NORTH ART - SOUTH ART, VIA FIL - ART

To much fanfare, the Art Gallery of New South Wales opened last December its New/North/Modern wing, touted as the biggest, most significant culture and arts event in Sydney since the opening of the Opera House.  Epic, then. When we visited it a few weeks ago, the place was indeed big and awesome and there were in fact a lot of loud "Wow!"s heard from the family and by everyone unfortunate enough to be around us.

And my "favorite-as-soon-as-I-saw-it" installation was a fascinating, intricate, poignant overhead piece that played on the concept of what and where Home actually is -- and as it turns out, the artists were originally from the Philippines.

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Fast forward to this week, and the LLDD-Hyphen-L and I get to attend a special viewing for the Consular Corps of this year's Archibald Prize awardees at the Gallery's Old/South/Traditional wing, and it too was as amazing as advertised.

And, once more, no big surprise, people were drawn to a moving, powerful family portrait made by an accomplished Filipina-Australia artist. 

If that wasn't inspiring enough, the children in the painting - none more than eight years old - collaborated on their own piece and were themselves finalists of the Prize's Young Artists awards.   

As I've said many times before, I may not know much about art, but I know what I like --  and I love all of this.   

A FEW GOOD INFLUENCERS

Ok cool cool cool DFA day again and the department once more produces a slick hype video and hey look at that...

...they used stock footage of Sydney from last year...

...which is cool and all but they could have also gone with the growing home-based Batch who were RIGHT THERE with fresh content

or mal-content, judging by their failed "wacky"

TAS - pffthhhbbbthbbb - MANIA!

Because you can't head down to Tasmania without raspberry-ing your way through the classic looney theme tune...THBBBFFSST!!!

*whimsical intro music*

Welcome to the land...

that's way under,

down under,

the sky's always yellow... 

in rain...

or shine.

Down in Taz-Mania!

Come to Taz-Mania!

Where topsy...

meets turvy...

and they start to spin,

like a Tazmanian devil... 

and his closest kin.

Down in Taz-Mania!

Come to Taz-Mania!

Mom's a live wire,

dad's a bump on a log,

Molly's all fired up

while Jake plays with the dog.

Down in Taz-Mania!

Come to Taz-Mania!

Digeri Dingo and Wendel T. Wolf ...

Francis X. Bushlad is never uncouth.

Bushwhacker Bob...

and his mother called Mum,

Constance and Thickley...

just want to have fun.

Bull Gator and Axl are always left sore,

if you have a deal just call Buddy Boar.

The Platypus brothers are a-backin' about,

the kiwis, 

the bushrats,

have we left anyone out?

Oh yeah, don't forget Taz...

He put the Taz in Taz-Mania,

Down in Tazmania, 

come to Tazmania.

We mean YOU!

Wa-ba-ba-bla-bloopthbbb!!!