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SUMMERARTS & ENTERTAINMENTMONDAY, JANUARY 2, 2017 THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

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Arts we there yet?Heading interstate for the holidays and short of ideas to pass the time? Galleries can get busy this time ofyear but the upside is air conditioning, must-see summer blockbuster exhibitions and family-friendlyprograms. Here’s our guide to what’s on around the country from Hannah Francis.

HobartOn the Origin of ArtMuseum of Old and New Art

Until April 17mona.net.auMONA’s current exhibition explores four biological theories on the origin of art, from the Darwinian to the decorative, spanning four separate galleries. It’s a thought-provoking experience that “flips the finger to decades of academic theory”, writes John Bailey. Also on off er is MONA’s annual Festival of Music and Art, January 18 to 22, and a New Year’s Day concert.

DarwinDavid Collins: From the StreetMuseum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory

Until January 29magnt.net.auDavid Collins has taken over Darwin’s major gallery with an indoor mural. Collins is hosting street art workshops over the course of the month, with the results incorporated into the changing mural. Other exhibitions at MAGNT include the Australian landscapes of Country & Western, until March 19; and Tom Roberts, Brett Whiteley, John Brack and more exploring the topic Hot!, until August 13.

BrisbaneGOMA Turns 10Gallery of Modern Art

Until April 17qagoma.qld.gov.auBrisbane’s Gallery of Modern Art celebrates with a

big, arty party. You’ll find a Pip & Pop artwork in the foyer; contemporary art in Sugar Spin; Lucent’s Indigenous and Pacific Islander works; and more. The Summer Festival, January 18 to 22, has workshops and concerts.

PerthDissenting VoicesUntil January 8

Art Gallery of Western Australiaartgallery.wa.gov.auClosing soon is the Art Gallery of Western Australia’s exploration of protest art, Dissenting Voices. It features contemporary installations, photography, sculptures, videos and paintings. Among them are new commissions, Goya’s depictions of the Napoleonic war, and a strong contingent of Indigenous works from the Museum’s State Collection.

Reckless ActsPerth Institute of Contemporary Art

January 20 - February 4pica.org.auFive separate performances described as an “eclectic mix of local and national artists” aimed at “adventurous” people. Topping the bill is something called Fantasy Light Yoga, which is “a little bit deep house, a little bit stompy, a little bit Jane Fonda and a lot of whacky weird”. Ominously, for wallflowers, there are “no spectators”.

Things are rather quiet in Radelaide ahead of the Biennial early next

year, but the delightful Curious Beasts – borrowed from the British Museum with some additions from the South Australian Museum – is sure to please the whole family. It may also tie in nicely with a trip to the cinema to see the latest Harry Potter instalment, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

Versailles: Treasures From the PalaceNational Gallery of Australia

Until April 17 nga.gov.auSpectacular statues and flush furnishings from the Palace of Versailles have travelled all the way to Canberra. There’s a garden, a kids’ space, and specially designed perfume wafting through the air.

The Popular Pet ShowNational Portrait Gallery

Until March 13 portrait.gov.auKids and animal lovers will get a kick out of this portraiture exhibition with a twist. Nicholas Harding paints celebrities with their pets, Robyn Sweaney paints the townsfolk with their dogs, and Ken Done captures his own dog, Spotty.

AdelaideCurious Beasts: Animal prints from Durer to GoyaSouth Australian Museum

Until February 5 samuseum.sa.gov.au

V ill T

Canberra

Maticevski: Dark WonderlandBendigo Art Gallery

Until January 15bendigoartgallery.com.auThis showcase of renowned Australian designer Toni Maticevski has been extended into January, and is well worth catching in its last days if you’re driving through. It’s quirky, glamorous, audacious and masterly, writes critic Penny Webb.

Tricking the Eye: Contemporary Trompe L’OeilGeelong Gallery

Until February 12Geelonggallery.org.auLiterally “trick the eye”, the ability to trompe l’oeil was a prized artistic feat during the Renaissance and Baroque periods. Here we see 12 contemporary Australian

artists toying with image and illusion, including through virtual reality. It’s a lot of fun.

The Sculpture of Bronwyn OliverTarrawarra Museum of Art

Until February 5twma.com.auWith more than 50 sculptures on display, this is the first comprehensive survey of Bronwyn Oliver’s work since her death a decade ago. Oliver forged her own path with sculptures that reflected the geometry of nature.

Birds: Flight Paths in Australian ArtMornington Peninsula Regional Gallery

Until February 12mprg.mornpen.vic.gov.auTwitchers gather round, this exhibition is for you. From

the anatomical to the surreal, this exhibition showcases more than 50 artists - from Albert Tucker and Ben Quilty - and their interpretations of our feathered friends. You can even buy artist Kenny Pittock’s specially made birdy colouring book.

