Yes, we are all going to die. The bigger question is, do we know how we are going to die? According to the the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) the top 10 ways to die are: Do you notice what’s missing? There’s no nuclear oblivion, there’s no fungus zombie apocalypse, there’s no World War III. Why? Because the stats on how we are going to … Continue reading Are we all going to die?
Ray Monde captures the simple joy of a river in summer in his new solo exhibition at Michael Reid Southern Highlands. The artworks thread a connection along the Shoalhaven River between Riverbend, Ray Monde’s home and studio, to Riversdale, part of Arthur Boyd’s estate at Bundanon. There’s a deep interplay between the stillness of the monolithic landforms and the constant movement of the river, reflecting … Continue reading How the Shoalhaven River connects two Australian artists; Arthur Boyd and Ray Monde.
Forget New York and Chicago. Detroit has just slipped to #2. The #1 art destination in the United States is Santa Fe, New Mexico. Here’s why. Making tracks in the Railyard Arts District. The wrong side of the tracks has been transformed into a hub for arts that’s rivalling the great art cities of the United States. There’s a suite of commercial galleries including Blue … Continue reading What is the #1 city for art in the USA?
We think the Australian Labor Party is kinder to the arts, but is it? Are our feelings blinkered by Gough Whitlam´s famous acquisition of Blue Poles by Jackson Pollock in 1972 for $1.3 million? (now conservatively valued at $350 million). Here’s what the Australian Labor Party has said they’ll do for Australian artists. Develop a National Cultural Policy. A National Cultural Policy will set the … Continue reading Will Labor deliver for the arts?
The ferry sings between rocky island outcrops that form the San Juan islands, their edges smoothed by long-melted glaciers. The tops of the islands burst in dense Coast Douglas fir. There’s a delicious slowness to it all, we’re all unhurried together. Kids run past us barking like dogs. Grey muzzled chihuahuas totter past like octogenarians. I make quick sketches as things pass by, simple outlines … Continue reading New artworks inspired by Orcas Island, San Juan Islands.
It’s a cold June night. The power has been out since 4.30pm. I’ve cooked fried eggs in chilli on the wood stove and lit my last two candles. For a while, I blow out the candles, sit on the sofa in the dark and watch the firelight flicker on the wood panelled ceiling. Then I just sit, in the dark. The cuckoo clock stirs into … Continue reading How to pass the time.
What if the masks we wear to avoid COVID-19 are not oppressive but a key to discover our true selves? Continue reading Masks of quarantine: does hiding your face liberate your soul?
I’ve just left Scottsdale, Arizona. It’s ablaze with COVID-19. Home to the horn-wearing hoodlum who stormed the Capitol. Rocky desert, filled with thorns. Ringed by freeways. Now, I’ve hopped the border into California and am hunkering down in Palm Springs. The streets are empty, except for occasional middle-aged gays wearing matching tight shorts and bandanas around their necks. Nothing else. It’s warm here. A hot … Continue reading What’s going to happen to us in 2021?
Take a look at what kind of art that President Trump inspired and where we go next in a Biden Administration. Continue reading Is Trump the most inspiring President for artists?
“All the king’s horses and all the king’s menCouldn’t put Humpty together again.” It’s been a year of upheaval. Flux and change. Things will never be the same again. Just like humpty dumpty, we can’t put the pieces of this year together in a way that resemble a normal year. And there is no going back to what was. We read the news about change … Continue reading Nothing will ever be the same again.
Ray Monde 