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The Guardian
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘Invisibility is the new radical position': artist Rose Nolan on avoiding social media and slowing us down
The Melbourne-based artist Rose Nolan has worked exclusively in a palette of red and white since the 1990s, a decision she describes as 'liberating'. When she stopped thinking about colour, Nolan suddenly found she had more head space for her practice which, over 40 years, has spanned a remarkable range of mediums, from colossal public artworks to small architectural models, wall paintings, banners and flags, and self-published books and pamphlets. You might have traipsed across her terrazzo-emblazoned floor work All Alongside of Each Other on the concourse of Sydney's Central station. Or gazed upwards at the towering words Enough-Now/Even/More-so on the exterior of Melbourne's Munro Community Hub near Queen Victoria Market. It was in the late 1970s when, fresh from a tiny Catholic girls' convent, Nolan entered the Victorian College of the Arts and went on to become a driving force behind the now legendary artist-led collective Store 5, an artistic crucible that shaped the work of some of Australia's leading contemporary artists. Between 1989 and 1993 the collective staged 150 exhibitions in the storage space behind a Greek cake shop on Chapel Street. 'It was very sex, drugs and rock'n'roll,' Nolan says of the period. 'Over that four-year period, everybody's work really developed. And we all had so many relationships going on … It wasn't always easy, none of those group situations are, but it was really exciting. 'It might sound inflated but it did feel like we were making history … It was a moment in time.' Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning Nolan, diminutive and dressed in black, is curled up on her couch in Richmond. Around us are relics of a life spent immersed in Melbourne's contemporary art scene; works by her friend Kathy Temin and her late mentor John Nixon punctuate hundreds of art books and ephemera. Her two cats, Dennis and Lillee (her partner is a cricket nut), meander between houseplants and climb on to the mid-century furniture. Nolan's house itself is an artwork: designed by OOF! Architecture, the Victorian-era cottage has been refashioned into a white rectangle that spells out HELLO on its brick facade. When I arrive there are gawkers taking photos of it. It's all over Instagram. 'This happens a bit,' she says. Nolan is not on any social media. When I ask why, she replies: 'I know myself well enough to know that I could go down a complete rabbit hole, and I haven't got the time. Invisibility is the new radical position – I feel like I'm in a parallel universe not being on it. 'My life is very analogue. As is my practice.' Nolan's way of working is not only analogue, it's exacting and, at times, exhausting. She has long worked with tactile and humble materials including hessian and cardboard, eschewing methods that might be considered time-saving in favour of cutting thousands of shapes by hand. This method has left her injured, she has even required surgery on her hands. But she believes that the labour embedded in the work transfers to viewers, making them slow down to take it all in. It's clear, from both her mien and her work, that what she's trying to invoke is a sense of presence and connection. Sign up to Saved for Later Catch up on the fun stuff with Guardian Australia's culture and lifestyle rundown of pop culture, trends and tips after newsletter promotion Hence the title of her new exhibition, Breathing Helps, which is curated by Dr Victoria Lynn, and opens this week at TarraWarra Museum of Art in Healesville. It's an evocative title and a helpful prompt but also a tongue-in-cheek reminder to Nolan to take stock as she embarked on the monumental project. The exhibition is less a retrospective survey and more an immersive experience that will unfold through the capacious gallery space; viewers are invited to walk through the large-scale works, observe them overhead and even peer down on them from above. It marks the first time these towering works have been shown together, along with some new commissions. Nolan has invited the artist Shelley Lasica to create a series of dance performances that will be staged in the exhibition. The influence of Jenny Holzer and Barbara Kruger is visible in her works. Nolan made several trips to Russia in the 1980s and has a longstanding interest in Russian constructivism. She agrees that Kruger and Holzer are in there but says that, unlike their works, her words are not didactic. She plucks text from a dizzying array of sources – a snippet of conversation overheard at a cafe, a self-help book, some art theory. She looks for meandering, gently motivating phrases with a rhythm that might be transformed into an experience that can slow down time. 'The text and the time spent making becomes part of the latent energy within the work,' she says. 'And that becomes an elusive presence that gets extended to the viewer. You can't get in one grab. You have to take the time, you have to slow down.' Rose Nolan: Breathing Helps is at TarraWarra Museum of Art in Healesville, Victoria, until 9 November 2025
New Straits Times
4 days ago
- Business
- New Straits Times
Historic Taiping Market set to rival Australia's best, says Nga
