Latest news with #ArtGalleryofNSW
Sydney Morning Herald
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
The radical plan to finally give Gen Z a voice in Sydney's museums and galleries
As a university student, NSW Arts Minister John Graham would often attend theatre performances and realise he was the youngest person there. Even now, as the sector's state leader, Graham still sometimes finds himself 'at the younger end' of audience demographics, which is why NSW will become the first state to legislate to give a voice to Generation Z on the boards of leading cultural institutions. Under draft legislation before parliament, emerging arts leaders aged between 18 and 28 years will be eligible for a guaranteed seat on the board of the Sydney Opera House, Art Gallery of NSW, Powerhouse Museum, Australian Museum, State Library of NSW and Museums of History NSW. The bill was drafted after Graham became impatient for real-time demographic changes on the boards and trusts of the six institutions. If adopted, the laws will apply from October this year. 'There is a range of other views around mentoring and more gentle ways to [achieve those aims] but I don't accept that,' Graham told the Herald. 'I want these representatives on the board as equal participants. There are two goals: to bring on the next-generation audiences, and [to bring on] the next-generation cultural leaders.' The youth seat plan comes amid concern that arts boards across the country are stacked with too many corporate leaders and patrons without real-time arts experience. It follows the Creative Australia board's sacking of its freshly appointed Venice Biennale representative, Khaled Sabsabi, in February. Last year, Sara Mansour from Bankstown Poetry Slam became the Opera House Trust's youngest-ever board member, aged 30. She said it has given her valuable experience in the way cultural organisations deal with complex operational, financial and governance issues. 'Given young people make up over 30 per cent of NSW's population, I think this initiative from the arts minister is brilliant,' she said. 'It not only gives them a seat at the table – it allows them to be heard, and it is also enabling them to gain integral corporate governance and strategic experience that they then can take back to their own community to upskill at a grassroots level. '
The Age
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
The radical plan to finally give Gen Z a voice in Sydney's museums and galleries
As a university student, NSW Arts Minister John Graham would often attend theatre performances and realise he was the youngest person there. Even now, as the sector's state leader, Graham still sometimes finds himself 'at the younger end' of audience demographics, which is why NSW will become the first state to legislate to give a voice to Generation Z on the boards of leading cultural institutions. Under draft legislation before parliament, emerging arts leaders aged between 18 and 28 years will be eligible for a guaranteed seat on the board of the Sydney Opera House, Art Gallery of NSW, Powerhouse Museum, Australian Museum, State Library of NSW and Museums of History NSW. The bill was drafted after Graham became impatient for real-time demographic changes on the boards and trusts of the six institutions. If adopted, the laws will apply from October this year. 'There is a range of other views around mentoring and more gentle ways to [achieve those aims] but I don't accept that,' Graham told the Herald. 'I want these representatives on the board as equal participants. There are two goals: to bring on the next-generation audiences, and [to bring on] the next-generation cultural leaders.' The youth seat plan comes amid concern that arts boards across the country are stacked with too many corporate leaders and patrons without real-time arts experience. It follows the Creative Australia board's sacking of its freshly appointed Venice Biennale representative, Khaled Sabsabi, in February. Last year, Sara Mansour from Bankstown Poetry Slam became the Opera House Trust's youngest-ever board member, aged 30. She said it has given her valuable experience in the way cultural organisations deal with complex operational, financial and governance issues. 'Given young people make up over 30 per cent of NSW's population, I think this initiative from the arts minister is brilliant,' she said. 'It not only gives them a seat at the table – it allows them to be heard, and it is also enabling them to gain integral corporate governance and strategic experience that they then can take back to their own community to upskill at a grassroots level. '
