Blog — Page 128 of 281

Ben Quilty

Penguin Random House

Winner of the Archibald Prize, activist artist Ben Quilt has had quite a few of solo exhibitions, which I have been lucky enough to witness in different Australian state museums. No matter if it is his latter compelling art informing by his stint with Australian troops or in refugee camps or his formative artworks that channel the depiction of seemingly mundane everyday items through his own lens, you would agree that his oeuvre is idiosyncratic and recognizable once you have been exposed to it: Quilty is a master of distortion and highlighting intense emotions and dreads that rage inside one’s chest. His art is visual commentary on the, musing on current social and political events as well as the criticism of notions of patriotism, identify and toxic masculinity, which at times and more visceral moments carry trademarks and more than subtle nods to Francis Bacon’s work.

This beautiful tome is an ode to an Australian artist and social commentator that celebrates twenty years of his artistic emissions in an opulently illustrated manner, including e coverage of a wide variety of media, e.g. drawing, photography, sculpture, installation and references to his excursions into the world of moving images.

Embedded in illuminating essays and an insightful foreword, I would recommend this comprehensive book specifically to those interested in art yet unfamiliar with the work and world of Quilty.

Thus Let Us Drink Beer – Ballistic Beer

What a time to be alive – especially if you are a hop aficionado and based on terra australis. The array of quality craft beer breweries popping up and channelling their alchemy in delicious brews seems to be never ending. Every time when I think that I have covered the premium sector of my favourite hoppy brew, i.e. India Pale Ale, another brewery appears on my radar that excites my palate.

Case in point – Ballistic Beer Co.

Based in Queensland, Ballistic Beer’s core range, i.e. lager, pale ale, IPA and European-style as well as a low-alcohol variation has been known to me as an institution whose emissions were yet to disappoint in terms of exquisite flavours – specifically when it comes to their limited hop forward expressions and with the “Sleep When You’re Dead” series having produced highlights that make me smack my lips merely thinking of them.

Needless to say that I was anticipating the new “Modern IPA” release of the Sleep When You’re Dead, which is now available for a mere eight weeks.ost of

I have had many IPAs, which were usually a constituent of a boilermaker along with a peaty Islay whisky. More often than not, the respective brews excel in one category, e.g. they are either tropical in flavour or overly hoppy.

Then there is this beauty: An example par excellence for how dankness can be calibrated with juicy highlights that rest on a solid foundation of the best of what North America has to offer in terms of hops - think a quadriga of Mosaic, Citra, Vic Secret and Chinook.

While the name might suggest that it is a novelty brew and the ABV of 7.2% might have you think that it is dominated by alcohol, the flavour profile is so nuanced that is drinks like a session ale.

I have always been a fan of Ballistic Passionfruit Brut IPA with its sweet stone fruity aromas that counterbalance the tartness of the passionfruit, which results in a body reminiscent of a citrussy, yet slightly bitter dry white wine, but the latest addition to the Sleep When You’re Dead series with this only temporarily available Modern IPA has taken things to the next level.

You got eight weeks to sample it, after which you should not despair as Ballistic Beer’s core range is sure to excite the taste buds of anyone remotely into the finer side of what beer can offer.

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image from company website

Aesthetic Theory

Think Art

Dieter Mersch

Posthumously having seen the light of day, Theodor Adornos take on what underpins the principles of art is much more than what the title suggests and it not only focusses on the core subject but expands on exploring the implications on sociology, art, politics and the realm of cognition.

The concept that artists can channel their alchemy to provide commentary on the world we live in should be nothing new and is more often than not at least a desired side effect. Yes, beauty might be after all in the art of the beholder, but Adorno’s approach gave it another dimension in that he found veracity content and a specific message in the emissions of an artists.

Dieter Mersch’s Aesthetic Theory not only explores the aforementioned but includes a wide array of essays from a range of thinkers and luminaries, which aim at dissecting the delicate and often very subtle link between aesthetic event and theory.

