Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Five Bells - A Visual Ode to Sydney

WE ARE EXCITED TO OPEN 2012 WITH THE GROUP EXHIBITION: 
Five Bells - A Visual Ode to Sydney.  
Exhibition dates: 1-18 February.
To be opened Saturday afternoon, 4th February, 2-4pm
by poet and friend of the late Kenneth Slessor 
Geoffrey Lehmann.

Elaine Campaner, Breakfast in Sydney, digital print, 553 x 830 mm, 2009
I looked out my window in the dark
At waves with diamond quills and combs of light
That arched their mackerel-backs and smacked the sand
In the moon's drench, that straight enormous glaze,
And ships far off asleep, and Harbour-buoys
Tossing their fireballs wearily each to each,
And tried to hear your voice, but all I heard
Was a boat's whistle, and the scraping squeal
Of seabirds' voices far away, and bells,
Five bells. Five bells coldly ringing out.
Five bells.


This passage from the poem Five Bells by Australian poet Kenneth Slessor appears in the very first section of the book ‘Sydney’, by Delia Falconer. Falconer's re-reading of the city of Sydney through the lens of this haunting and seminal poem has inspired the Damien Minton Gallery to invite 40 artists to contribute artwork about Sydney. We received a phenomenal response and are pleased to announce the final list of contributing artists:


Gallery artists:
Michael Callaghan • Elaine Campaner • Chris Capper
Tom Carment • Lottie Consalvo • James Drinkwater
Di Holdsworth • Cecilia Heffer • Hobart Hughes
Pia Larsen • Ross Laurie • Marie McMahon
Eric Niebuhr • Louise Tuckwell • Tony Twigg



We are delighted to host the following:
CLARRICE COLLIEN (Roomies Artspace) ELISABETH CUMMINGS (courtesy King Street Gallery on William)
ANNE FERGUSON
BECKY GIBSON (winner Brett Whiteley Scholarship 2011) JOHN GILLIES
MYFWANY GULLIFER (courtesy King Street Gallery on William)
ADAM HILL
ALEX JACKSON WYATT
PETER KINGSTON (courtesy Australian Galleries)
BRUCE LATIMER (courtesy Australian Galleries)
FRANK LITTLER (courtesy Watters Gallery)
EUAN MACLEOD (courtesy Watters Gallery)
DAVID PERRY (featuring one of Sydney’s first art films, “Walking”, 1957)
AMBROSE REISCH (courtesy Stella Downer Fine Art)
LIANE ROSSLER
KEN SEARLE (courtesy Watters Gallery)
PAUL SELWOOD (courtesy Watters Gallery)
MARTIN SHARP
ANDREW SIMPSON
STEVE SMITH
MARC STANDING (courtesy Brenda May Gallery)
BRETT STONE
TONI WARBURTON (courtesy of Mori Gallery)

PLUS A PROGRAM OF TALKS, READINGS AND PERFORMANCE AT THE GALLERY:

SATURDAY, 11TH FEBRUARY, 3-5 PM
Geordie Williamson (chief literary critic of the Australian)
in conversation with Gail Jones (author of the book 'Five Bells')

SATURDAY, 18TH FEBRUARY 3-5 PM 
Fiona McGregor (author of 'Indelible Ink') 
Martin Edmond (Author of 'Dark Night, Walking with McCahon)

SATURDAY, 18TH FEBRUARY 5-6 PM 
Laurie Scott Baker and Ruark Lewis 
performing Five Bells Remix.