A trove of Indigenous art to treasure

Paintings, ceramics, sculpture, woven objects, jewellery, textiles, clothes and homewares from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists across Australia will be for sale at the all-online Tarnanthi Art Fair this weekend.

Textiles by Bábbarra Women’s Centre; image courtesy the artists and AGSA. Photo: John Montesi

The Art Fair is presented annually by the Art Gallery of SA in conjunction with the Tarnanthi Festival, with proceeds of sales going directly to the artists and their art centres to provide a vital source of income for remote communities.

After COVID-19 created difficulties in the planning of last year’s event – which was held later than usual and included both a physical site at Lot Fourteen and an online portal for sales – it was decided that the 2021 Art Fair would be presented entirely online through a digital portal from 5pm on October 15 to 9pm on October 18.

Buyers can expect thousands of works with prices ranging from $100 to $15,000 by artists from more than 50 art centres.

“The Tarnanthi Art Fair celebrates the diversity and richness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art,” says Tarnanthi artistic director Nici Cumpston. “This year, we’re thrilled to present the art fair as on online event, giving people across the world the opportunity to bring these stories into their homes and be reminded every day of the deep history that our nation holds.”

You can access the online Tarnanthi Art Fair and find out more about participating art centres here. The 2021 Tarnanthi Festival opens on Friday and will this year feature work by more 1400 contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists in 30 exhibitions at the AGSA and partner venues across the state.

Love and Neon at the Mercury

OzAsia Festival is kicking off early at the Mercury Cinema with a week-long celebration of the career of revered Hong Kong director Wong Kar Wai, launching on Saturday with a gala screening of his 2000 romantic drama In the Mood for Love.

Love and Neon, the cinema of Wong Kar Wai – curated by Kristy Matheson, director of film programs at ACMI (formerly Australian Centre for the Moving Image) – will feature a series of Wong’s other films, including his breakthrough movie Chungking Express, the “noir-infused” Fallen Angels and martial-arts biopic The Grandmaster.

The cinema is also presenting three screenings with Q&As with Australian filmmakers: The Home Song Stories, based on writer-director Tony Ayres’ own life; Floating Life (Fu Sheng), directed by Clara Law; and Orientations: Chris Doyle Shaken But Not Stirred, a documentary about Wong’s long-time Australian cinematographer that was produced by Mercury CX CEO Karena Slaninka.

See the full OzAsia film program here. The 2021 OzAsia Festival officially opens on October 21 and runs until November 7.

From LA to Adelaide

South Australian producers are being invited to apply for a “virtual residency” offering opportunities to connect and collaborate with US-based film and television production companies, executives, managers or agents.

Charlie’s Virtual Residency is described as an online version of Charlie’s, a creative co-working, networking and events hub operated by Australians in Film (AiF) in Los Angeles, and is being delivered by the AiF with support from the SA Film Corporation.

Three South Australians will be selected for the residency, which includes facilitated online group sessions with the US screen practitioners, individual meetings with AiF representatives, insights into how to compete in the international market, tailored sessions covering the US industry and introductions for project pitching. Applications are open until October 21, with details available here.

A Symphony for Afghanistan

Musicians from the University of Adelaide’s Elder Conservatorium of Music.

Young Afghan musicians will be the beneficiaries of a special concert at St Peter’s Cathedral this Friday by the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and students from Elder Conservatorium.

The concert, to be conducted by Anthony Hunt with guest soprano Jessica Dean, will see the Adelaide musicians perform Polish composer Gorecki’s Symphony No 3: Symphony of Sorrowful Songs, with funds raised going to the Kabul-based Afghan National Institute of Music (ANIM).

“ANIM is the first and only school of music in the country where talented Afghan children, regardless of their gender, social circumstances and ethnic background, are trained in a co-educational environment in Afghan traditional and Western classical music, while obtaining high-quality academic general education,” says Dr Elizabeth Layton, head of classical performance at the Elder Conservatorium of Music.

“This collaboration between students at the Elder Conservatorium and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra is a wonderful opportunity for musicians in Adelaide to come together and support the people of Afghanistan.”

A Symphony for Afghanistan will be performed at 7.30pm on October 15 (go here to buy tickets or make a donation to ANIM).

Mindshare exhibition

The 2021 mindshare group exhibition is on in Adelaide this month, showcasing the work of South Australian creatives living with mental health challenges.

Held as part of Mental Health Month and presented by the Mental Health Coalition of South Australia, the free exhibition features work on show at the City Library, Hutt Street Library, Tynte Street Library and North Adelaide Community Centre.

“Sharing and listening to stories of lived experience – in whatever unique form they take – is key to building empathy and understanding around mental illness,” says mindshare online editor Anna Jeavons.

One of those showing work in the 2021 mindshare exhibition is Mali Isabel, who was this week announced as winner of the 2022 Adelaide Fringe poster design competition. The full list of artists and their work can be seen on the mindshare website.

Calling all budding musicians

Applications are now open for young musicians keen to audition for the Adelaide Youth Orchestras’ five orchestras: Adelaide Youth Orchestra, Adelaide Youth Wind Orchestra, Adelaide Youth Sinfonia, Adelaide Youth Strings and Adelaide Youth Winds.

The orchestras cater for children from as young as eight (in the Adelaide Youth Strings and Youth Winds), with the senior group the Adelaide Youth Orchestra – founded in 2001 – comprising 80 members aged from 13 to 24. The AdYO delivers professional orchestral training with development programs and career pathways, as well as presenting a program of performances across the state.

Applications close on October 31, with further information available here – including details of financial assistance scholarships. Young musicians can also apply to join the AdYO’s String Quartets, and Wind or Brass Quintets.

All five orchestras will be performing at an end-of-year celebration at the Adelaide Town Hall on November 13.

Green Room is a regular column for InReview, providing quick news for people interested, or involved, in South Australian arts and culture.

Get in touch by emailing us at editorial@solsticemedia.com.au