The tome provides food for thought by shedding light on how artistic social commentary can have a tangible impact on the general population and thereby become a cataclysm for change. One feels triggered to look below the surface, read between the lines and inspires one to try a bit harder to comprehend what the meaning of a piece of art could be attempting to communicate.

It would be difficult to make a compelling case for Adorno’s thought not having become an integral part of modern aesthetics and thereby of popular culture at large. As such, the book is indispensable as a reference when it comes to analysing human experience and what makes us tick, by not reducing the matter to sociological factors but as Adorno put it ever so eloquently – “the sedimented history of human history”, which he perceived to be the origin of all artistic endeavours.

Stiff Little Fingers

Metro Theatre

Sydney, Australia

February 21, 2020

There is a chance that I need to revisit The Clash’s early oeuvre, however, in my humble opinion Stiff Little Finger’s “Inflammable Material” is, as far as an early, snotty political punk record is concerned, a near perfect release as it had, apart from being fuelled by dissatisfaction with the status quo, more grit and urgency. This might in no small part be due to the fact that in the late seventies of Belfast, politics and Northern Ireland’s conflicts affected everyone’s life in the most tangible and often threatening way.

Fast forward forty-one years, and SLF are holding court to celebrate one of the eponymous and more important albums that have paved the way for how punk rock evolved, embedded in a melange of songs that illustrate the highlights of their other nine albums.

Whilst Stiff Little Fingers with their in-your-face bangers do not really have any hits as such, they have mastered the art of delivering their enthusiastic audience what they want and have calibrated their setlist accordingly, including banter to embed the respective salves in relevant context.

Needless to say that the evening culminated in a frenetically celebrated rendition of “Alternative Ulster”.

The evening was testament to the fact that not only the album “Inflammable material” has firmly established itself on the firmament of punk rock and alternative music at large as a timeless masterpiece and temple for a myriad of other punk bands, but that Stiff Little Fingers as band have retained relevance and are a whole lot of fun to experience in a live environment.

Thus Let Us Drink Beer - Sauce Brewing Co

Now, not sure if what originally start as a microbrewery in the inner-west of Sydney can still be classified as such, as it has evolved to one of the more prominent representatives of the local craft beer scene.

Starting out from a gypsy-style stovetop operation, Sauce is now a full production brewery that also doubles as a brewpub with an exquisite beer garden, where visitors are proffered tasting paddles and takeaways.

Claiming that Sauce Brewing is all about being “hop forward” would be an understatement par excellence, which is why specifically their IPAs have registered on my radar. Don’t get me wrong – Sauce has a strong core range ranging from pilseners via pale ales to mid-strength brews, but their India Pale Ale endeavours take things to the next level.

Let’s start off with their standard IPA, i.e. Extra-Hop Sauce, which is heavily informed by what are the merits of American West-coast IPAs: A lean-bodyness whose foundation comprised of three American hop varieties result in a fruity yet malty  tropical flavour profile that has its resinous  and bitter nuances, which add a bit of a bite.

Now, let’s step things up a bit, shall we?

I was having a nice dram of Laphroaig Quarter Cask when I first cracked a can of Sabarillo – Juicy IPA in a bid to find an appropriate equivalent for a boilermaker on a hot day. As the hybrid name suggest, this one is melange of Sabro and Amarillo hops, i.e. a double-dry-hopped juicy IPA. The coconut flavours and highlights that are reminiscent of pineapples make it difficult to not be reminded of a piña colada with an added dimension of stone fruits, however, the grainy malts that inform the foundation along with the ever present hops radiating their dank  goodness, this is one of the nicer IPAs I have recently had the pleasure of acquainting myself with.

While the name Sauce – an Australian slang term for alcohol – along with the name and graphic design of their emissions not exactly indicating outrageous creativity when it comes to nomenclature, Sauce’s beers have yet to underwhelm and I urge anyone remotely into brews to check their range out themselves.

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photo from company website