Guy Benfield interview

Guy Benfield talks about this exhibition 'Night Store' currently on at Art In General, New York.

Guy Benfield from Art in General on Vimeo.

For more information, go to Art in General.

Guy Benfield at Art in General, New York

Guy Benfield in included in Erratic Anthropologies at Art in General as part of the New York visual art performance biennial, Performa 09.

Through three performative installations Guy Benfield, Shana Moulton, andRancourt/Yatsuk mine the visual culture of flawed but influential community structures - the hippie commune and the American suburb. Using narrative strategies the artists act as quasi-anthropologists, investigating domestic objects and architectures to pick apart the promises identified with these cultures - wealth, power, happiness, and transcendence.

With a dose of the fantastic, these artists highlight the psychological, economic, and environmental fallout from the failure of idealistic attempts at redefining western social dynamics. The exhibition runs 29 October - 9 January 2010.

Maria Cruz survey exhibition at UTS Gallery, Sydney

Maria Cruz's exhibition 'Oo (yes): selected paintings & projects by Maria Cruz, 1996-2009' at UTS Gallery, Sydney will be the first survey of her practice presented in Australia.

In addition to a selection of paintings produced over the last decade or so, the exhibition will include 'Poetry' - a new video piece created in the Philippines, and Coca Cola installations - translations of the small 'sari-sari' street stores in Manila. Opening Tuesday 27 October 6-8pm. To be opened by Dr Anna Gibbs Associate Professor, UWS. Gallery floortalk: Wednesday 28 October 4-5pm, followed by refreshments

Two Thousand guested edited by The Kingpins

TwoThousand has been taken over by The Kingpins.

Originally bred in Sydney, over the past 10 years The Kingpins have become an electric creative force, balancing photography, video, installation and dressing Beth Ditto with being shop-owners, wives, teachers, drinkers and thinkers. When it comes to art, The Kingpins have a thing for public interventions and mashing together pop culture, media politics, consumption and gender in performances on the streets of Sydney and exhibitions in galleries like Palais de Tokyo and PS1.

The Kingpins family unit generously took time out from talking acquisitions with the MCA and meeting with John Kaldor to curate an art issue. Hold on as they multi-task across Sydney's communities, finding shelter, mushrooms and old favourites in the darkest corners.

See the full issue online at http://www.twothousand.com.au

Sally Smart in Zhingjian: Midway at Wollongong City Gallery

Sally Smart will be exhibiting as part of Zhingjian: Midway at Wollongong City Gallery. The group show brings together the work of fifteen contemporary artists with varying connections to China who investigate notions of identity, tradition and globalisation. The exhibition runs from 10 October - 29 November.

David Rosetzky in Dress Codes: The Third ICP Triennial of Photography and Video

David Rosetzky's work, Portrait of Cate Blanchett, has been selected for the Third ICP Triennial of Photography and Video in New York. Dress Codes is a global survey of photographers and video artists who critically examine fashion's relationship to art and other social phenomena. Rosetzky will be exhibiting alongside artists such as Cindy Sherman, Yto Barrada, Thorsten Brinkmann, and Lorna Simpson. The exhibition will be on view from 2 October 2009 - 17 January 2010.

Guy Benfield solo exhibition at Art in General, New York

Guy Benfield’s Night Store will be an eight-week long performative installation in Art in General’s Storefront Project Space.

Drawing on tropes of modernism, faux ceramics, sculpture, painting, collage, and references to alternative collectives, Benfield transforms the architecture of space from white-box gallery to pottery showroom, to artist studio, and eventually overcrowded storage-space.

Through various situational episodes in this non-stop evolution, Benfield explores the relation between current artistic practice and supposedly defunct strains in performance including ritual, transcendency in Aktionism, and live-action painting. Imagining the trauma of pottery as an expressionist dialogue, Benfield considers the space of the storefront as a kiln in which failure and unpredictable success commingle while pretense is burned away.

Ms & Mr at Sydney Underground Film Festival and The Physics Room, Christchurch

Ms & Mr have a solo show, Physics is Pate, opening at the Christchurch contemporary art project space The Physics Room. The exhibition preview is Tuesday 15 September and runs until 11 October.

Ms & Mr also have a screening of their work The Lovecats (2007) as part of the Sydney Underground Film Festival. The work will feature in the Recycled Cinema Program on Sunday 13 September.

