Inside The Gallery

Deputy Director Dr Paul Donnelly describes the foundation of the Chau Chak Wing Museum at the University of Sydney.   The university's collections began with the Nicholson Collection of antiquities in 1860 and continued to grow to include the Macleay Collections of natural history, ethnography, science and historic photography, and the University Art Collection.  While the collections themselves a...

The $60.5 million HOTA Gallery is the largest public gallery outside a capital city in Australia, spanning six levels and presenting a dynamic program of world premiere international exhibitions, Australian exclusives and new commissions. Gallery and Visual Arts Director Tracy Cooper-Lavery shares her vision for the future of the Home of The Arts on the Gold Coast, as well as discussing regional g...

Iranzamin, the land of the Persians, showcases more than 100 rarely seen objects at Sydney's Powerhouse Museum , exploring the diverse social and cultural history of Persia − today’s Iran. The exhibition examines how objects inspired by traditional arts and crafts were used in Persian society and by its people.    Iranzamin includes objects acquired from the 1880s to 2021, with a focus on the Qaja...

ACMI TO RE-OPEN FEBRUARY 11 The Australian Centre for the Moving Image is set to re-open after a $40 million refurbishment. Director/CEO of the museum Katrina Sedgewick OAM talks about the new permanent exhibition and the swing towards tandem online engagement.  The museum is driven via a multiplatform model powered by a new experience operating system (XOS). It sees physical and digital content c...

APHRA SHEMZA SEEKS ONLINE COLLABORATORS SHEMZA.DIGITAL is a new interactive artwork project by Aphra Shemza and Stuart Batchelor, who invite members of the public from around the world to collaborate with the work online.  Inspired by One to Nine and One to Seven , a painting by Aphra's late grandfather (world-renowned British Pakistani artist Anwar Jalal Shemza), the hope is to create art that is...

OZFLIX ARTS STREAMING SERVICE LAUNCHING SOON. This episode featuring  OZFLIX founder and CEO Ron Brown previews the upcoming streaming service OZFLIX ARTS. Like its counterpart, OZFLIX ARTS will feature the best of independent Australian arts programming, covering galleries, theatres, documentaries and music.  Ron himself is a filmmaker and producer, having created award-winning screen content for...

EXHIBITION: "PUB ROCK" - National Portrait Gallery Celebrating the people, places and sounds of Australian pub rock and its enduring impact on our nation’s identity, the story of staging this exhibition is a tale itself. Amongst the portraits, publicity shots and grungy energy of live performance, Joanna Gilmour's achievement of curating the exhibition from 860kms away, isolated behind a closed CO...

FILM: A Night at The Louvre - Leonardo da Vinci This edition features an exclusive interview with Louvre curator Vincent Delieuvin, talking about the experiential movie A Night at the Louvre: Leonardo da Vinci.  Filmed at night especially for the big screen, this private guided tour of the LEONARDO DA VINCI exhibition, designed and curated by the Louvre Museum, is a unique opportunity to contempla...

Van Gogh Alive arrives in Sydney, the Powerhouse looks to 2030, and Sydney Contemporary switches to online. This episode looks at COVID-safe exhibitions and alternative online experiences. Index: 1.22: Van Gogh Alive launches in Sydney. Significant COVID-safe measure are in place for this large-scale, multi-sensory experience that has inspired over 6 million people across 50 cities around the worl...

The Things That Inspire Us. UK artist Susanne Bayly-Yukawa had the world at her feet at the age of 21 when she met 49-year-old Japanese banker Akihisa Yukawa. 'Aki' established his 2nd family with Susanne, until their relationship was suddenly brought to an end. In this podcast, Susanne tells the story of inspiration behind her art through tragic events that left her fighting for identity over the...

The tearing down of monuments. A correction of history, or the destruction of art? Public memorials to past colonial, imperial or revolutionary figures are under scrutiny by communities dislocated or oppressed through the course of history. Index of interviews: 2.05: Jane Cavanough, a public spaces sculptor (ARTLANDISH) , has received two NSW Landscape Architecture Awards for her artistry work, an...

Emerging out of COVID-19? The National Art School is busy showcasing students' work during lockdown, as well as preparing for the institution's upcoming centenary. Also, Collingwood Yard's art precinct in Melbourne takes shape, and KOVET.ART launches in London, representing emerging artists, and utilising blockchain security to ensure authenticity. Index of interviews: 1.55: Jacqui Taffel describe...