TAIPING: The century-old market here is making a comeback, not just as a trading hub, but as a new tourist landmark. Once the heart of the town's bustling commerce, the historic Taiping Market is set to reopen next year, with hopes of rivalling world-famous markets like Melbourne's Queen Victoria Market and Perth's Fremantle Market. Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming, who announced an additional RM100,000 allocation for lighting upgrades at the site, described the market's redevelopment as a transformative project in town. "Everyone knows this market. It used to be very old and worn down, but now it's getting a second life. "So in the future, this picture at night can be taken and sold as a postcard for Taiping. It can be sent worldwide, on a par with Victoria Market in Melbourne and Fremantle Market in Perth," he told reporters at the site here today. Nga said the market would officially reopen next year to coincide with the 70th birthday celebration of the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah, as well as the Visit Malaysia Year 2026 campaign. "The main structure is already completed. We're just adding finishing touches like LED lighting to enhance its charm and appeal. "That's why we're holding off the opening, to align with these two major milestones. Sultan Nazrin is expected to officiate the grand opening," he said. Nga said this when asked about the delay in the completion of the renovation works, which were previously reported to be scheduled for completion by August last year. As for the Day and Night Market located next to the Taiping Market, Nga said it would open next month in conjunction with Malaysia Day. He said the market project was part of a broader RM67 million development initiative comprising five major projects across the district. In addition, he also announced a new RM10.4 million allocation for infrastructure upgrades and landscaping projects in Taiping. "This includes nine infrastructure upgrades worth RM4.1 million. Among them are the refurbishment of the Kamunting General Market, the upgrading of hawker stalls at the Jalan Stesen Kamunting Hawker Centre and the installation of CCTV systems for the Taiping Municipal Council. "Another RM500,000 will go towards landscaping improvements at the Tanjung Sungai Mas Open Area, to create a more vibrant and liveable space for residents," he said. Nga also announced RM2.2 million for maintenance work at 22 non-Muslim houses of worship, alongside RM3.5 million for 24 new housing and Kampung Baru development projects. "Why is Taiping getting all this special attention? Because it's a national heritage town, a truly unique place with many Malaysian 'firsts'. "Taiping has the first market, the first court, the first land office, the first railway, the first church, the first museum and the list goes on.
The Guardian
14-07-2025
- The Guardian
Australia's multiculturalism lives mostly on the surface. Inclusion without voice is tokenism
The first thing that hit me when I landed in Melbourne from Kabul wasn't the city's famously unpredictable weather but the incredible diversity on the streets and in the food. It was nothing like the Australia I had imagined growing up: a cricket-mad nation led by white politicians in suits, in the headlines occasionally for either good or controversial reasons. This vibrant reality surprised me in the best way. My curiosity turned into something deeper on my first weekend in the city, when I found myself at Queen Victoria market. I stood still, a little overwhelmed. The aromas – some familiar, some entirely new – drifted past me. Music played from different corners. People chatted in languages I half-recognised, others I couldn't place at all. Korean barbecue sizzled next to an Ethiopian injera stall. A few weekends later, I saw a Croatian choir performing while a Vietnamese lion dance troupe practised next. And then came Eid. On a crisp Melbourne day, hundreds of Muslims from a kaleidoscope of backgrounds gathered at the market for their annual festival. Sufi music from South Asia filled the air, mingling with the scents of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine. I thought to myself: how wonderful that a market named after a British queen is now joyfully hosting the world's cultures. As I started settling into life – juggling journalism, playing cricket, finding my feet in a new community – I couldn't help but notice something else. Yes, multiculturalism in Australia is visible, celebrated, and often delicious. But sometimes it feels like it lives mostly on the surface – in food stalls, colourful festivals and speeches on special days. When it comes to shaping narratives, policies or power structures, diversity tends to fade from the frame. During the recent election campaign, I saw politicians making the rounds in multicultural neighbourhoods, eager to be seen connecting. They turned up at community barbecues, temple and mosque open days and cultural festivals – smiling for photos with kebabs, samosas and spring rolls in hand. But beyond the selfies and generic praise for 'great food', few seemed willing to go deeper. Cricket, curiously, has been my constant in all of this. I joined a local club in inner-city Melbourne that looked and sounded like a mini United Nations. We laughed, competed and bonded across languages and backgrounds. It was beautiful. But if you zoom out to the state and national levels, the diversity vanishes. Cricket Australia says more than 20% of grassroots players come from south Asian backgrounds. Yet only about 5% make it to state-level teams. At the elite level? Apart from Usman Khawaja, how many non-Anglo faces have you seen in the national squad in recent years? The gap is clear – and it's not confined to sport. The same story plays out in the media. Migrants and refugees often feature in stories, but still too rarely write them. Their experiences are framed by others – often painted as victims or inspirational exceptions, seldom as full, complex individuals. According to a 2020 Media Diversity Australia report, 75% of presenters and reporters came from Anglo-Celtic backgrounds. Just 6% were from non-European ones. While some progress has been made, the overall imbalance remains stark. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email So the recent launch of the Office for Multicultural Affairs is a welcome and necessary step. Minister Anne Aly – a trailblazer herself – put it clearly: 'For too long, multiculturalism has been about citizenship and immigration.' She's right. In a nation where over 31% of the population was born overseas, this isn't a minor oversight – it's a structural blind spot. The new office promises to focus on inclusion, belonging and giving diverse communities a real say. That's encouraging. But real transformation won't come from consultation alone – it requires commitment to systemic change. As someone from Afghanistan, a place where identity can determine destiny, these things are hard to ignore. In many countries migrants came from, the dangers of speaking out or being in the wrong place for the sake of identity could be deadly dangerous. Here in Australia, the risks are different – more subtle, often institutional. But the ache of not being seen or heard remains for many. In many conversations with migrants, refugees and other diverse Australians, I've heard a common refrain: they don't just want to be statistics in a census or smiling faces in government brochures. They want to be part of the decision-making. They want to be trusted with stories, with strategy, with steering the future. To its credit, the Albanese government has moved multicultural affairs into cabinet. That matters. But many advocates hoped for more – including a standalone department of multicultural affairs, immigration and citizenship with its own minister. Anne Aly, in a recent interview, acknowledged that social cohesion is a shared responsibility – and that it shouldn't always fall on multicultural communities to 'integrate' or prove their worth. That sentiment hit home. Inclusion without voice is tokenism. It allows others to speak for you, write your story, decide your place. Real inclusion means power-sharing – not just presence, but participation. The last federal election did shift the needle. More women, more diverse MPs entered parliament. But the cabinet is still not always reflecting the streets, schools and sports fields of modern Australia. And let's be clear: this isn't only about recent migrants. First Nations people have long spoken about exclusion and erasure. Multiculturalism without reconciliation is incomplete. So what might genuine inclusion look like? What if Cricket Australia's leadership reflected the diversity of its grassroots players? What if newsrooms recruited refugee journalists to cover politics, economics, and not just 'inspiring migrant' stories? What if schoolchildren saw themselves not just on multicultural day, but in textbooks, staff rooms and leadership teams? These aren't radical ideas. They're reasonable expectations in a country that proudly calls itself multicultural. The new Office for Multicultural Affairs has the potential to help make these expectations reality. But that will take more than events and strategy papers. It'll take investment in leadership pathways, serious commitment to representation, and a willingness to listen to grassroots voices – not just those already at the table. Coming from a country where the cost of being silenced is painfully high, I can tell you this: Australia has immense potential. The food, the festivals, the colours – they're real and beautiful. But the people behind them want more than celebration. They want to contribute meaningfully to this nation's journey. Shadi Khan Saif is a Melbourne-based journalist and former Pakistan and Afghanistan news correspondent
Sydney Morning Herald
23-06-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Get disco-friendly ramen and snacks at Chapel Street's new late-night izakaya
Whenever Manato Hikawa went partying on Chapel Street, he noticed there were no late-night places serving the Japanese drinking snacks he had become used to in Tokyo. 'It was only kebabs,' he says. 'I saw a gap in the market for an izakaya that stays open after midnight.' He opened Umami Tokyo in May close to bars and clubs that push through to dawn, serving street dishes such as takoyaki (fried octopus balls), chicken skewers and pork gyoza, as well as ramen, until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays. Hikawa is a founder of Parco Ramen in Collingwood and Moonee Ponds, but he moved on last year to launch Umami Tokyo as a takeaway business, popping up at Queen Victoria Market and music festivals. 'I want to deliver my ramen to as many people as possible,' he says. 'I've devoted myself to being a good ramen chef.'
The Age
23-06-2025
- Business
- The Age
Get disco-friendly ramen and snacks at Chapel Street's new late-night izakaya
Whenever Manato Hikawa went partying on Chapel Street, he noticed there were no late-night places serving the Japanese drinking snacks he had become used to in Tokyo. 'It was only kebabs,' he says. 'I saw a gap in the market for an izakaya that stays open after midnight.' He opened Umami Tokyo in May close to bars and clubs that push through to dawn, serving street dishes such as takoyaki (fried octopus balls), chicken skewers and pork gyoza, as well as ramen, until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays. Hikawa is a founder of Parco Ramen in Collingwood and Moonee Ponds, but he moved on last year to launch Umami Tokyo as a takeaway business, popping up at Queen Victoria Market and music festivals. 'I want to deliver my ramen to as many people as possible,' he says. 'I've devoted myself to being a good ramen chef.'