Jon Cattapan on 'Artists at Work' is now online

ABC's Artscape program 'Artists at Work: Jon Cattapan' is now available to view online. This half hour documentary traces Cattapan's history, working processes and recent works after his sojourn with the Australian Defence Forces in East Timor. Click here to view.

Rosie Westbrook performing at the Jon Cattapan preview, Friday 21 August 6-8pm

During Jon Cattapan's preview on Friday 21 August 6-8pm, there will be an ongoing solo musical accompaniment by Rosie Westbrook.

Over the last few years, Rosie has been touring the world as bassist with Mick Harvey (Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds) in his solo band.

Most recently, Rosie wrote music for an ABC TV Arts documentary about the art of Jon Cattapan, 'Artists at Work: Jon Cattapan', which screens nationally on ABC1 on 25 August, 2009.

Jon Cattapan on ABC Artists at Work

ABC's Artscape presents 'Artists at Work: Jon Cattapan' a half hour documentary tracing Cattapan's history, working processes and recent works after his sojourn with the Australian Defence Forces in East Timor.

The documentary will air on ABC1 Tuesday 25th August at 10pm and be repeated on ABC2 30th August at 7pm.

Julian Dashper (1960-2009)

Kaliman Gallery is deeply saddened by the loss of Julian Dashper, New Zealand based artist and friend.

With over 140 solo exhibitions worldwide and a career spanning 30 years, Julian pursued an artistic vision of elegance and refinement that was never without a sense of humour.

Kaliman Gallery had the honour of holding multiple exhibitions by Julian in both curatorial and artistic roles. Julian imbued his practice with a passion for art history, and his work stretched from the capturing of a fleeting moment in an audio recording, to the refined simplicity of his paintings and objects.

His energy, generosity and knowledge was an inspiration to anyone who had the privilege of meeting him. His absence will be noted in New Zealand, Australia and around the world. He will be missed.

Julian is survived by his partner Marie and son Leo.

Julian Dashper at Auckland Art Gallery

The work of Julian Dashper will be showcased as part of For Keeps, an exhibition of the Auckland Art Gallery's recent acquisitions. Curated by Natasha Conland, the exhibition includes a range of both New Zealand and international artists. The exhibition runs from 18 June until 12 July.

Kate Rohde, Ms & Mr and the Kingpins at Fbi Radio Art Auction

As part of Fbi Radio's fundraising events, an art auction will be held at the MCA Foundation Hall on Friday 3 July. Artists Kate Rohde, Ms & Mr and the Kingpins have all contributed works to the auction which will be on view from 6pm.

Ms & Mr at Gosford Regional Gallery

Ms & Mr are currently exhibiting as part of the group show Vertigo at Gosford Regional Gallery. The exhibition opens tonight at 6.30pm and runs until Sunday 26 July. The duo will be exhibiting alongside seven other contemporary Australian artists.

The Kingpins / Cat of Nine Lives at Wollongong City Gallery

The Kingpins' survey show Cat of Nine Lives is now on at Wollongong City Gallery. The exhibition is a collection of works from the last nine years of practice and will be on display until 19 July. The artists will conduct a guest lecture alongside the exhibition on Wednesday 10 June from 3.30 - 5pm.

David Griggs at Green Papaya Art Projects, Philippines

David Griggs' latest exhibition New York London Paris Rome Manila City Jail is currently on display at Green Papaya Art Projects, Quezon City, Philippines. The exhibition runs until 30 May and has already featured in The Philippine Star.

The Kingpins at Wollongong City Gallery

The Kingpins' survey show Cat of Nine Lives opens this Friday at Wollongong City Gallery. The exhibition is a collection of works from the last nine years of practice and will be on display until 19 July. The artists will conduct a guest lecture alongside the exhibition on Wednesday 10 June from 3.30 - 5pm.

Julian Dashper at Laure Genillard Gallery, London

Julian Dashper is exhibiting alongside Australian artist John Nixon at Laure Genillard Gallery in London. The exhibition brings together two artists who are both are concerned with ‘painting’ as a subject rather then a process. Dashper will show, among other works, Untitled (Who’s Afraid of Red, Yellow and Blue # 5), which is based on the legendary work by Barnett Newman. The exhibition runs until 18 June 2009.