Human/Animal/Artist: Art Inspired by AnimalsMcClelland Sculpture Park + Gallery, Langwarrin

Until February 19mcclellandgallery.comCould animals be considered artists? Art historian Janine Burke thinks so. Following the publication of her book Nest: The Art of Birds, Burke, who calls herself an “animist”, has curated the works of 25 artists inspired by the artistry of non-human animals.

SydneyNude: Art from the TateArt Gallery of NSW Until February 5artgallery.nsw.gov.au

Leave the kids behind, or treat them to an impromptu, one-of-a-kind anatomy lesson at the Art Gallery of NSW. What better way to ponder the human form than through various art movements, with Auguste Rodin’s famous sculpture The Kiss through to works from Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Lucian Freud and more.

Vile BodiesWhite Rabbit Gallery

Until February 5whiterabbitcollection.orgSpecialising in contemporary Chinese works, art critic John McDonald calls White Rabbit Gallery in Chippendale “a permanent must-see”. A nice segue from the Tate show, current exhibition Vile Bodies explores a sense of beauty in the grotesque, with glorious monsters, doctored figures and a dose of black humour.

Tatsuo Miyajima: Connect With EverythingMuseum of Contemporary Art Until March 5mca.com.auThe Museum of Contemporary Art has bagged Japanese artist Tatsuo Miyajima’s first major show in the Southern Hemisphere. It explores time and its passing, through room-size installations with sculptures, lighting, video performance and his signature digital counting devices.

Summer blockbustersNGV International and Ian Potter Centrengv.vic.gov.auMelbourne boasts not one, not two, but three blockbusters this summer. First off the rank is John Olsen’s The You Beaut Country at Fed Square’s Ian Potter Centre: NGV

Australia. The retrospective spanning 70 years of his work runs until February 12.Up the road at NGV International, Viktor&Rolf: Fashion Artists celebrates the out-there designs of the Dutch duo, featuring creepy mannequins, dresses carved with chainsaws, and a children’s atelier. Until February 26.Also at the main gallery is

David Hockney: Current, featuring newer works created on the iPad and iPhone. It has largely pleased the critics. You can watch the creation of Hockney’s digital art works played back stroke by stroke. Until March 13.

Regional Victoria

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Above: Detail from Auguste

Rodin’s The Kiss. Above left: Latona

and her children from the Palace

of Versailles. Far left: The famous

porcupine by Frederick Hendrik

Van Hove.

Left: David Hockney. Below: Yayoi Kusama’s Dots Obsession.

David Collins’ mural-in-progress, From the Street. Tactile artwork

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Tony Jones’ Race Relations is in the Dissenting

Voices exhibition.

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Regional NSW

Lego Mount Panorama-Wahluu ModelBathurst Regional Art Gallery

Until January 29bathurstart.com.auRyan “the Brickman” McNaught is one of 14 certified Lego professionals worldwide and has built a Lego model of Mount Panorama-Wahluu, showcasing its history and its development. Visitors can also construct their own Lego models on a table custom-built by McNaught.

Wonder Land - Pennie PomroyBroken Hill Regional Art Gallery

Until January 29brokenhill.nsw.gov.auPenny Pomroy is concerned with how the environment shapes and influences our identities. She encourages visitors to revisit their imaginative side, and to ponder the environment around them and how they

interact with it.

Saltwater CountryLake Macquarie City Art Gallery

Until January 29artgallery.lakemac.com.auWith Indigenous artists including Michael Cook, Daniel Boyd and Vernon Ah Kee, this exhibition showcases the historical, environmental and personal concerns of the artists, focusing on their strong connection to their home: Queensland’s coast, seas and waterways. The exhibition has toured internationally, throughout Washington DC, The Netherlands, and various locations in Australia and is curated by Michael Aird and Virginia Rigney.

Editioned - Prints from the CollectionOrange Regional Gallery

Until January 15org.nsw.gov.au/Madeline Holborow has curated an exhibition showcasing print artworks from some of Australia’s best printmakers. It aims to highlight the many diff erent techniques and eff ects printmaking can create, demonstrating the skill, persistence, imagination and experimentation of the featured artists.

Holding: Contemporary Fibre ArtNewcastle Art Gallery

Until February 5nag.org.auHolding: Contemporary Fibre Art brings together the work of 25 international, national and local textile artists, including Lanny Bergner, Tim Johnson and Nalda Searles. Four of the 12 Australian artists on show call the Hunter region home. Featuring two-dimensional, sculptural and installation artworks, each artist individually comments on the concept of “holding”.

Stuart Boggs: GlimpsesTamworth Regional Gallery

Until January 14tamworthregional gallery.com.auStuart Boggs presents a series of paintings contemplating the influence on his art of the landscape and his own geographical background. He focuses on the country around Armidale, especially Dangars Falls, along with coastal landforms. The artworks include realistic depictions of his surroundings, along with more abstract portrayals.