A smorgasbord of art is on offer this year, including a painting made out of cake icing!
The Sydney Fringe Festival is getting ready to host a surprising mix of art, from both emerging and established artists.
Lina Zainal’s Esoteric landscape is a striking exhibition that comments on environmental issues through abstract landscapes. ‘To me, nature is such a complex subject wrapped in the simplest wrapper, but oh what an alluring and peculiar wrapping paper it is,’ said Zainal.
Growing up in Indonesia and observing the polluted skies of Jakarta firsthand saw this become a heavy influence on Zainal’s work. ‘It’s a beautiful city filled with wonderful people, and not just Jakarta but Indonesia is such an exotic place with lots of little Islands,’ said Zainal. The fact that dark clouds may destroy these marvelous landscapes is a notion that deeply concerns Zainal.
Philip Werner’s 101 Vagina is photographic exhibition that aims to break down taboos related to vaginas and tackle the issue of body shame head on. The exhibition is a series of tasteful front on black and white photographs of 101 women’s vaginas. Stories and poems accompany the artwork, encouraging shared stories and the passing on of wisdom.
Fringe Arts at the Forum is the largest of the Fringe visual art events. Curated by David Greenhalgh it will be a unique and experimental show reflective of the Sydney Fringe Festival and the underground Sydney art scene.
‘The artists represented here are all have very engaging practices that show the uniqueness and depth of ideas and craftsmanship that you can find on the periphery of the Sydney art world,’ said Greenhalgh.
The variety of art on display will be rich and unexpected.
‘Some examples of what you can find include Maneki Neko an installation by Sydney percussionist Yvonne Lam where faux gold-plated waving cats (typically found in your local Chinese restaurant) will be robotically ringing tiny bells, creating a mesmerising soundscape. We will also have artist Bridget Betzold creating a painting entirely from piped cake icing on opening night- edible art!’
Art-goers with a sweet tooth, you have been warned.
Lina Zainal’s Esoteric Landscape opens at Ginkgo Gallery from 27 September.
101 Vagina opens at Tap Art Gallery and Theatre from 17 September.
Fringe arts at the forum opens at the Forum from 17 September.
The Sydney Fringe Festival runs from 6-29 September. Most tickets are under $30 and are on sale now through the official Sydney Fringe Festival website or by calling (02) 9020 69 80.
A comprehensive guide to programmed events is also available on the website. Events can be searched for through genre, location, venue or date.
(Pictured: Nicki McDonald’s ‘Fountain of youth’ (cropped), a water-colour, paint pen, wool, tapestry and mesh creation)
