Ocula Conversation NS Harsha and Tiffany Chung By Natalie King, Melbourne On the occasion of the 21 st Biennale of Sydney, SUPERPOSITION: Equilibrium & Engagement (16 March–11 June 2018), the Victorian College of the Arts and University of Melbourne partnered with the Biennale to facilitate the visit of artists Tiffany Chung, NS Harsha and curator David Elliott to Melbourne. The following discussion is an...
Ocula Report Biennale of Sydney: Equilibrium & Engagement By Tess Maunder, Sydney SUPERPOSITION: Equilibrium & Engagement marks the twenty-first edition of the Biennale of Sydney (16 March–11 June 2018). Curated by Mami Kataoka, it brings together over 70 artists and artist collectives from 35 different countries exhibiting at 7 venues, including the Sydney Opera House, and marks the first time an Asian-born curator...
Ocula Conversation Anya Gallaccio By Lola Pinder and Alexie Glass-Kantor, Sydney Anya Gallaccio's practice is characterised by the twin notions of control and transition and, in particular, how each can be implemented and represented. Her approach often involves setting in motion a process and then letting go. Her use of materials that innately decay, melt, rot and transform, speak to the mutability of material and place. The...
Ocula Conversation Rayyane Tabet By Reema Salha Fadda, Sydney Beirut-based artist Rayyane Tabet 's practice exists at the intersection of storytelling, sculpture and architecture. Here, the physical material—be it found architectural objects or material drawn from personal archives—is revealed to contain unresolved histories or buried narratives that are then exposed through the act of...
Ocula Conversation Michael Stevenson By Anna Parlane At the centre of Michael Stevenson 's art practice is a sustained investigation into objects that give form and physical expression to broad ideological, economic and political forces. The New Zealand-born, Berlin-based artist is known as a maker of detailed research-based sculptural installations. With characteristic dry wit and an acute eye for...
Ocula Conversation Michaël Borremans By Diana d’Arenberg, Hong Kong Embarking on a career as a painter relatively late, at the age of 33, Belgian artist Michaël Borremans initially trained as a draughtsman and engraver at Saint Lucas in Ghent. On the occasion of his inaugural exhibition Michaël Borremans: Fire from the Sun at the new David Zwirner space in Hong Kong (27 January–9 March 2018), I spoke...
Ocula Conversation Brook Andrew By Susan Acret, Sydney Australian artist Brook Andrew 's practice often finds inspiration in institutional archives, but his intentions go beyond the archaeological: he is not primarily interested in discovering or documenting the past, but in 'un-cementing' history's hold on events, people and beliefs, and in doing so, freeing the discussions taking place today from...
Ocula Photolog 21st Biennale of Sydney 'The artists in the 21st Biennale of Sydney have been chosen to offer a panoramic view of how opposing interpretations can come together in a state of equilibrium. Through an intuitive and organic process, artists have been situated in each venue and loosely connected with the nature of the space and its history.'
Ocula Conversation Akira Takayama By Mikala Tai, Sydney There is something deeply evocative about the work of Akira Takayama. His endless fascination with the fabric of society, the creation of culture and the ebb and flow of communities drives a multi-disciplinary approach to the craft of devising theatre. For the viewer, an encounter with a Takayama work is intimate and personal. Throughout his...
Ocula Conversation Mami Kataoka By Susan Acret, Sydney Mami Kataoka has been the chief curator at the Mori Art Museum (MAM) in Tokyo since 2003. Also a writer, lecturer and professor, Kataoka has proven her intimate knowledge for trends within contemporary Asian art, addressing social, cultural and historical themes in the multitude of projects she has curated in the past decades. Exhibitions...