Time Out
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
This Australian city is one of the world's 5 best cities for culture – and it's not Melbourne
Melbourne, brace yourself for a culture shock – you've just been dethroned as Australia's 'cultural capital'. We promise we're not here to stir the pot. Time Out just published its list of the Best Cities for Culture Right Now, and Melbourne's biggest rival claimed the top Aussie spot and cracked the global top five. To determine the rankings, Time Out surveyed 18,500 city dwellers around the world – including Melbourne – on their hometown's cultural scene. Based on the responses, each city was scored on both the quality and affordability of its cultural offering, with only the highest-scoring cities for each country making the long list. Time Out's culture experts (our global network of city editors and arts and culture writers) then weighed in, voting for their favourite cultural destinations. Unsurprisingly, Paris ranked as the best city for culture on the planet, with an enormous 96 per cent of Parisians rating their city's culture scene as either 'good' or 'amazing' in the survey. But here's a shocking stat: Sydney came fifth on the list, receiving the joint-highest share of votes from the culture-experts panel as Paris. Bloody oath! Yep, our Emerald City tied with Paris as a favourite among Time Out's panel of experts – and Sydney locals are frothing over our arts and culture scene at the moment, too, with 70 per cent rating this city's culture scene favourably, highlighting events like the Sydney Film Festival, Sydney Mardi Gras and Sydney Fringe, alongside happenings at the Art Gallery of NSW and (of course) the Sydney Opera House, plus indie venues like the Enmore Theatre. For years, Melbourne has proudly worn the crown as Australia's cultural capital – even landing tenth in the world in 2023. But despite priding itself on its arts and culture scene, the Victorian capital didn't even make the list this time around. (We love ya though, Melbs!) The following 20 cities did make the list – in each of these cities, culture isn't confined to museums, theatres and legacy art venues; plus it's affordable and accessible, for locals and visitors alike. You'll find pop-up festivals in unlikely locations, late-night museum parties, community gallery crawls, and a new cohort of creatives thinking up the next big thing. (Ever been to a rave in an actual cave? Or a nature-inspired literary festival?) These are the 20 best cities in the world for culture Paris Florence Edinburgh Mexico City Sydney Barcelona Chicago Lisbon Hanoi Cape Town Beijing Tbilisi Jakarta Delhi Medellín Amsterdam Marrakech Vienna Prague Abu Dhabi To see the full list and survey results, click here.
The Advertiser
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
Julie Fragar wins the 2025 Archibald Prize with a portrait of her friend
Four-time finalist Julie Frager has won the 2025 Archibald Prize with her portrait of her friend and fellow artist Justene Williams. Ms Frager's oil on canvas painting Flagship Mother Multiverse (Justene) captures the varied ways the Brisbane artist, who works with video, photography, sculpture and performance, expresses her craft. Ms Frager said it shows the "wild way" Williams uses different materials, showing the "multiverse of characters and events that confront the relentless weirdness we go through en route to the other side". "There is nobody like Justene. She thinks big and makes bigger, deploying everything from car bodies to opera singers to make work as fearless and feeling as she is," Ms Fragar said. She said the title of the artwork comes from a the title of a recent performance by Ms Williams titled Making do rhymes with poo, about the labour of "getting by" through different roles women need to play. "In the lower left of the painting, you can see Justene's daughter Honore looking up at her mum half in awe and half asking if this is what she will have to manage too." Ms Frager takes home a $100,000 prize, along with the much more valuable title of winner. The 2025 packing room prize was awarded to Abdul Abdullah's oil on linen portrait of Jason Phu titled No mountain high enough. Mr Abdullah painted his best friend Phu who requested to be surrounded by animals. The $3000 packing room prize is judged by Art Gallery of NSW staff who receive, unpack and hang the artworks. The Art Gallery of NSW hosts an exhibition of the works before it tours regional art galleries. Four-time finalist Julie Frager has won the 2025 Archibald Prize with her portrait of her friend and fellow artist Justene Williams. Ms Frager's oil on