Cottesloe welcomes out-of-this-world spacemen art exhibition
Contemporary artist Brendan Murphy opened his blockbuster Australian exhibition debut in Cottesloe on Thursday, hours after unveiling a 7m spaceman sculpture he donated to Perth.
The sculptor, painter and digital artist, who works from his Miami-based studio, launched his Life is Electric showcase at Gullotti Galleries, which is on display until July 10.
The exhibition features 45 works ranging from vibrant graffiti-style paintings to carbon fibre sculptures of all sizes, including his renowned Boonji Spacemen, which represents embracing the unknown and the human desire to venture beyond.
The opening comes after a custom-built Boonji Spaceman, titled Lightning, landed in Stirling Gardens outside Council House, where it will remain for the next year.
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Owner of Gullotti Galleries, Paul Gullotti, was overcome with emotion when talking about the moment he had secured a spaceman for Perth and a debut Murphy exhibition with help from former Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas.
'I just want to say something from personally from my heart about that moment,' he said during a speech.
'I've been in this business for 30 years now, what I've looked at today and what I've seen, I think I have to pinch myself, watching the smiles, seeing all of these people here, my phone hasn't stopped ringing.
'We need this kind of art here.' The new Boonji Spaceman artwork at Stirling Gardens. Credit: Riley Churchman / The West Australian
However, the history-making landing of the spaceman has caused quite a controversy after it replaced the Ore Obelisk or The Kebab, which had been in place since the 1970s but was removed and put in storage in 2021.
But it seems some people are warming to the idea of having the incredible piece after lining up to capture selfies to share on Instagram.
Murphy said after making contact with Mr Gullotti and Mr Zempilas, he was hooked on gifting a sculpture to Perth.
'(Mr Zempilas) sold me on Perth and his passion for the city and the city as a place that's looking to the future and there's a history of connection to space, so it was kind of a no-brainer,' he said.
'And that started a journey which, if I knew what it would have entailed, probably would not have taken that journey. But now that I'm here, everyone's been very nice and the city's gorgeous.'
Murphy's spacemen can be seen in Knightsbridge, London and Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros baseball team in Texas.
Murphy's art has been collected by celebrities including Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Ryan Gosling and Warren Buffett.
Nadal's sculpture is a 2m tennis player called Vamos, which stands at the sporting legend's tennis academy in Mallorca.
Murphy has also created a $25m diamond-encrusted statue for Saks Fifth Avenue in New York.
He has held multiple exhibitions in the USA, Canada and Europe.
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Not to say that films that actually hit the cinema are always going to be better than those on the small screen, but generally there's a ceiling of quality for a streaming film, and it's going to be reached more quickly than the big-screen ceiling. His latest venture, a buddy (sorta) cop comedy with Pete Davidson, is of fine to middling quality. The jokes are obvious but occasionally draw a chuckle, the action is largely forgettable, and the characters aren't well-rounded enough to be memorable. The Pickup makes for adequate "brain off" viewing. It's super easy to watch while you're scrolling on your phone, and is amusing enough to sustain you for the runtime. There's nothing so terrible that you'll get overly bored or want to turn it off, but you won't be actively recommending it to anyone either. 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Director Tim Story (who has helmed films like the 2005 Fantastic Four, Ride Along and 2023 Christmas streamer Dashing Through the Snow) and screenwriters Kevin Burrows and Matt Mider have managed to include some sly references to their stars' careers which are a nice touch. At one point Travis starts to play The Pointer Sisters' The Neutron Dance (a song most associated with Murphy's Beverly Hills Cop) in their truck and cops a stern look from Russell, while later on Zoe encounters prominent graffiti reading 'NOPE', the title of one of Palmer's most famous films. While there are worse ways to spend a lazy hour-and-a-half (notably, the previously mentioned War of the Worlds with Longoria and Ice Cube - steer well clear), there are also plenty of other movies more worthy of your time. Every star of The Pickup certainly has poorer films in their history.
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