Maria Cruz at PABLO Fort Gallery, Philippines

Maria Cruz has a solo show at PABLO Fort, Fort Bonifacio in the Philippines. The exhibition, Your daydreams reveal something about your ethnic background, opens 17 April and runs until 16 May.

Guan Wei at 10th Havana Biennial, Cuba

Guan Wei has presented his painting installation 'Rising Sea Level' at the 10th Havana Biennial in Cuba. The Biennial runs from March - April and the theme for 2009 is Integration and Resistance in the Global Age. The curators for this Biennial are Margarita González, Nelson Herrera Ysla, José Manuel Noceda, Ibis Hernández Abascal, Margarita Sánchez Prieto, José Fernández Portal and Dannys Montes de Oca Moreda. See the blog for more images of Guan Wei's installation.

Guan Wei at PKM Gallery, Beijing

Guan Wei is currently exhibiting as part of the group show Anamnesis and Extrapolation at PKM Gallery, Beijing. His painting "Chinese Map of the World" (2008) is exhibited alongside the work of eleven other artists. The exhibition runs until 26 April.

Guy Benfield at Hendershot Gallery, New York

Guy Benfield and Daniel Noonan will be exhibiting together at Hendershot Gallery in New York. Both are Brooklyn-based Australian artists and this will be the second collaboration they have taken on together. The exhibition opens 13 March and runs until 11 April.

David Rosetzky to exhibit in the ICP Triennial of Photography and Video

David Rosetzky has been invited to participate in the Third Annual International Centre of Photography Triennial of Photography and Video in New York.

The exhibition will feature works by approximately thirty international artists chosen by the ICP curatorial team - Vince Aletti, Kristen Lubben, Christopher Phillips, and Carol Squiers. Rosetzky's 'Portrait of Cate Blanchett' has been selected for the show. The exhibition opens 18 September, 2009 and runs until 3 January, 2010.

Guan Wei at Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei

Guan Wei is currently exhibiting as part of the group show 'Spectacle - to each his own' at Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei. His installation 'Heaven and Earth' will be on display until 12 April.

David Griggs is announced a finalist in the 2009 Archibald Prize

David Griggs' self portrait 'Zoloft Nation' has been selected as a finalist for the 2009 Archibald Prize. The Archibald Prize is one of Australia's longest standing and most celebrated art prizes.

Griggs' painting can be viewed as part of the Archibald Exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, 7 March - 24 May, followed by The Regional Tour of the exhibition around Australia.

Ms & Mr at The Ian Potter Museum of Art, Melbourne

Ms & Mr will be participating in the exhibition Song of sirens at The Ian Potter Museum of Art, Melbourne. Curated by Bala Starr, the exhibition will also showcase the work of 4 other artists. The exhibition opens Tuesday 24 February and runs until Sunday 3 May.

Maria Cruz and David Griggs at MO_Space, Manila.

David Griggs and Maria Cruz will be exhibiting new work at MO_Space in Manila. The group show will feature four painters with ongoing connections to the Philippines. The exhibition opens Saturday 28 February and runs until 30 March.

Del Kathryn Barton & Lara Merrett in The Newtown Diaries at Delmar Gallery

Delmar Gallery curator Nick Vickers has selected artists Del Kathryn Barton and Lara Merrett as exhibitors in his forthcoming group exhibition. They will be exhibiting alongside ten other artists in the exhibition The Newtown Diaries. The exhibition dates are 1 - 29 March and the gallery will be open to the public 12pm - 5pm Wednesday - Sunday. The exhibition opening will be held Saturday 28 February from 3pm-5pm.

Sally Smart exhibits 'The Exquisite Pirate' at the Embassy of Australia, Washington

Tonight Sally Smart will open her installation The Exquisite Pirate at the Embassy of Australia in Washington DC. The exhibition will be on display until 3 April 2009, and will be open to the public 10am - 2pm weekdays.

David Griggs in the Jakarta Biennale 09

David Griggs will be exhibiting as part of the Jakarta Biennale due to open in February 2009. Curated by Agung Hujatnikajennong the biennale is titled 'Fluid Zones' and will be divided into two sections, one of which will show works that results from residency and trips to Southeast Asian region, and the other will feature contemporary Southeast Asian artists. Griggs will be exhibiting a selection of works made during his visits to Manila.