canvas painting Flagship Mother Multiverse (Justene) captures the varied ways the Brisbane artist, who works with video, photography, sculpture and performance, expresses her craft. Ms Frager said it shows the "wild way" Williams uses different materials, showing the "multiverse of characters and events that confront the relentless weirdness we go through en route to the other side". "There is nobody like Justene. She thinks big and makes bigger, deploying everything from car bodies to opera singers to make work as fearless and feeling as she is," Ms Fragar said. She said the title of the artwork comes from a the title of a recent performance by Ms Williams titled Making do rhymes with poo, about the labour of "getting by" through different roles women need to play. "In the lower left of the painting, you can see Justene's daughter Honore looking up at her mum half in awe and half asking if this is what she will have to manage too." Ms Frager takes home a $100,000 prize, along with the much more valuable title of winner. The 2025 packing room prize was awarded to Abdul Abdullah's oil on linen portrait of Jason Phu titled No mountain high enough. Mr Abdullah painted his best friend Phu who requested to be surrounded by animals. The $3000 packing room prize is judged by Art Gallery of NSW staff who receive, unpack and hang the artworks. The Art Gallery of NSW hosts an exhibition of the works before it tours regional art galleries. Four-time finalist Julie Frager has won the 2025 Archibald Prize with her portrait of her friend and fellow artist Justene Williams. Ms Frager's oil on canvas painting Flagship Mother Multiverse (Justene) captures the varied ways the Brisbane artist, who works with video, photography, sculpture and performance, expresses her craft. Ms Frager said it shows the "wild way" Williams uses different materials, showing the "multiverse of characters and events that confront the relentless weirdness we go through en route to the other side". "There is nobody like Justene. She thinks big and makes bigger, deploying everything from car bodies to opera singers to make work as fearless and feeling as she is," Ms Fragar said. She said the title of the artwork comes from a the title of a recent performance by Ms Williams titled Making do rhymes with poo, about the labour of "getting by" through different roles women need to play. "In the lower left of the painting, you can see Justene's daughter Honore looking up at her mum half in awe and half asking if this is what she will have to manage too." Ms Frager takes home a $100,000 prize, along with the much more valuable title of winner. The 2025 packing room prize was awarded to Abdul Abdullah's oil on linen portrait of Jason Phu titled No mountain high enough. Mr Abdullah painted his best friend Phu who requested to be surrounded by animals. The $3000 packing room prize is judged by Art Gallery of NSW staff who receive, unpack and hang the artworks. The Art Gallery of NSW hosts an exhibition of the works before it tours regional art galleries. Four-time finalist Julie Frager has won the 2025 Archibald Prize with her portrait of her friend and fellow artist Justene Williams. Ms Frager's oil on canvas painting Flagship Mother Multiverse (Justene) captures the varied ways the Brisbane artist, who works with video, photography, sculpture and performance, expresses her craft. Ms Frager said it shows the "wild way" Williams uses different materials, showing the "multiverse of characters and events that confront the relentless weirdness we go through en route to the other side". "There is nobody like Justene. She thinks big and makes bigger, deploying everything from car bodies to opera singers to make work as fearless and feeling as she is," Ms Fragar said. She said the title of the artwork comes from a the title of a recent performance by Ms Williams titled Making do rhymes with poo, about the labour of "getting by" through different roles women need to play. "In the lower left of the painting, you can see Justene's daughter Honore looking up at her mum half in awe and half asking if this is what she will have to manage too." Ms Frager takes home a $100,000 prize, along with the much more valuable title of winner. The 2025 packing room prize was awarded to Abdul Abdullah's oil on linen portrait of Jason Phu titled No mountain high enough. Mr Abdullah painted his best friend Phu who requested to be surrounded by animals. The $3000 packing room prize is judged by Art Gallery of NSW staff who receive, unpack and hang the artworks. The Art Gallery of NSW hosts an exhibition of the works before it tours regional art galleries.