Necessity is the mother of invention. This episode looks at innovation in the face of adversity. A new virtual art museum is under construction, based upon online gaming platforms and design. Locally, art schools are discovering opportunities with online classes, and in Sweden a new board game studies the challenges faced by curators. Index of interviews: 2.10: Stuart Semple describes his vision f...

In this episode we discuss the challenges of recreating art experiences for an audience in isolation. Also, an extensive catalogue of Brett Whiteley's work hits the shelves, while other exhibitions pivot to recognise the impact of COVID-19.  Index of interviews: 1.45: Giselle Stanborough's Cinopticon at Carriageworks is re-imagined for an online audience. But how does an artist rethink the work wh...

How are local galleries coping with COVID-19? This edition features 3 gallery owners doing what they can to support their artists, as they discuss strategies for operating exclusively on the internet. Also, the Faculty of Arts at Monash University moves quickly to modify their teaching 100% online. Index of interviews: 3.30: Theo Mantalvanos at the Queenscliff Gallery and Workshop  in Victoria has...

Matthew Sleeth has reimagined A Drone Opera into a cinematic experience. The installation at the Lyon Housemuseum Galleries is open from the 14-29 March 2020. Matt talks to Inside The Gallery about the history of the work, and where to from here. The Australian Government has vanished the Arts portfolio within the new Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications...

Australian artists featured in Milan. Judith Blackall delivers an update on AUSTRALIA - ANTIPODEAN STORIES at Padiglione d'Arte Contemporanea, the biggest exhibition of Australian contemporary art ever to be staged outside of Australia.  Bushfire affected regional galleries across the country are struggling with diminished visitors, as the holiday tourist trade is shattered. We hear from Jan Goodw...

The Australian Government has vanished the Arts portfolio within the new Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications. No mention of 'The Arts' at all.  The lack of any reference to the arts in the new department’s title, and the loss of a dedicated department overseeing the arts and cultural sector, is of significant concern within the arts. In this edition of...

Art + Virtual Reality:  Terminus has arrived at the Heide . Sue Cramer talks about Jess Johnson and Simon Ward's immersive installation in which Jess' drawings have been transformed from analogue to digital. Alien architecture, humanoid clones and cryptic symbols are revealed via a cyber network of moving footways and gateways. Providing artwork for human rights lawyer Stewart Levitt's "Too Soon T...

The incredible Kathrin Longhurst has an exhibition underway at Gallery One  in Queensland. Kathrin talks about her inspiration and her teenage years in East Berlin behind the Iron Curtain. The Other Art Fair  returns this month featuring around 130 independent artists, taking place at The Cutaway at Barangaroo on 24-27 October. Ryan Stanier shares the history of this alternative art fair, and lets...

Sydney Contemporary returns this month featuring more than 400 artists from 20 countries, with over 80 galleries converging on Carriageworks from September 12. Barry Keldoulis shares the history of this huge art fair, and lets us know what to expect. Lisa Fehily has launched Finkelstein Gallery in Melbourne with an exhibition exclusively featuring female artists. Lisa hopes to lift the visibility...

In this special edition highlighting the banning of recent Australian artworks, Paul Yore discusses the removal of his Taste The Feeling from a gallery in the UK. Allan Goedecke is confounded by the rejection of his sculpture from an awards exhibition in Melbourne. Gillian Govan reflects on walking the line between corporate support of the arts  - and acquiescing to corporate censorship.  Transcri...

Should art galleries be subject to censorship? With the current ''Culture of Outrage,'' when a work of art is considered socially unacceptable, do galleries have a responsibility to remain 'decent'? Gill Nicol, Director of Audience Engagement at Sydney's Museum of Contemporary Art shares her thoughts. Combining art disciplines, the Fremantle Arts Centre in Western Australia presents Other Suns: Cu...

50 years since the manned moon landing, and the Gippsland Art Gallery in Sale has curator Erin Mathews busy with their look into space. Connecting the dots between industrial design and art, Campbell Bickerstaff has The Ideal Home at Sydney's Powerhouse identifying historical issues via furniture and appliances. More on Spaces in Unusual Places, the Maverick Gallery in Coolangatta finds its home i...

Spinning our Podcast Prizewheel didn't predict the Australian election result (did anyone?), but it has selected an interview with Esther Anatolitis, Exec Director with the National Association for the Visual Arts, describing the electoral impact on Australian arts and culture. Alexie Glass-Kantor gives us insight into the massive growth of Artspace's 52 Artists 52 Actions from an Instagram projec...