Song Dong begins install at Carriageworks

Song Dong installation of 'Waste Not' as seen at MoMA, New York

Renowned Chinese artist Song Dong has arrived in Sydney to begin creating his large-scale contemporary art installation in the Carriageworks public space. Song Dong: Waste Not comes to Carriageworks from the artist’s family home in Beijing and was most recently shown at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The work was conceived by the artist following the death of his father and represents his mother’s process of mourning and remembrance. Consisting of the entire contents of Song Dong's mother's house, Waste Not reflects a journey of hardship and grief, resulting in a display of personal resilience, and ultimately a celebration of life.  Song Dong: Waste Not is presented by Carriageworks in association with 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art and the Sydney Festival and runs, free, from 5 January until 17 March. 

Kaldor announces most ambitious project in 40 years

Kaldor Public Art Projects today announced it will present the most ambitious project in its 40-year history - a major international contemporary art exhibition curated by two of the world’s most respected museum directors, running from 11 until 21 April 2013. 

13 Rooms brings together 13 famous artists and more than 70 trained performers to present a groundbreaking group exhibition of ‘living sculpture’ within 13 purpose-built rooms. The groundbreaking event, to be presented at Pier 2/3 in Sydney's Walsh Bay, has been curated by renowned museum directors and curators Hans Ulrich Obrist, Co-director of London’s Serpentine Gallery, and Klaus Biesenbach, Director of MoMA PS1 in New York.

Swiss design comes to Sydney

A touch of Swiss sustainability comes to Sydney this month as part of the Sydney Architecture Festival 2012. "Swiss Positions: 33 takes on sustainable approaches to building" is an exhibition, curated by Nathalie Herschdorfer, assembling photographs of key buildings of Swiss Architecture and Engineering from the past 20 years.  These 33 works explore the recent technical potential in regards to ecology and environmental protection. At the same time they emphasize their uniqueness. The exhibition runs from 24 October until 2 November 2012 at the Italian Cultural Institute, Level 4, 125 York Street, Sydney.

Green architect to speak at Sydney Architecture Festival

Internationally renowned architect Dr Ken Yeang will present a public talk as part of the 2012 Sydney Architecture Festival, at 6pm on Thursday 25th October at the University of Sydney.

Dr Yeang (based between the UK and Malaysia) is best known for his signature green architecture and masterplans. He is regarded as the innovator of his energy efficient 'bioclimatic skyscrapers', high rise buildings that incorporate climate-responsive principles in order to create low-energy buildings. One of Dr Yeang's most notable green buildings, The Solaris in Singapore (pictured), is currently shortlisted for the UK's prestigious Lubetkin Prize, to be announced this October.

New Bill Henson exhibition opens tonight

Bill Henson Untitled 2011/12

Bill Henson, widely regarded as one of Australia's leading contemporary artists, will unveil an exhibition of new works this evening at Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery. Running until 13 October 2012, the exhibition continues the substantial body of work created by the artist who is renowned as a master of light and dark and for his powerful and evocative photographs. The exhibition features mostly figurative that 'explore our relationship to the classical roots of European civilisation' and a few sculptural images.

World renowned dance group Rosas to perform in Sydney

Belgian dance group Rosas (Photograph: Anne Van Aerschot)

The 18th Biennale of Sydney and Carriageworks will present the Australian premieres of En Entendant and Cesena, two performances by world renowned choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker's dance ensemble Rosas. Four performances will be held at Carriageworks between 11 and 15 September 2012.

En Entendant takes a new step in the exploration of combined music and dance, taking audiences to a place where twilight merges into night. Cesena, a counterpart performance to En Entendant, heralds the start of a new day and is choreographed in collaboration with the musical director Bjorn Schemeizer. Dancers and singers in Cesena explore the limits of their ability and artist Ann Veronica Janssens has collaborated on the set design.

Daniel Crooks new solo exhibition

Daniel Crooks #14 (Chris) Courtesy the artist and Anna Schwartz Gallery

Daniel Crooks’ inaugural exhibition at Anna Schwartz Gallery, Sydney opens 22 August, featuring dramatic, photographic portraits, up to 4m x 4m in size. For almost a decade Crooks has been at the forefront of cutting-edge Australian video art. 

Following successful presentations in the MCA's Marking Time exhibition and in Parallel Collisions at the Adelaide Biennial, this exhibition will feature photographic and video works that manipulate the very notions of the portrait, the landscape and of space and time. Crooks’ engaging and mesmeric street scenes reflect the complexity of urban life; the laneways breathe - contracting and expanding; creating a seemingly impossibly world of perpendicular streets.