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Four Art Exhibitions
Jul. 26th, 2026 03:01 pmSeveral weeks ago, I attended a rather delightful art exhibit, "The Lady's Realm" at Ivanhoe Library. It was very well attended and included many interesting mixed-media items along the common theme of unearthing women's stories. It also included a number of items from an old friend, Kirsten D.,, whose works I've seen at three exhibits now (Montsalvat in 2022, Apollo Bay in 2024, and now this event). This time, I purchased a quirky teapot, "Fishing for Information", which I hope is functional as well as aesthetic; sea creatures feature heavily in her work, as they should. There is always something slightly otherworldly and surreal about life beneath the waves that delights and entices. Besides, it was about time that I contributed to her increasingly impressive work.
Continuing the exhibit theme, this weekend I attended a concert-exhibition, "Moon Songs" with Derek M., and Tamara T., at Magnet Galleries in Docklands, featuring Tracey Roberts as artist and performer. The exhibit included a dozen colourful and vibrant artworks (I especially like "Covidity") which, among other works from artists around the world, is literally being taken to the moon - in the form of the cultural archive, Lunar Codex. Along with the art, Tracey and friends performed several moon-related songs, mostly covers, in a lounge-jazz style. The style is not exactly to my taste, but at least in this sub-genre, I can be indifferent. I did like the cover of Bowie's "Space Oddity".
Finally, yesterday, through the ACFS-Vic, I organised a visit to two Chinese art exhibitions. Our troop of ten individuals first visited Buxton Gallery, "Poetry Goes No Further Than Language", featured works from various avant-garde Chinese artists from the 1980s, such as the New Measurement Group and the Xiamen Dada Group. A piece of performance art by the latter is a favourite; having successfully applied for an exhibit at the Fujian Art Museum, contrary to their proposal of more classical pieces, they turned up with found objects from building sites, laneways, etc. The exhibit was closed down within hours, and followed a public burning of their artworks outside the Xiamen Cultural Palace. Afterwards, we went to the NGV for the permanent Chinese exhibit, but also the new exhibit "Bearing Witness"; the short film by FX Harsono on the suppression of Chinese Indonesian names was especially moving.
Every human action includes at least some expressive component, and every human perception includes some interpreted perception. We are aesthetic creatures at our highest and most sublime level, "homo aestheticus", to use Goethe's term. On reflection, so much of my life has included the aesthetic as a continuous background concern, whether in music, fashion, literature, fine arts, and more. There are literally hundreds of articles and reviews that I have written over the years on aesthetic products, yet, with the exception of short courses in music theory and semester-length courses in screen studies and modern poetry, formal studies in the arts are something that have eluded me. As I get older, the desire - and there it is - to deeply understand and appreciate art and beauty becomes stronger. Fortunately, I have a lifetime of experience to draw upon.
Continuing the exhibit theme, this weekend I attended a concert-exhibition, "Moon Songs" with Derek M., and Tamara T., at Magnet Galleries in Docklands, featuring Tracey Roberts as artist and performer. The exhibit included a dozen colourful and vibrant artworks (I especially like "Covidity") which, among other works from artists around the world, is literally being taken to the moon - in the form of the cultural archive, Lunar Codex. Along with the art, Tracey and friends performed several moon-related songs, mostly covers, in a lounge-jazz style. The style is not exactly to my taste, but at least in this sub-genre, I can be indifferent. I did like the cover of Bowie's "Space Oddity".
Finally, yesterday, through the ACFS-Vic, I organised a visit to two Chinese art exhibitions. Our troop of ten individuals first visited Buxton Gallery, "Poetry Goes No Further Than Language", featured works from various avant-garde Chinese artists from the 1980s, such as the New Measurement Group and the Xiamen Dada Group. A piece of performance art by the latter is a favourite; having successfully applied for an exhibit at the Fujian Art Museum, contrary to their proposal of more classical pieces, they turned up with found objects from building sites, laneways, etc. The exhibit was closed down within hours, and followed a public burning of their artworks outside the Xiamen Cultural Palace. Afterwards, we went to the NGV for the permanent Chinese exhibit, but also the new exhibit "Bearing Witness"; the short film by FX Harsono on the suppression of Chinese Indonesian names was especially moving.
Every human action includes at least some expressive component, and every human perception includes some interpreted perception. We are aesthetic creatures at our highest and most sublime level, "homo aestheticus", to use Goethe's term. On reflection, so much of my life has included the aesthetic as a continuous background concern, whether in music, fashion, literature, fine arts, and more. There are literally hundreds of articles and reviews that I have written over the years on aesthetic products, yet, with the exception of short courses in music theory and semester-length courses in screen studies and modern poetry, formal studies in the arts are something that have eluded me. As I get older, the desire - and there it is - to deeply understand and appreciate art and beauty becomes stronger. Fortunately, I have a lifetime of experience to draw upon.
