MEDIA INFORMATIONG’DAY USA 2013

Top: John Kaldor Family Gallery. Middle: Aboriginal Heritage Tour, Royal Botanic Gardens. Bottom: Sydney Theatre Company.

Artistic and cultural inspiration

SPOTLIGHT ON SYDNEY

Sydney is a powerhouse of artistic excellence. Its rich blend of cultures, the natural beauty of the landscapes, climate, energy and appetite for life make the harbour city a prime source of creativity and innovation that can be seen in art galleries, shows, dance, theatre and music.

SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE

Universally applauded as one of the most visionary, exciting and innovative buildings of the modern era, Sydney Opera House is the city’s premier showcase for all the performing arts. The home of the Australian Ballet and the Australian Opera Company, its theatres host symphony concerts, dance, films and plays as well as opera. The building also houses the celebrated Guillaume at Bennelong, one of Sydney’s finest restaurants.

The House is also one of the focal points for Sydney Festival, when the city shifts into party mode for the entire month of January. Guided tours depart at frequent intervals from the tour office, on the lower forecourt level. Built on the site of a former tram depot, the Opera House was conceived by visionary Danish architect Joern Utzon, whose dazzling, dramatic, entrancing building captures the spirit of Sydney. The building overcame formidable engineering challenges before it opened in 1973. Today, the Opera House is urban Australia’s most potent icon, and a much-loved symbol for the city of Sydney. sydneyoperahouse.com

CARRIAGEWORKS

Formerly the Eveleigh Rail Yards, this sprawling complex of railway workshops just south of the city center has been given an artistic makeover. Carriageworks is now a bold multi-purpose space for visual and performing arts, with theatres, galleries and rehearsal spaces that harness the vast dimensions of the factories and workshops to creative use. For the first time in March 2013, Carriageworks will host Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia, a week-long celebration and showcase of Australian fashion design talent. Adjacent to Carriageworks is Eveleigh Market, a weekly Saturday Farmers’ Market held in the Blacksmith’s Workshop, home to more than 80 regular stall holders featuring a vast array of seasonal produce including organic, bio dynamic foods from farmers and artisan food producers across New South Wales. carriageworks.com.au

ART ON THE RADAR

One of the state’s leading public art galleries, the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) has five floors of creative brilliance that showcase the blockbusters of the artistic world. The Gallery is currently hosting Francis Bacon: five decades as part of the Sydney International Art Series, one of the most significant international art exhibitions held annually in Sydney.

Any visit to AGNSW must include a walk through the new John Kaldor Family Gallery which is the largest single donation to an Australian public gallery. Its 200 pieces of contemporary art are valued in excess of AUD$35million.

From 9 February to 19 May, the fashion of Helmut Newton and Bettina Rheims will be on display featuring 50 works by these two significant figures of the fashion photography genre. Although Newton established an international reputation during his time in New York, he began working as a fashion photographer for the Australian edition of Vogue magazine. artgallery.nsw.gov.au

Australia’s bespoke venue for modern art, the Museum of Contemporary Art is the only public museum in the country dedicated to exhibiting, interpreting and collecting contemporary art from across Australia and around the world. Until 1 April, the gallery will be exhibiting works by Anish Kapoor, the first major exhibition in Australia by this celebrated artist which is also part of the Sydney international Art Series 2013.

From 15 August to 27 November the gallery will host String Art, focusing on works by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists who use string as an integral part of their compositions. From 14 November 2013 to 23 February 2014, the MCA will exhibit War is Over (If You Want It), by Yoko Ono, five decades of artworks across a range of media by this legendary artist, musician and activist as part of the 2014 Sydney International Art Series. mca.com.au

WALSH BAY ARTS PRECINCT

Once the core of Sydney’s shipping and stevedoring industries, the cargo wharves and warehouses of Walsh Bay, close to the south side of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, have now become the centrepiece of a thrilling arts precinct and the base for some of Australia’s major performing arts and dance companies.

Exciting and innovative, Bangarra Dance Theatre is one of the most electrifying contemporary Aboriginal dance companies working in Australia today. Backed by an all-Aboriginal cast of writers, directors and performers, Stephen Page, Bangarra’s choreographer and artistic director, digs deep into his

culture to orchestrate powerful performances that explore contemporary Aboriginal social themes. bangarra.com.au

Sydney continues to refine its powerful, pithy Australian theatrical tradition that has produced many talented writers, directors and performers. Russell Crowe, Mel Gibson, Cate Blanchett and Nicole Kidman are just some who have progressed from Sydney to stardom. Under the inspired direction of Andrew Upton playwright husband of Cate Blanchett, the Sydney Theatre Company continues to make its mark with commanding productions that takes its performances onto the stages of the wider world. sydneytheatre.com.au

Always exciting, always fresh, Sydney Dance Company is Australia’s premier contemporary dance company, with a world-class reputation for its ground-breaking performances. sydneydancecompany.com

