the benefit of hindsight...

sydney biennale: photo by john hooke

is often dubious indeed.

the feast of trimalchio

indulgent. blatantly hedonist. the erotic fetishised commodification of ancient gaius petronius arbiter's satyricon paradise. 


an advertiser's wet dream offering glimpses of the idealised shimmering carrot, billions of have nots slave from nine to five for 70% of their lives, whilst moneyed darlings in abstract boredom luxuriate in the unsustainability of consumptive heaven in the guise of a superlative timeless hotel, languidly dipping their toes into the perfectly manicured hands of equally flawless slaves. and the tidal waves roll in... 


what's not to love about the ironic stylized feast of trimalchio served up on a hyper-angelic aryan/nubian platter of perfection with a superficial glossy embrace?


AES+F's satirical homage was the piece de resistance of my last day on cockatoo island to soak up sydney biennale's twilight hour. a technicolor riefenstahl-esque nine channel 360 degree video installation in an expansive industrial building at the back of the old shipyard on cockatoo accompanied by a symphonic orgasm which is beethoven's 7th, allegretto.


mind blowing for all the senses picking up where united colors of benetton left off & david la chapelle meets pierre et gilles continue in some sort of age-old new world order offering of aesthetic material perfection. the empire which gave us cosmonauts takes it up into the next level. beautiful, entrancing, captivating, terrifying. epic.

A arzamasova, tatiana
E evzovlich, lev
S svatsky, evgeny
+
F fridkes vladimir


cmon, take a bite eve.

spots and dots: yayoi kusama

all my favourite artists/thinkers are insane. as a bi-polar kid, it's a terrible wonderful club that i like to think i'm part of. not a lifestyle choice per se but with the situation comes creative management decisions.

welcome to yayoi kusama's world where her transcendence into other realms is less metaphorical in one sense than some others. her kaleidescope vision is represented through her immense body of acclaimed work. her medium is a labyrinth of infinity nets interwoven through warped space invaded by converging spots of consciousness. life with 3D dot field projected glasses. 

as a multidisciplinary veteran, her site specific project for sydney's binennale is a looping video installation as succinct as it is poetic & powerful offering insight into a turbulent dimension. 

christies new york sold one of her recent works for 5.1 million USD - a record for a living female artist. 

she lives by choice in a mental institution in tokyo & has struggled to stay alive since childhood. her art, her lifeline. she is a suicide addict.

yayoi kusama

song of manhattan suicide addict

sydney biennale

cockatoo island

may 12 - august 01, 2010

[free ferry every hour from the MCA]

sorry. turn it up.

no ordinary choir. like wolves in sheep's clothing these pseudo bureaucrats in suits & rubber ties have a lot to apologise for. 


another version of kevin rudd's historic "sorry" speech courtesy of this bizarre finnish ensemble who've turned their artistic intentions onto australia.

mieskuoro huutajat

sydney biennale

cockatoo island

may 12 - august 01, 2010
[free ferry every hour from the MCA]

slicing through the time line

movement across time when time is a malleable medium. an operatic vision.


static no.12 - much anticipated newcomer to his static series, melbourne based new zelaander, daniel crooks won the inaugural $100 000 basil sellers sport and art prize with his video 'static no .11 [man running], inspired by studies in human physiology.

sunday arts interview with daniel crooks via ABC

crooks' static series stem from an early fascination with the ability of photography and cinematography to break through the time continuum. digital slices break the time barrier to present fluidity in space in this case through the practice of tai chi.


you've come a long way from eadweard mubridge baybee. without moving an inch.


daniel crooks
sydney biennale
cockatoo island
may 12 - august 01, 2010
[free ferry every hour from the MCA]

political cult[ure]

nested in an old stores bunker deep within the carved cockatoo mountain lies a dark encased tomb filled with sweet straw bales inviting the seat. 


and this: two screens. two fundamentalist cocks. misogynist dualism personified. polarized political rhetoric captured from one medium & transported into another. right back into the exploitive gospel from whence it came. spiritual satire.


richard grayson
sydney biennale
cockatoo island
may 12 - august 01, 2010
[free ferry every hour from the MCA