Art

World's oldest work of art found in a hidden Indonesian valley

Archaeologists find a cave painting of a wild pig that is at least 45,500 years old.The painting is the earliest known work of representational art.The discovery was made in a remote valley on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. A recently-found picture of a wild pig that was made over 45,500 years ago is the world's oldest known cave painting, according to archaeologists. The painting, which may also be the world's oldest representational or figurative artwork, was discovered on the island of S...
Tags: Art, Indonesia, Australia, France, History, Chemistry, Innovation, Archaeology, Griffith University, Sulawesi, Lascaux, Burhan, Wallacea, Leang Tedongnge, Basran Burhan, Oldest Cave Art Found

Nissan 400Z Revealed

The elusive new Nissan 400Z has been photographed in a recent Nissan patent filing with IP Australia, the first look at what the production model will look like. These images appeared on newnissanz.com.   Details about the new 400Z have been sketchy at best. My contacts have been sworn to secrecy, and haven’t divulged any […] The post Nissan 400Z Revealed appeared first on The Truth About Cars.
Tags: Japan, Design, Australia, Autos, Nissan, Sports Cars, Enthusiasm, News Blog, 400Z

New ‘Star Wars’ Sequel Trilogy Posters Put Rey in the Center of the Frame

Last year, Australia-based artist Florey released a series of Star Wars posters through Bottleneck Gallery which focused on Luke Skywalker from the original trilogy. Now he’s back with a new batch of Star Wars sequel trilogy posters, and this time, the attention is squarely on Daisy Ridley‘s Rey. You might even say that they “have her back.” Check out the new posters (and their variants) below, get details about when they go on sale, and see a comparison between Florey’s previous Star Wars post...
Tags: Art, Movies, Australia, Lucasfilm, Daisy Ridley, Luke Skywalker, Rey, J J Abrams, Ridley, Florey, Star-Wars, Florey Screen

More Shenanigans And Secrecy Around COVID Arts Relief Money In Australia’s Largest State

New South Wales was the last of the country’s states to establish a rescue package for artists and organizations devastated by the pandemic-related lockdowns — and when the $50 million fund was finally set up, there was unusual secrecy around the application process and the breakdown of money awarded. Seven months later, $30 million hasn’t even been allocated yet, half of what has been given out went to one organization, and $7 million isn’t accounted for at all. – The Guardian
Tags: Art, Australia, New South Wales, Issues, 01.13.21

Opera Australia Sued Over COVID-Related Job Cuts, Alleged ‘Intimidation’

“Opera Australia has paid out tens of thousands of dollars in confidential settlements to musicians it sacked at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The country’s most heavily subsidised performing arts company is now preparing for a federal court battle with one of the musicians refusing to settle, alleging Opera Australia management has created a culture of ‘intimidation, bullying and antagonism’.” –
Tags: Art, Music, Australia, 01.08.21

An Enormous Expansion Of Melbourne Contemporary Museum

The proposed new building, the NGV Contemporary in Melbourne, will be Australia’s largest gallery of contemporary art and design, says Tony Ellwood, the director of the National Gallery of Victoria. It will span 30,000 sq. m, one third of which will be exhibition space. – The Art Newspaper
Tags: Art, Australia, Melbourne, Visual, National Gallery Of Victoria, Tony Ellwood, 01.04.21, Melbourne Contemporary Museum

As Australia’s Arts Festival Season Begins Amid The Pandemic, All Eyes Are On Sydney

“The [Sydney] Festival is poised to open on Wednesday and its administrators are on high alert. Though [New South Wales] Covid-19 case reports remain low, the list of exposure sites is growing by the day. … With Perth Festival following in early February and Adelaide Festival” — the largest arts event in the Southern Hemisphere — “a few weeks later, what happens in Sydney will be keenly observed.” – The Guardian
Tags: Art, Australia, New South Wales, Sydney, Issues, Audience, Southern Hemisphere, 01.05.21