The Advertiser
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
Multiverse of motherhood shines brightest in Archibald
Julie Fragar has won the $100,000 Archibald Prize with a portrait of fellow artist Justene Williams to "honour the incredible multiverse of artworks that seems always to be exploding from her". The winning work is titled Flagship Mother Multiverse (Justene), and depicts the artist floating among the stars above the materials of making art, her daughter looking on. Fragar has been a finalist in the Archibald four times, and burst into tears when Art Gallery of NSW director Maud Page called Friday morning to tell her she had won. "It feels unbelievable, can you imagine? I'm from a small country town originally, I moved to Sydney to go to art school, so to win the Archibald is amazing," Fragar said after the announcement in Sydney. She described the win as an incredible honour and her longtime friend and colleague Williams as an extraordinary artist. "I wanted to honour the incredible multiverse of artworks that seems always to be exploding from her, spinning not quite out of control," the Brisbane artist said. "The work is a reflection on the experience of making art to deadlines and the labour and love of being a mother." The title of the winning work comes from Williams' recent endurance performance in New Zealand, titled Making do rhymes with poo, about juggling a day job with art making and motherhood. It's the third year in a row a female artist has won the Archibald, making Fragar the 13th woman to win since the prize started in 1921. "Here are two of Australia's great artists in conversation about what matters most to them," said Page, who was announced in March as the gallery's new director. Fragar conducted a photo session with Williams and spent three months in the studio working on the painting, which she hoped would communicate her subject's singularity and otherworldliness. The winner was selected from 903 entries and 57 finalists, with works painted in the past year from at least one live sitting. The award, widely regarded as Australia's most prestigious art prize, is judged by the trustees of the Art Gallery of NSW, who made a unanimous decision on Friday. Jude Rae has won the $50,000 Wynne Prize for landscape painting or sculpture, for the oil on linen work Pre-dawn sky over Port Botany container terminal. The $40,000 Sulman Prize for genre painting went to Katoomba-based artist Gene A'Hern for Sky painting, beating a record field of 732 entries. For the first time in 2025, women artists made up the majority of finalists in each of the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prize competitions. Earlier in May, the $3000 Packing Room Prize selected by the gallery's art handling staff went to Abdul Abdullah for a portrait of his friend Jason Phu. The finalists for all three prizes will be on show at the Art Gallery of New South Wales from Saturday until August 17, before touring Victoria and NSW. Julie Fragar has won the $100,000 Archibald Prize with a portrait of fellow artist Justene Williams to "honour the incredible multiverse of artworks that seems always to be exploding from her". The winning work is titled Flagship Mother Multiverse (Justene), and depicts the artist floating among the stars above the materials of making art, her daughter looking on. Fragar has been a finalist in the Archibald four times, and burst into tears when Art Gallery of NSW director Maud Page called Friday morning to tell her she had won. "It feels unbelievable, can you imagine? I'm from a small country town originally, I moved to Sydney to go to art school, so to win the Archibald is amazing," Fragar said after the announcement in Sydney. She described the win as an incredible honour and her longtime friend and colleague Williams as an extraordinary artist. "I wanted to honour the incredible multiverse of artworks that seems always to be exploding from her, spinning not quite out of control," the Brisbane artist said. "The work is a reflection on the experience of making art to deadlines and the labour and love of being a mother." The title of the winning work comes from Williams' recent endurance performance in New Zealand, titled Making do rhymes with poo, about juggling a day job with art making and motherhood. It's the third year in a row a female artist has won the Archibald, making Fragar the 13th woman to win since the prize started in 1921. "Here are two of Australia's great artists in conversation about what matters most to them," said Page, who was announced in March as the gallery's new director. Fragar conducted a photo session with Williams and spent three months in the studio working on the painting, which she hoped would communicate her subject's singularity and otherworldliness. The winner was selected from 903 entries and 57 finalists, with works painted in the past year from at least one live sitting. The award, widely regarded as Australia's most prestigious art prize, is judged by the trustees of the Art Gallery of NSW, who made a unanimous decision on Friday. Jude Rae has won the $50,000 Wynne Prize for landscape painting or sculpture, for the oil on linen work Pre-dawn sky over Port Botany container terminal. The $40,000 Sulman Prize for genre painting went to Katoomba-based artist Gene A'Hern for Sky painting, beating a record field of 732 entries. For the first time in 2025, women artists made up the majority of finalists in each of the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prize competitions. Earlier in May, the $3000 Packing Room Prize selected by the gallery's art handling staff went to Abdul Abdullah for a portrait of his friend Jason Phu. The finalists for all three prizes will be on show at the Art Gallery of New South Wales