Art Almanac September 2023

Many of the works and exhibitions in this issue collectively reveal how – across time, place, and cultures – water provides nourishment, sanctuary, and healing while also activating protest, conflict, and complex dialogue. Furthermore, the concept of the ‘wave’, tidal, sonic, or light, ripples throughout the following pages. These physical disturbances or vibrations often symbolise colonisation and affect; at other times, they are a medium for the propagation of truths, a reflection of self, or reconnection to community. They can be seen in complex and contemplative depictions of nature, where landscapes echo with lyricism, sensed in intense amplitudes of light or pulsating, rhythmic sounds, experienced in the flutter of a bird's wing or, oddly, the proposed qualities of a single feather and the stillness of water.…

Melinda Schawel Light as a Feather Wagner Contemporary Until 13 September 2023 Sydney Through the meticulous techniques of engraving and perforation, Melinda Schawel creates works that celebrate light, movement, and texture. Continually inspired by the minutiae of natural elements and eroded surfaces, she was drawn to the exquisite qualities of a single feather in this series – its tree-like structure and symmetrical yet distinctive markings, lightweight and flexible but rigid enough for flight. In creating her work, a labour-intensive process allows Schawel to continue pushing the boundaries of the paper and, in some instances, completely alter the surface whilst retaining an illusion of effortlessness and fluidity. These works beckon us into a realm of quiet intimacy. Despite their ephemeral appearance, a sense of permanence lingers long after viewing.…

Art news River of Art Festival is an annual celebration of the arts scene of the Eurobodalla on the far South Coast of New South Wales. From 15 to 24 September, the ten-day program showcases approximately 100 events between Durras in the Shoalhaven and Bermagui on the Sapphire Coast. Events are diverse in genre, size and location and include exhibitions, open studios, workshops, sculpture walks, music, and performance. A place where innovation and creativity combine, the River of Art Festival invites visitors to explore the artist market while feasting on the local spring harvest and freshly shucked rock oysters, seeking out animations and light projections and meeting roving performances around the Historic Moruya Show Ground. Festival exhibition highlights include A Homage to Home and Place, on view at Basil Sellers…

St George Christian School (SGCS), an independent school in Hurstville, Sydney, puts art at the forefront by reimagining a heritage-listed chapel into a gallery space. Research visits to several schools and community galleries provided crucial information for the design and fit-out of the chapel, as well as ideas for the exhibition program. The result is a dedicated place for student work, external artists, and community events in a range of disciplines, including music, art, literature, science, and technologies. Through the 3:33 Art Projects Young Curators program, SGCS students collaborated with artist Euan Macleod and Dulwich High School of Visual Arts and Design, a partnership that culminated in the curatorial development and staging of The Chapel Gallery's inaugural exhibition, Chasing Light by Euan Macleod, on view from 1 to 22 September.…

From 15 to 24 September, Sydney Design Week 2023 presents a city-wide program of more than sixty events, including exhibitions, screenings, panels, tours, workshops, a materials market, and public architecture responding to widespread cultural and environmental change. Titled Amodern, this year's program explores the complex and interconnected social and natural ecologies in which contemporary design operates. Highlights include panel discussions about the role of design solutions to the problem of plastic; intensive workshops exploring the innovation and beauty of contemporary modest fashion, furthermore the intersection of contemporary design, cultural identity and sustainability; guided walks, talks and site-specific performances interrogating the relationships between architecture, communities and equitable environments; and exhibitions that highlight the colonial legacies of Australia's built environment and its ongoing impact on First Nations communities. powerhouse.com.au/program/sydney-design-week…

Presented by Desart, Desert Mob 2023 invites thirty-five Aboriginal art centres and hundreds of Indigenous artists to the Araluen Arts Centre precinct and galleries in Mparntwe/Alice Springs, along with desert communities and families to celebrate their enduring culture from 7 September to 22 October. Returning for the first time since 2019, The Desert Mob Symposium allows audiences to hear from Aboriginal artists about their work, projects, family, and Country. Highlights include two short films by the Tjanpi Desert Weavers, a discussion between Tanya Singer (Pitjantjatjara) and Errol Evans (Djabugay and Western Yalanji) on their Furniture Design Collaboration Project with Trent Jansen, and a heartwarming story of a friendship lost and found between Sally M Mulda (Tangentyere Artists) and Marlene Rubuntja (Yarrenyty Arltere Artists). Public programs reveal a live ceramics demonstration…