Australia’s National Anthem Gets An Anti-Racist Tweak

The anthem – which replaced “God Save the Queen” only in 1984, though it had been written in the late 19th century – previously had a tweak from “Australia’s sons” to “Australians all,” and now it’s from “young and free” to “one and free” – including the peoples who have been on the continent for 60,000 years. – The New York Times
Tags: Art, Music, Australia, 12.31.20

Performers Angry As One Of Australia’s Fringe Festivals Adds Non-Disparagement ‘Gag Order’ To Contracts

“Perth’s Fringe World, which opens on 15 January, attracted criticism and protests earlier this year over its longstanding sponsorship by fossil fuel giant Woodside. In a bid to head off disruption of next month’s event, the organisers – not-for-profit company Artrage – have included in the festival’s main contract the stipulation that ‘the presenter and the venue operator must use its best endeavours to not do any act or omit to do any act that would prejudice any of Fringe World’s sponsorship...
Tags: Art, Australia, Theatre, 12.18.20

What David Hallberg Really Loves About The Australian Ballet

Well, besides the fact that the company saved his mangled foot. “I can’t tell you how nice it is to come into an organisation that has positivity is embedded in it. It is a trait I admire in Australia itself. I lived in Moscow for years; there isn’t much positivity roaming around Moscow or the Bolshoi Theatre for that matter. I mean [the Bolshoi] is a fabulous, world-class company to which I am very grateful for the experience, but the AB has this can-do belief in doing the best they possibly c...
Tags: Art, Australia, Dance, Moscow, Bolshoi, AB, David Hallberg, 12.07.20

Craig Revel Horwood: 'I'm a baddie in panto but on Strictly I'm just being honest'

The Strictly Come Dancing judge reveals which contestant surprised him the most and why he’s looking forward to getting booed twice a day in Robin Hood You’re a panto regular – what do you enjoy most about it?I love live theatre – it’s where I started my career back home in Australia and I got into it as soon as I arrived in the UK. As much as I love my screen career, you simply can’t beat helping an audience to suspend their disbelief for a few hours and enjoy a shared experience live and in re...
Tags: Reality TV, UK, Television, Musicals, Media, Australia, Theatre, Bbc, Dance, Culture, Television & radio, Stage, Strictly Come Dancing, Panto season, Craig Revel Horwood, Panto

They’re Trying A New COVID Tactic At Australia’s Largest Arts Festival

“The Adelaide Festival has launched its 2021 program after a nightmare year that has seen more than 200 international artists scratched from its form sheet – and the program announcement itself pushed back after South Australia went into immediate lockdown a day before it was due. … But a number of international acts will now be livestreaming their performances into Her Majesty’s Theatre from their home bases in Europe and the US.” – The Guardian
Tags: Art, Europe, Australia, US, South Australia, Issues, 12.03.20

Monopffft.

The mysterious metal monolith that was found last week in the Utah desert has vanished. https://t.co/tUFYRCfhe0— The New York Times (@nytimes) November 29, 2020 I question whether the monolith has vanished. If you're with me in a room, then you leave and come back a week later, and I am not there, it would be a gross failure to follow Occam's Razor to say that I had "vanished." In all likelihood, I walked out, and I continue to exist. I've gone somewhere else. You just don't know where. The qu...
Tags: Art, Landscape, Utah, Movies, Law, Australia, New York Times, Antarctica, Harry, Herald, Don, Charlie, Occam, Ann Althouse, Seen And Unseen, Henry Sunderland

$1 Billion Overhaul For Melbourne’s Arts District

The newly announced government budget for the state of Victoria includes Aus$1.4 billion (US $1.03 billion) for the expansion and revamp of the Southbank arts district in Australia’s fast-growing second city. Phase One of the project will be the construction of the National Gallery of Victoria Contemporary (situated adjacent to the original NGV), planned to be the country’s largest contemporary art museum. Later phases will include improvements and additions to Arts Centre Melbourne, the main v...
Tags: Art, Australia, Victoria, Melbourne, Issues, Southbank, 11.25.20, National Gallery of Victoria Contemporary

