to Enmore in Sydney’s inner west. In August 2008 Hardware Gallery expanded it’s current premises and doubled its exhibition space. The expanded space includes a shop-front gallery and retail section where paintings, drawings and prints from our extensive stockroom are on permanent display.

As part of our recent expansion, Hardware Gallery is seeking expressions of interest for exhibitions from artists and curators for our 2009 and 2010 exhibition program. If you are interested to find out more, please contact us by email – we will be sending out proposal packages to everyone later this year.

2009 will see our most impressive line up ever, which will include a national art prize, collaborations with other galleries and of course, our 10th birthday. And as usual we will be staging some of the most dynamic and interactive group shows ever. So why not be a part of all the fun, get in touch with us and register your interest in showing at Hardware Gallery.

Hardware Gallery
263 Enmore Road, Enmore
Ph:
Open: 11am to 5pm, Tuesday to Saturday

On Friday 7 and Saturday 8 of November this year, Brisbane’s 15th annual 2high Festival will showcase the work of some of Queensland’s most talented emerging artists and performers.

This year, a number of 2high’s contributing artists have set-out to tackle some of the more challenging social justice issues facing Australia and the world today. Kimberley Lysons’ interactive artwork, Bring it to the Table, confronts the topical issue of youth homelessness, at the same time acknowledging the ongoing efforts of The Big Issue to address this problem. Jonathan Cajepe and artistic duo Dislore also explore issues of personal adversity, the power of change and the need for social and cultural progress.

The 2high Festival 2008 is set to include a packed schedule of live performances, exhibitions, workshops and generous amounts of fun times!

2high Festival
The Brisbane Powerhouse
Friday 7th and Saturday 8th November, 5pm till late
Cost of admission – FREE

Art By Design is an inaugural exhibition celebrating emerging artists and designers in their chosen medium. The brainchild of the exhibition is Naomi Solomon. She is a designer & is doing a wonderful job providing local designers & artists with the opportunity to promote there work. Art By Design showcases the limitless talents of up-and-coming as well as already established artists/designers poised to make their mark.

Kinokuniya Art Gallery is again supporting the event. Kinokuniya is a huge book store which also features an in-store Art Gallery which exhibits works from ambitious, creative, and talented artists to help them develop their careers. New exhibitions are shown every two weeks.

This year, Art By Design 4 years on, is proud to present designers such as happy end designs, claretduskymoonpie, ev liong, jmg designs, jon zhu, let’s call it shirley, ly, maaike pullar, maricormaricar, me and amber, popperbox, rubikus, deep fried sam, symple & little turtle.

The exhibition runs from the 12th October until the 1st November 2008.

Kinokuniya Art Gallery
Level 2, The Galeries Victoria
500 George Street, Sydney
Times:
mon – wed + fri – sat 10am-7pm
thu 10am-9pm
sun 10am-6pm

www.artbydesignexhibition.blogspot.com

The Sidewayz Art Exhibition 2008 features works on skateboards and snowboards by more than 50 artists from all over the country. Artists have donated their pieces which will all be auctioned off with all proceeds going to the CHILL australia program . Sidewayz opens at MTV Gallery, Yurong Street, East Sydney, with opening night on Wednesday 20th August from 7pm. The show continues until the 27th August 2008. For more information and online bidding go to www.balmoralboards.com.au .

This May, the Next Wave Festival invites you to get closer to the future of art. With over 400 young and emerging artists from around Australia, the Festival presents two remarkable weeks of genre-busting new works across Melbourne.

Through 61 projects, the 2008 Next Wave Festival will infiltrate the city with visual art, performance, dance, new media, literature, hybrid projects and more. Next Wave’s artists will caress, confront and ensnare audiences with their fearless, multifaceted approach to making art: pushing the boundaries of existing media and creating some new ones in the process.

More than 50 artists from interstate and 5 artists from across the seas, as well as hundreds of local artists will converge on Melbourne to grab the arts industry by the seat of its pants and thrust it into the public domain with startling public projects, unexpected performances and invigorating discourse. The Next Wave Festival Club at the Mercat Cross Hotel will be buzzing with ideas throughout the day during the Polyphonic workshops and forums, and sparkling at night as artists, audiences and passers by come together to exchange ideas, dance moves and phone numbers every night of the festival.

Young indigenous artists come to the fore throughout the Festival, embracing modern arts practices including hybrid performance styles, collaborative writing, puppetry, digital technology, reworked classical theatre and photography to tell stories of identity and their people.

The 2008 Next Wave Festival will explore new ideas and, for a couple of weeks in May, plunge Australian art and culture into the future, and beyond.

LISTING INFORMATION
Dates: 15th – 31st May
Venues: Various venues around Melbourne, regional Victoria and beyond
Tickets: Most events are free. For the few ticketed shows check the Next Wave website for details.
Bookings info, show details and everything else: www.nextwave.org.au

Two Flat Whites is proud to support the Hardware Gallery . They have a new exhibition about once a month with a focus on young and emerging artists.

In addition to there exhibitions, Hardware Gallery also offers a wide range of art services. With over ten years of experience servicing artists, collectors, businesses, students and the public, Hardware has experties in a wide range of areas. From framing family photos, to handling and installing collectable artworks, Hardware’s Art Services Team is uniquly qualified, professional and friendly.

263 Enmore Road
Enmore NSW 2024
Ph

Opening hours – 11am – 5pm – Tuesday to Saturday