Vivienne Binns’ bold exploration of sexuality and gender raised the stakes for feminist art in Australia
ABC / Artists

Vivienne Binns’ bold exploration of sexuality and gender raised the stakes for feminist art in Australia

ABC Arts / By Smriti Daniel for The Art Show For days, Vivienne Binns resisted the idea of adding teeth to her painting of a vagina. “The image kept coming to my mind and I kept rejecting it … Finally, I got tired of trying to avoid them and I just put them in.” Something clicked. The painting, which Binns … Continue reading

Three RATs a day, and $25,000 weekly bills: Can Australian theatres survive Omicron?
ABC / Actors / Artists

Three RATs a day, and $25,000 weekly bills: Can Australian theatres survive Omicron?

ABC Arts / By Smriti Daniel for The Stage Show New Year’s Eve. It is nearly time for the curtain to rise after the intermission during Moulin Rouge! The Musical. The audience are all in their seats when Carmen Pavlovic’s phone rings. A performer who was just about to go on, in a role that required very physical and intimate … Continue reading

100 years later, these racist postcards are being ‘returned to sender’ by a Wiradjuri artist
ABC / Activists / Artists

100 years later, these racist postcards are being ‘returned to sender’ by a Wiradjuri artist

When the tip shops closed during COVID-19, Karla Dickens turned to eBay. For decades, the artist of Wiradjuri heritage has incorporated discarded or recycled objects into her mixed-media installations and sculptural collages. She re-contextualises the objects by adding layers of drawing, painting or embroidery as a form of commentary and reframes the narrative for contemporary … Continue reading

Wings: the story of the Sunera Foundation
Activists / Aid Workers / Artists / Playwrights / Publications

Wings: the story of the Sunera Foundation

 ‘Here, the legless walked tall; the blind pointed that we may see; the armless embraced us warmly and those in their wheelchairs told us of the wheels of life, of this spinning world and how they could steer over the rainbow where they, the butterflies would waft on wings of art and song.’ –          Carl … Continue reading

Why Colombo’s new museum underscores a thriving art scene
Architects / Archivists / Artists / Curators / Singapore Airlines

Why Colombo’s new museum underscores a thriving art scene

Situated on the shores of the Indian Ocean, Colombo is known for its labyrinthine old city markets, grand colonial-era hotels, stunning shipwrecks and wetlands that are home to elusive fishing cats. But not so much for its contemporary art. All that is set to change, however, thanks to the recent launch of the Sri Lankan commercial capital’s Museum … Continue reading