Australia Gets Ready To Restart Live Performance As (Almost) Normal

“Live performance venues and events will be allowed to reach capacity of up to 75% in states that have recorded no new locally acquired coronavirus cases in 14 days. … In what has been labelled the ‘Covid normal’ of the near future, indoor events and seated outdoor events will still be ticketed only, and additional restrictions will still apply to large-scale multi-day outdoor music festivals.” – The Guardian
Tags: Art, Australia, Issues, Audience, 11.20.20

Book Sales Soar In Australia During COVID

While business is booming for online booksellers – Booktopia reported a 28% increase in sales in the 2020 financial year, driven substantially by Covid lockdowns – bricks and mortar stores have had an uneven year. – The Guardian
Tags: Art, Australia, Words, Booktopia, 11.07.20

New kind of ancient stencil graffiti found in northern Australia

In Australia, ancient Aboriginal rock artists are known for using body parts, plants, and everyday objects as stencils and then blowing pigment across the masked area like spray paint. Recently though, archaeologists found small-scale artwork of characters created using handheld figures seemingly made specifically as stencils. — Read the rest
Tags: Art, Post, News, Australia, Archaeology, Graffiti

Mass Layoffs And Orchestra Rebellion As Opera Australia Prepares To Reopen

“Opera Australia will [announce] its summer season on Thursday, still reeling from a turbulent past six weeks that saw the company hit with a slew of unfair dismissal cases, and its orchestra deliver a vote of no confidence in its concertmaster.” – The Guardian
Tags: Art, Music, Australia, 11.04.20

Australia Will Spend Millions To Buy Back Indigenous Artifacts From Foreign Museums And Collectors

“The Australian government has pledged A$10.1 million (about $7.2 million) in additional funds over four years toward the return Indigenous cultural heritage objects held in collections overseas.” – ARTnews
Tags: Art, Australia, Visual, 11.03.20

Classical Concerts Under COVID: Where Things Stand In Asia, Australia/New Zealand, And the Americas

With governments in China, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore mostly able to impose safety measures without too much pushback, case numbers are down and concert numbers are up, though usually with reduced audience. New Zealand is almost back to normal and Australia is getting there, with even a Ring cycle planned for Brisbane this month. Alas, reports David Karlin, “the contrast between Asia and the Americas could not be more stark,” though tentative returns to concert life are happening in Cana...
Tags: Art, Asia, Music, Australia, Singapore, Americas, New Zealand, Brisbane, Audience, Asia Australia New Zealand, China Japan South Korea, Canada Colombia, David Karlin, 11.02.20

Australia Announced A $250M Arts Rescue Package In June, and 80% Of It Still Hasn’t Been Allocated

At a Senate hearing on Wednesday in Canberra, officials at first weren’t able to say at all how much of the aid had been distributed to struggling arts organizations. Later, they said that just under $50 million had been allocated, all of it to film and television; meanwhile, those who work in live performance and visual art grow ever more desperate. – The Guardian
Tags: Art, Australia, Senate, Canberra, Issues, 10.21.20

Australia Council Flips Out, Pulls Funding From Artist

It’s remarkably reminiscent of the NEA Four, for those who lived through that terrible time: A queer artist wants to use their body for their work; gets approval and funding; word is leaked to conservative outlets; said outlets absolutely flip out and condemn the council; council removes funding. All too gross and familiar. “The decision to kill the contract raises worrying questions about the potential government overreach and the possibility of censorship in Australian cultural policy at a ti...
Tags: Art, Australia, Issues, 10.17.20

Australia’s Archibald Prize Goes To Vincent Namatjira, First Indigenous Winner In 99 Years

“What an honour it is to be the first Indigenous winner of the Archibald prize,” he said. “It only took 99 years. I’m so proud to be the first but I also have to acknowledge all the Indigenous finalists and Indigenous sitters for this year and past years.” – The Guardian
Tags: Art, Australia, Visual, Vincent Namatjira, 09.25.20

