Sydney International Art Series
Creator
Creator: Roshan Sukhla Date
Date Published: 2011-11-08 This summer there’s no need to travel abroad to see great modern art. Let the Sydney International Art Series bring the world’s best art to you here in Sydney. The Art Gallery of New South Wales plays host to Picasso: masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso, Paris, the most significant exhibition of Pablo Picasso’s art ever held in Australia. 150 important paintings, sculptures, prints and drawings created by Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) have come from the artist’s personal collection – works he was determined never to relinquish. The works all come from the Musée National Picasso, which is currently closed for renovations, and was curated and mounted by Anne Baldassari, general commissioner and president of the Musée National Picasso and one of the world’s leading experts on the artist’s work. The exhibition fills a tremendous part of the Gallery’s ground floor and includes works ranging from informal sketchbooks to finished masterpieces. It spans the breadth of Picasso’s life, and includes such masterpieces as the Blue period’s La Célestine (1904), the Rose period’s The two brothers (1906), The Reader (1932), Portrait of Dora Maar (1937), the Neoclassical Two women running on the beach (1922) and the Surrealist work The kiss (1925). The Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) at Circular Quay is currently in the midst of a AUD$53 million dollar renovation, and their new exhibition Rafael Lozano-Hemmer: Recorders is an exciting first glimpse at one of the Museum’s refurbished galleries, ahead of the opening of the new and expanded MCA in March. The MCA presents Australia’s first solo exhibition by one of the world’s best-known electronic artists, Mexican-Canadian artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer. Recorders features 13 recent pieces by the artist, including two new works. Lozano-Hemmer’s highly interactive and complex digital artworks have attracted international acclaim and his exhibition at the MCA is no exception. In keeping with the title Recorders, visitors will be encouraged to leave traces of themselves throughout the show, whether it is images of the contents of their pockets, questions they have long wanted answered, the sound of their voice or even their heartbeat! In fact, participation is required to bring the works to life. Highlights of this exhibition include Pulse Room (2006), which was premiered in Puebla, Mexico and shown in the Mexican pavilion for the Venice Biennale in 2007. This compelling work is made up of 100 light bulbs, which are activated by a sensor to flash at the exact rhythm of participants’ heart rates. People on People (2010), on show in Australia for the very first time, is a major installation inspired by portraiture and shadow plays, which turns the gallery’s temporary exhibition space into a scanning device where live and recorded imagery is blended automatically. Two new works will be presented for the first time in Sydney. Pletoria (2011) comprises a set of interactive displays that automatically capture, store and playback images of the eyes of viewers. Tape Recorders (2011) is a dramatic installation comprising 100 robotic measuring tapes that record how long visitors stand in a particular location. The metal tapes rise upwards according to the length of time being spent in a single location, and crash to the floor when the person being monitored leaves that part of the gallery. With such innovative and stimulating artwork on show in Sydney this summer, it’s the perfect time to visit our city’s most vibrant galleries. Picasso: masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso, Paris Art Gallery of New South Wales, Tel: 9225 1744. www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au
Rafael Lozano-Hemmer: Recorders Museum of Contemporary Art, Until 12 February. www.mca.com.au |
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