▶ WILL COLES ART AT NIGHT EVENT

We had a great turnout for our Art at Night event with Will Coles. Another big thanks goes to Will who organised a fabulous cocktail bar. We can't think of anything better than spending a Friday night surrounded by fantastic art with a cocktail in hand. Be sure to check out Will's body of new work in his show Nihilist archaeology on view until March 24th.

▶ JAMES GUPPY PAINTING DEMONSTRATION

Last night, James Guppy gave a fantastic life painting demonstration for Art Month Sydney. The two hour demo featured both lighting and painting techniques with a live model. Throughout the evening, attendees were encouraged to ask questions and the intimate setting gave a glimpse into his working practice. A big thank you goes out to James and be sure to catch his current exhibition Anima Rising on view until the 24th of March.

▶ WILL COLES ON ART MONTH SYDNEY BLOG

▶ WILL COLES + JAMES GUPPY, OPENING 6 MARCH

New work by WILL COLES and JAMES GUPPY will be on view starting the 6th of March. Please join us for a drink with the Artists to celebrate the launch of their solo exhibitions on Saturday 10 March from 4-6pm. In conjunction with ART MONTH SYDNEY, the Gallery is also presenting several free events, listed below.

Left: James Guppy, 'The Miscreants Burden' 2012, acrylic on linen, 137 x 92cm
Right: Will Coles, 'Britney' 2012, resin with iron dust, edition of 1, 23 x 33 x 19.5cm

▶ Join us for a glimpse into the surreal world of James Guppy as he demonstrates life drawing, Thursday 8 March 7-9pm
Spaces are limited so please RSVP to the Gallery, info@brendamaygallery.com.au

▶ Art at Night, Drinks with Will Coles, Friday 9 March 6-8pm
RSVP required, info@brendamaygallery.com.au

▶ Will Coles Artist Talk, Saturday 10 March 2-2:30pm
No RSVP required, all welcome

▶ James Guppy Artist Talk, Saturday 10 March 2:30-3pm
No RSVP required, all welcome

▶JAMES GUPPY EXHIBITION AN ART MONTH HIGHLIGHT ON TIME OUT WEBSITE

▶ ART MONTH 2012

Brenda May Gallery will be participating in Art Month Sydney 2012 with exhibitions by Will Coles and James Guppy. Several free events will be held in conjunction with the opening of the shows.

We look forward to welcoming you to the Art Month events at the Gallery. Please do not hesitate to contact us should you have any questions.


▶ JAMES GUPPY, Anima Rising, 6 to 24 March 2012

Join us for a glimpse into the surreal world of James Guppy as he demonstrates life drawing during Art Month, Thursday 8 March 7-9pm
Spaces are limited so please RSVP to the Gallery, info@brendamaygallery.com.au 

James Guppy Artist Talk, Saturday 10 March 2:30-3pm
No RSVP required

Left: James Guppy, 'The Miscreants Burden' 2012, acrylic on linen, 137 x 92cm
Right: Will Coles, 'Britney' 2012, resin with iron dust, edition of 1, 23 x 33 x 19.5cm

▶ WILL COLES, Nihilist archaeology, 6 to 24 March 2012

Art at Night, Drinks with Will Coles, Friday 9 March 6-8pm
RSVP required, info@brendamaygallery.com.au

Will Coles Artist Talk, Saturday 10 March 2-2:30pm
No RSVP required

▶ THE BIGOTS PERFORM AT BRENDA MAY GALLERY

On Saturday 19 March, the 90s punk band 'The Bigots' performed in conjunction with the openings of the solo exhibitions by Joel Bliss and Carol Murphy. Bliss is an original member of 'The Bigots' and reconsidered the aesthetic of the early recordings by the band for his new series of sculptures currently on view. 'Return of The Bigots' features six sculptures - one work comprised of seven individual pieces - of steel painted black with timber, grip tape and rivets as accents. The sharp angles of the works complimented the raw music performed by 'The Bigots'.

Two view other clips from the performance by 'The Bigots', please visit our YouTube page.

▶ DANKS ST CONVERSATIONS: COLLECTING IN AN AGE OF INVESTMENT

The Panel, (left to right): Ralph Hobbs, Geoffrey Cassidy, Glenn Barkley, Katrina Strickland, Christopher Hodges

On Wednesday night, the Conversations series continued at the 2 Danks Street complex with around one hundred attendees. The topic of the evening was 'Collecting in an Age of Investment' and the panel featured Katrinia Strickland, Arts Editor, The Australian Financial Review; Ralph Hobbs, Director, Art Equity; Geoffrey Cassidy, Director, Artbank; Glenn Barkley, Curator, Museum of Contemporary Art sitting next to Christopher Hodges, Director, Utopia Art Sydney, who once again acting as the chair for the night.