Del Kathryn Barton in Optimism at GOMA, Brisbane

Del Kathryn Barton is exhibiting as part of Contemporary Australia: Optimism, the first in a major new triennial series of contemporary Australian art at the Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane.

Barton is showcasing a brand new suite of sixty-two works on paper that make up the series 'i am flesh again.' The exhibition runs until 22 February, 2009.

David Griggs in Serial Killers at Green Papaya Art Projects, Quezon City

David Griggs has been selected to participate in the group exhibition 'Serial Killers' which opens this week at Green Papaya Art Projects in the Philippines. The exhibition considers serialisation as a conceptual strategy in the work of nineteen artists. 'Serial Killers' runs from 6 December - 20 December.

The Kingpins & The Gossip at Art Basel Miami with Deitch Projects

The Kingpins and The Gossip will headline for Deitch Projects launch event at Art Basel Miami 2008. The collaborative project Conversation Piece was commissioned by Deitch Projects (New York) for their renowned Art Basel Miami opening event. Held at the Raleigh Hotel in South Beach, the Deitch Projects event is the legendary annual launch party of Art Basel Miami.

For one night only The Kingpins and American band The Gossip will combine forces to present a live performance. Normally two distinct artistic collectives, Conversation Piece will allow a dialogue between the creative groups, a conversation of re-mixing music, re-contextualising lyrics and sampling musical tropes.

The installation for their live performance, designed and created by The Kingpins, will reflect this exchange of ideas with giant speech bubbles constructed from the text designs found on hundreds of t-shirts. Fashion tees, protest tees, rock n roll tees and corporate tees are sewn together to create a tapestry of quotes. Political statements, cheap slogans and fan regalia will merge in a cacophony of voices that is Conversation Piece.

Kaliman Gallery artists in Current

Art & Australia has now released Current, a massive publication profiling 80 contemporary artists from Australia and New Zealand. The book features the practice of eleven Kaliman Gallery artists: Del Kathryn Barton, Stephen Birch, Shane Cotton, Adam Cullen, David Griggs, Brent Harris, The Kingpins, Tim McMonagle, Ms & Mr, David Rosetzky and Glenn Sorensen. For more information see the Art & Australia website. On sale November 25.

Shane Cotton recipient of 2008 NZ Laureate Award

Shane Cotton has been awarded one the prestigious 2008 New Zealand Laureate Awards in recognition of artistic achievement. Presented annually to five recipients in the New Zealand arts arena, the award includes a $50,000 donation to support their practice and future projects.

Julian Dashper and The Kingpins in Artspace 24/25

To celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of Artspace, Sydney there will be a 3 day event commencing 30 October - 2 November. The project includes twenty-four one-hour exhibitions. As part of this project Julian Dashper's work will feature on Saturday 1 November and The Kingpins will exhibit on Sunday 2 November. For more details see the Artspace website.

Guy Benfield at CAPC, Bordeaux

Guy Benfield will be exhibiting in the group show Axis Bold as Love which opens at CAPC Musee d'art Contemporain de Bordeaux on 3 October. Curated by Liv Barrett and James Deutsher the exhibition runs until 7 December.

Julian Dashper at The Suburban and PS1/MoMA

Julian Dashper has a solo exhibition opening at The Suburban in Chicago on 12 October. He has also curated a group show 'The" which includes the work of Ralf Brog, Alicia Frankovich, John Nixon and Marie Shannon, it opens in The Suburban's second gallery space on the same date.

Dashper's work has also been selected for a major survey exhibition to celebrate Minus Space's 5th anniversary. Curated by Phong Buiof the exhibition opens at PS1 Contemporary Art Centre / MoMA, New York on 19 October.

New monograph on Jon Cattapan

Kaliman Gallery are pleased to announce the release of Possible Histories a new publication which follows the career of artist Jon Cattapan from the 1970s through to the present.

The author, Chris Aucliffe has compiled an extensive collection of interviews and commentaries from Cattapan, which along with the numerous illustrations of his source materials and working processes, provide a deeply insightful record of the developments of his practice.

Published by The Miegunyah Press, Melbourne University Publishing, the book is an impressive 230 pages, full colour and generously illustrated.

This publication is a comprehensive and substantial resource for followers of Cattapan's work. Autographed copies of the book are now available through Kaliman Gallery for $50 + $10 postage and handling.