from Saturday until August 17, before touring Victoria and NSW. Julie Fragar has won the $100,000 Archibald Prize with a portrait of fellow artist Justene Williams to "honour the incredible multiverse of artworks that seems always to be exploding from her". The winning work is titled Flagship Mother Multiverse (Justene), and depicts the artist floating among the stars above the materials of making art, her daughter looking on. Fragar has been a finalist in the Archibald four times, and burst into tears when Art Gallery of NSW director Maud Page called Friday morning to tell her she had won. "It feels unbelievable, can you imagine? I'm from a small country town originally, I moved to Sydney to go to art school, so to win the Archibald is amazing," Fragar said after the announcement in Sydney. She described the win as an incredible honour and her longtime friend and colleague Williams as an extraordinary artist. "I wanted to honour the incredible multiverse of artworks that seems always to be exploding from her, spinning not quite out of control," the Brisbane artist said. "The work is a reflection on the experience of making art to deadlines and the labour and love of being a mother." The title of the winning work comes from Williams' recent endurance performance in New Zealand, titled Making do rhymes with poo, about juggling a day job with art making and motherhood. It's the third year in a row a female artist has won the Archibald, making Fragar the 13th woman to win since the prize started in 1921. "Here are two of Australia's great artists in conversation about what matters most to them," said Page, who was announced in March as the gallery's new director. Fragar conducted a photo session with Williams and spent three months in the studio working on the painting, which she hoped would communicate her subject's singularity and otherworldliness. The winner was selected from 903 entries and 57 finalists, with works painted in the past year from at least one live sitting. The award, widely regarded as Australia's most prestigious art prize, is judged by the trustees of the Art Gallery of NSW, who made a unanimous decision on Friday. Jude Rae has won the $50,000 Wynne Prize for landscape painting or sculpture, for the oil on linen work Pre-dawn sky over Port Botany container terminal. The $40,000 Sulman Prize for genre painting went to Katoomba-based artist Gene A'Hern for Sky painting, beating a record field of 732 entries. For the first time in 2025, women artists made up the majority of finalists in each of the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prize competitions. Earlier in May, the $3000 Packing Room Prize selected by the gallery's art handling staff went to Abdul Abdullah for a portrait of his friend Jason Phu. The finalists for all three prizes will be on show at the Art Gallery of New South Wales from Saturday until August 17, before touring Victoria and NSW. Julie Fragar has won the $100,000 Archibald Prize with a portrait of fellow artist Justene Williams to "honour the incredible multiverse of artworks that seems always to be exploding from her". The winning work is titled Flagship Mother Multiverse (Justene), and depicts the artist floating among the stars above the materials of making art, her daughter looking on. Fragar has been a finalist in the Archibald four times, and burst into tears when Art Gallery of NSW director Maud Page called Friday morning to tell her she had won. "It feels unbelievable, can you imagine? I'm from a small country town originally, I moved to Sydney to go to art school, so to win the Archibald is amazing," Fragar said after the announcement in Sydney. She described the win as an incredible honour and her longtime friend and colleague Williams as an extraordinary artist. "I wanted to honour the incredible multiverse of artworks that seems always to be exploding from her, spinning not quite out of control," the Brisbane artist said. "The work is a reflection on the experience of making art to deadlines and the labour and love of being a mother." The title of the winning work comes from Williams' recent endurance performance in New Zealand, titled Making do rhymes with poo, about juggling a day job with art making and motherhood. It's the third year in a row a female artist has won the Archibald, making Fragar the 13th woman to win since the prize started in 1921. "Here are two of Australia's great artists in conversation about what matters most to them," said Page, who was announced in March as the gallery's new director. Fragar conducted a photo session with Williams and spent three months in the studio working on the painting, which she hoped would communicate her subject's singularity and otherworldliness. The winner was selected from 903 entries and 57 finalists, with works painted in the past year from at least one live sitting. The award, widely regarded as Australia's most prestigious art prize, is judged by the trustees of the Art Gallery of NSW, who made a unanimous decision on Friday. Jude Rae has won the $50,000 Wynne Prize for landscape painting or sculpture, for the oil on linen work Pre-dawn sky over Port Botany container terminal. The $40,000 Sulman Prize for genre painting went to Katoomba-based artist Gene A'Hern for Sky painting, beating a record field of 732 entries. For the first time in 2025, women artists made up the majority of finalists in each of the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prize competitions. Earlier in May, the $3000 Packing Room Prize selected by the gallery's art handling staff went to Abdul Abdullah for a portrait of his friend Jason Phu. The finalists for all three prizes will be on show at the Art Gallery of New South Wales from Saturday until August 17, before touring Victoria and NSW.