ART, THEATRE AND FLAIR AT SYDNEY’S NEW BOUTIQUE HOTEL

Latest arrival on Sydney’s hotel scene, QT Sydney sits within two of the city’s most iconic buildings – the historic Gowings department store and heritage-listed State Theatre. While the exterior might pay homage to the past, within the hotel is another story. Acclaimed designer Nic Graham’s bold design reaches a pinnacle in the lobby, where historical features are set off by an imposing LED wall of digital art by Daniel Crooks. An audio-visual piece playing between levels creates a sensory adventure as it adjusts to the mood of the elevator and its occupants. All the art work was exclusively selected by curator Amanda Love, creating a playground for those who love of art, design, fashion, music and food. qtsydney.com.au

MUSICAL DELIGHTS: THE ADDAMS FAMILY

In recent times Sydney has played host to some of the world’s most colourful and toe-tapping musicals such as Legally Blonde, Chitty, Chitty Bang Bang and Mary Poppins. In March 2013, Sydney welcomes the Broadway smash hit musical comedy, The Addams Family, to Sydney’s Capitol Theatre, introducing Sydneysiders to the scarilicious world of Gomez, Morticia, Uncle Fester, Grandma, Wednesday, Pugsley and Lurch. Australian actors John Waters, Chloë Dallimore and Russell Dykstra will star in the show, which makes its Australian premiere in Sydney. addamsfamilythemusical.com.au

AUTHENTIC INDIGENOUS EXPERIENCES

Indigenous tourism is steadily building momentum in New South Wales. Using the knowledge of the landscape and its plants and animals gained over thousands of years as well

as their intense spiritual connection with the land, Aboriginal Australians are now offering an array of unique experiences to visitors. In Sydney, these include Aboriginal-guided cruises on Sydney Harbour, bush tucker tours, cultural performances and specialist galleries dedicated exclusively to Aboriginal art.

Waradah Aboriginal Centre is a landmark tourist facility in the Blue Mountains that celebrates Australian Aboriginal life and culture. Dance performances take place at regular times throughout the day. Audience members are able to witness Aboriginal Dance and Didgeridoo performances, with explanations of the stories that accompany each dance. The Didgeridoo Show is an interactive and fun way of explaining the instrument, its history and its distinctive sounds while the Corroboree (dance) showcases four to five authentic dances, performed by Aboriginal dancers in traditional paint and costume. The Centre also houses an Aboriginal art gallery and a shop where visitors can purchase authentic Aboriginal artworks. waradahaboriginalcentre.com.au

Set among the palms and statuary of Sydney’s Royal Botanic Gardens, Aboriginal Education Officer Clarence Slockee takes visitors on an Aboriginal Heritage Tour to taste the bush foods that were part of the diet for the Cadigal people, the original inhabitants of this area.

The Gardens’ Cadi Jam Ora is a display garden that features food and medicinal plants used by Sydney’s Cadigal people. These plants are contrasted with the plants farmed by the first European settlers, who established the colony’s earliest gardens at this spot. rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au

The Yiribana Gallery in the Art Gallery of NSW is one of the largest spaces in the country dedicated exclusively to indigenous art and sculpture. Highlights of the collection include traditional works on bark and some spectacular pieces from Arnhem Land, in far northern Australia, one of the wellsprings of Aboriginal art. The permanent exhibition also includes works by some of Australia’s leading Aboriginal artists, such as Rover Thomas, Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Long Tom Tjapanangka and Ginger Riley Munduwalawala. artgallery.nsw.gov.au

The Rocks Dreaming Tour is an authentic walkabout that uncovers a fascinating history of Sydney through Aboriginal eyes. The tour provides insight into the area’s original inhabitants, the Cadigal people, their heritage and their deeply spiritual connection to the natural world of Sydney’s harbour and surrounds. Visitors can gain an understanding of ancient indigenous beliefs and how these weave daily relevance into Sydney’s contemporary Aboriginal society. therocks.com/sydney-Things_To_Do-The_Rocks_Dreaming

Showcasing the strong link between Aboriginal people, their culture and wildlife, Taronga Zoo’s new Nura Diya Aboriginal Discovery Tour leads visitors through the zoo with an Aboriginal Guide. Learn about the shared history between animals and the land and hear stories of the Dreaming, describing the creation of animals and the landscape. Be introduced to centuries-old traditional uses of plants for food and medicine while enjoying interactive experiences with unique Australian wildlife, including koalas, kangaroos, wallabies and a vast array of Australia’s birds. taronga.org.au/NuraDiya

Aboriginal Cultural Cruise with Tribal Warrior is an Aboriginal owned and operated cruise that views Sydney through indigenous eyes. The tour includes a visit to a Sydney Harbour island and a traditional welcoming ceremony with dance and didgeridoo. Throughout the tour, the guides point out the Aboriginal names and interpretations for significant harbour landmarks. tribalwarrior.org

For more information go to Sydney.com For images go to images.destinationnsw.com.au

Twitter: #Sydney, @sydney_sider Facebook: Tag ‘SydneyAustralia’ Instagram: #Sydney, @seesydney

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