Musical Theatre Competition Criticized For All-White Semifinals; Organizers Cancel It, Candidates Allege Gaslighting

The Rob Guest Endowment is Australia’s most prestigious musical theatre prize, offering $50,000 (Aus) offers in scholarship money for professional development. In August, a field of 30 semifinalists was announced, and an outcry arose — supported by the candidates themselves — because none of the 30 were BIPOC. Now the Endowment, claiming concern for the semifinalists’ mental health because some have been “targeted and intimidated,” has suspended the award until 2022; the competitors themselves ...
Tags: Art, Australia, Theatre, 09.21.20

The Fading Upright Pre-WWI Pianos Of Australia

In Darwin, people are leaving them on the curb as they clean out their houses before “cyclone season,” but in Hobart, the older ones are more common, and perhaps slightly more tunable. A piano tuner says, “Unless it’s a Steinway it’s not worth fixing.” – ABC (Australia)
Tags: Art, Music, Abc, Australia, Hobart, Darwin, 09.20.20

The Best Branding Podcasts Today

Are you looking for the absolute best podcasts in the branding and brand strategy space? You may have already found a few ‘top branding podcasts’ lists through Google search and been disappointed that only a handful of them are truly about branding. Most of the podcasts found through Google are about content marketing, digital media, graphic design, advertising, or marketing in general and some are outdated or haven’t uploaded any new episodes in many years. On top of that, some podcasts don’t h...
Tags: Google, Podcast, Design, Australia, Jay Z, San Francisco, Rob, Chris, Branding, Sean Kelly, James Richardson, Nick Westergaard, Brand Driven Digital, Jacob Cass, Patrick Hanlon, Marty Neumeier

Poster of every Motor Trend "Car of the Year" from 1949 to 2020

The Australian insurance company Budget Direct created this nifty graphic of every Motor Trend "Car of the Year" winner in the United States. After the Plymouth Volare (1976), my eyes glazed and interest waned. They created similar graphics for awards in Australia and the UK. "Award-winning cars: Every Car of the Year Winner" (Budget Direct)
Tags: Post, UK, Design, News, Australia, Cars, United States, Vehicles, Automobiles, Budget Direct

A ‘Hunger Games’-Style Arts Bailout In Australia’s Largest State, Say Smaller Groups

“The New South Wales government has been accused of creating ‘a Hunger Games atmosphere’ among 84 arts organisations over its $50m Covid-19 [‘Rescue and Restart’ program], which remains shrouded in secrecy. … There are misgivings among small-to-medium companies that the NSW government has elected to watch them drown, while the major flagship companies – a few with healthy reserves to ride out the rough seas – are thrown multimillion-dollar lifelines.” – The Guardian
Tags: Art, Australia, New South Wales, Issues, NSW, 09.10.20

At This Point, Should Australia Even Have A National Opera Company?

“Opera is an urban art form par excellence. … Now, however, under the shadow of COVID-19, the future of the city itself is under question; the rise of video platforms like Zoom seems to make the necessity of ‘being there’ no longer a necessity.” Opera Australia gets more government funding than any other performing arts institution in the country, but for the company to travel even from Sydney to Melbourne twice a year is very expensive, let alone touring anywhere else. Peter Tregear argues tha...
Tags: Art, Music, Australia, Sydney, Melbourne, National Opera Company, COVID, 09.08.20, Peter Tregear

Portrait of a mentor: 'granddaddy' of National Art School campus finds himself the subject

Papua New Guinean student Lesley Wengembo has painted campus assistant Mal Nagobi for Australia’s famous Archibald prizeAlongside Malachi Nagobi, progress across the august grounds of the National Art School in Sydney is constantly – happily – impeded.“Mal!” comes a voice, “hello Mal,” another. Every handful of steps, another person wants to stop to chat. Continue reading...
Tags: Art, Australia, World news, Asia Pacific, Art and design, Sydney, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Pacific Islands, National Art School, Lesley Wengembo, Mal Nagobi, Malachi Nagobi