There was general agreement that collectors usually purchased from the primary market, which had the added bonus of directly supporting the artist, and that investors bought from the secondary market, in particular through the Auction Houses. It was strongly suggested however, that in a similar way to being successful on the Stockmarket, a thorough understanding of the art market, artist and artwork history is crucial to make an informed purchase with the sole idea of investment. One point of advice given to individuals intending to begin a collection on a limited budget would be to purchase works on paper, artists books, prints or multiples as these artworks tend to offer an affordable entry point but still present the potential for an increase in value over time.

Many thanks to the panel members and the audience for their participation, making last nights event a success as well as to Dominick Mersch for hosting the event in his Gallery. The next evening of Conversations will be in three months time, check this space or 2danksstreet.com.au for further details.

▶ CAROL MURPHY + JOEL BLISS, OPENING 15 MARCH 2011

The exhibitions by CAROL MURPHY and JOEL BLISS will be on view starting Tuesday 15 February 2011. Please join the artists for a drink to celebrate the launch of their solo shows at the Gallery on Saturday 19 March from 4-6pm.

The title of Carol Murphy's exhibition is a play on Oscar Wilde's 'The Importance of Being Earnest' from 1895. It is a small figurative ceramic exhibition, questioning identity, choice and living a life in earnest.

Left & Centre: Carol Murphy, "Ouch! I said pin-up girl!" 2010, ceramic, 43 x 14 x 8cm

Right: Joel Bliss, "Bast Beat" 2011, steel, timber, stainless steel, rivets, paint, 85 x 60 x 30cm

Joel Bliss states of his upcoming exhibition, "my experience within the Australian punk subculture is explored through my recent sculpture. I am creating sculptures that relate to recordings made by my band, The Bigots, in the late 90s and early 2000s, [and] my interest in rat-motorbikes [documented] with a collaborative one-off zine titled Rat Bike. Reflecting upon imagery from the Rat Bike zine, I am recreating this punk attitude and aesthetic in my sculpture."

ART MONTH SYDNEY/GALLERY EVENT: In conjunction with the opening of his exhibition on Saturday 19 March, Joel Bliss will reform his punk band, 'The Bigots', for a once only performance at 6pm. No RSVP required.

▶ CONVERSATIONS: COLLECTING IN AN AGE OF INVESTMENT

▶ MORGAN SHIMELD STUDIO TOUR + SYBIL CURTIS FLOOR TALK

As part of Art Month Sydney, sculptor Morgan Shimeld gave a tour of his studio and outlined the evolution of his work, creative processes and techniques to the attendees. 'Converge' marks the first inclusion of colour into his sculpture and is the first show to omit glass, the material he studied at the University of Sydney. Colour was introduced by Shimeld to differentiate the sculptures from the shadows they cast upon the wall. He highlighted his method of constructing the studies through the process of 'sketching in styrofoam', which is then translated into outlines and planes of negative space or contrastingly, into a solid configuration of abstract shapes.



The floor talk by Sybil Curtis encompassed her entire body of work held at the Gallery, culminating with her current exhibition 'Inside Outside'. Curtis began her investigation of industrial architecture with the buildings of the
coal industry. She was drawn to the the sculptural qualities of these structures. The traditional landscape does not appeal to Curtis, she believes there is little to add to enhance natural beauty and prefers urban scenes, which allow her to present her own, unique perspective to the viewer.

▶ FREE ART MONTH 2011 EVENTS AT BRENDA MAY GALLERY

On Saturday 5 March at 10am, Morgan Shimeld will be giving a tour of his studio which is just around the corner from the Gallery. Places are limited and the first to rsvp will secure a spot, please email info@brendamaygallery.com.au if you wish to attend.

Later the same day, 5 March, Sybil Curtis will be giving a floor talk in the Gallery at 1pm. This event is available to all and a RSVP is not required.

Finally, in conjunction with the opening of the new exhibition by Joel Bliss, on Saturday 19th of March, his rock punk band, 'The Bigots', will be reforming to perform at 6pm. No RSVP required.

We look forward to welcoming you to the Art Month events at the Gallery. Please do not hesitate to contact us should you have any questions.