The Kingpins at QUT Art Museum

The Kingpins video work, Sydney Infinity (2005), is on exhibition as part of Under the Influence (art & music) at QUT Art Museum, Brisbane. Curated by Simone Jones and Megan Williams the exhibition runs from 11 September - 16 November.

Ms & Mr at Lake Macquarie Art Gallery

Ms & Mr have been selected to participate in the group exhibition 'Music makes the people come together', which opens at Lake Macquarie Art Gallery later this month. The exhibition will feature Videodromes for the alone: The Lovecats (1991/2007), and Ms & Mr's music video for Australian band Youth Group's latest single Two Sides. Music makes the people come together is curated by Brett Adlington and runs from 26 September - 26 October.

Guy Benfield joins Kaliman Gallery

Kaliman Gallery are pleased to announce our exclusive representation of artist Guy Benfield in Australia. Benfield is one of Australia's most prominent performance and installation artists. He exhibits regularly in Europe and the US, and his solo show XVOLTA at Kaliman Gallery earlier this year was enormously well received. Currently based in New York, Benfield returns to Australia regularly to participate in a variety of museum and gallery exhibitions. To view images of Benfield's work, go to our website.

Nadine Christensen wins 2008 Fletcher Jones Art Prize

Nadine Christensen has been awarded Geelong Gallery’s 2008 Fletcher Jones acquisitive art prize valued at $30,000. The award winning entry, Untitled (Tiled floor) combines a number of disparate objects from the natural and constructed worlds. The painting is on exhibition alongside the 37 other finalists at the Geelong Gallery until 26 October.

Adam Cullen in the Blake Prize 2008

Adam Cullen's controversial painting, Corpus Christi (women only bleed)2008, has been selected as a finalist for the Blake Prize for Religious Art. Established in 1951 the Blake Prize is the oldest prize in Australia dedicated to spirituality, religion and cultural diversity. Held annually it is a $20,000 non-aquisitive prize. The finalist exhibition opens Thursday 4 September and runs until Saturday 4 October.

Ms & Mr in the ABN AMRO Emerging Artist Award 2008

Ms & Mr have been selected to exhibit as part of the ABN AMRO Emerging Artist Award 2008. Their work, Mystic Mnemonic (this film is forming crystals) 1989 / 2008, was part of the preliminary exhibition this month and the finalist exhibition will take place in September. The overall winner will receive an acquisitive award including a $10,000 cash prize, an around-the-world airline ticket and a residency at the Frank Mohr Institute in Groningen, the Netherlands.

Ms & Mr in Primavera 2008, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney

Ms & Mr have been selected for the prestigious Primavera 2008 exhibition which opens next month at the MCA, Sydney. The collaborative duo will be presenting a large scale installation of new work as part of the annual exhibition. Curated by Hannah Mathews Primavera 2008 opens 19 September and runs until 30 November.

Julian Dashper at The Physics Room, Christchurch

Julian Dashper has been included in 'My eyes keep me in trouble' a touring group exhibition produced by TEAM CCNOA, CCNOA Brussels, Belgium. The exhibition premiered in April 2007 at Nieuwe Vide, Haarlem (NL) and will travel this August to The Physics Room, Christchurch, New Zealand.

The exhibition is curated by the German artist and curator Tilman, and will feature the work of thirty artists whose practice revolves around the idea of non-representational, reductive or concrete art as the essential approach towards art-making.

The exhibition opens Tuesday 19 August at 5.30pm and runs until 13 September.

Ms & Mr / Terminus Projects: BAZAAR 08 / Biennale of Sydney

Ms & Mr will have a stall at the Terminus Projects: BAZAAR 08 being held this Sunday 6 July, 11am - 7pm at the Clare Hotel, Ultimo. As a Biennale of Sydney satellite event there will be surprise guests and performances, artworks and happenings.

Del Kathryn Barton / 'the whole of everything' billboard / Melbourne

A billboard scale reproduction of Del Kathryn Barton's painting "the whole of everything" (2007/2008) will be unveiled in central Melbourne this evening. David Walsh, owner of the Museum of Old and New Art, Hobart, who recently acquired the original painting for his collection, coordinated the project. The billboard will be on public display for the next four months at the Republic building, corner of Queen and La Trobe Streets, Melbourne.