Newsletter
Newsletter 295
Monday, July 15th, 2019 Newsletter,The week began in Arnhem Land where I went to see what the Art Gallery of South Australia has in store for the next installment of Tarnarnthi in October. The most memorable part of the trip was a three hour drive down a dusty, bumpy road to an indigenous community in the midst of a week-long […]
Newsletter 294
Monday, July 8th, 2019 Newsletter,In Queensland last weekend for the Margaret Olley and Ben Quilty shows at the Gallery of Modern Art I was struck by the size and enthusiasm of the crowds. GOMA has some of the best and most adventurous shows in the country, but rarely do they attract audiences of this magnitude. It’s a testimony to […]
Newsletter 293
Tuesday, July 2nd, 2019 Newsletter,Apologies for the lateness of this newsletter but it’s been another one of those weeks when there’s been too much to do in too brief a time. The main distraction was my third Australian cinema lecture at the Union, Universities and Schools Club, this one on the depiction of indigenous people. These talks have necessitated […]
Newsletter 292
Monday, June 24th, 2019 Newsletter,This week’s workload is hardly less crazy than last week’s, but it feels a bit better. Perhaps it’s because the Sydney Film Festival has wound-up, meaning that I don’t feel the temptation to go watching movies rather than sit in front of the laptop, churning out words. As it is, I’m having a film festival […]
Newsletter 291
Monday, June 17th, 2019 Newsletter,I’ll be succinct this week as I haven’t got the time to ramble on. Having accepted the invitation to deliver three lectures on Australian cinema this month, at the Union, University and Schools Club, I’ve been immersed in watching Australian movies, scribbling notes making connections… there’s no end to it. It’s fun, but it’s exceptionally […]
Newsletter 290
Monday, June 10th, 2019 Newsletter,This impossible month just keeps getting busier. This week I’m filing not one but two art columns, because the Sydney Morning Herald has suddenly got excited about the visual arts. I’m assured it’s only a passing phase but the immediate result of this enthusiasm was a request for a review of the National Gallery of Australia’s […]
Newsletter 289
Monday, June 3rd, 2019 Newsletter,Apologies for the lateness of this week’s newsletter. I’ll spare you the fine detail of my week, but it was truly relentless: Melbourne to Yirrkala to Perth to Sydney, culminating in an epic lecture on ‘Women in Australian Cinema’ at the Union, University and Schools Club. Throughout this journey I was writing every day. The […]
Newsletter 288
Monday, May 27th, 2019 Newsletter,In last week’s newsletter I wondered: does Jesus really want Scott Morrison to be Prime Minister? It seems the answer is ‘Yes’. After his grandstanding election victory, Scummo announced he has always believed in miracles, and has just delivered one. It was a pretty clear confirmation that he imagines God is in his corner. Now […]
Newsletter 287
Monday, May 20th, 2019 Newsletter,Politics in Australia isn’t a game of thrones but a game of suburban lounge chairs, with both leaders striving to appear more normal, natural and likeable than the other. The late Bob Hawke was the master of this, and was rewarded with four successive election victories. Hawke’s secret, as he told interviewers, was that he […]
Newsletter 286
Monday, May 13th, 2019 Newsletter,As I write this, the Archibald Prize is yet to be decided, so I won’t venture any thoughts on that annual hoop-la. There’ll be plenty of opportunities in the weeks ahead. In the meantime my travels have taken me from Paris to Le Havre, and now to Milan. On the way I’ve seen another group […]