Blog — Page 185 of 281

Encountering the Spiritual in Contemporary Art

Nelson Atkins

Spirituality, huh? There is a case to be made for it being essential for existence not unlike a fire is for a candle.

Some would claim the same for art and even go a step further claiming that art is not merely what is seen but what it makes other see, which make it come full circle and links it to spirituality.

Encountering the Spiritual in Contemporary Art is a tome focused – as the telling title suggests – on the linkages between spiritual elements in art of the last three decades. What I found interesting is that it extends its scope far beyond the confines of merely Western art and reaches into Indigenous and other cultures, which depending on the specific culture are at times centred around spiritual motives.

In essence, the book is a celebration of diversity and plurality with not merely depicting artworks but substantiating them with well-researched elaborations, which tackle sujets from different angles to provide a holistic outlook that is calibrated at a level which should hold the interest of both academic as well as general audiences.

It goes deeper that mere face value level examinations of mainstream art and refrains from preaching to the converted: There is no need to be a spiritual person to be intrigued by the subject matter and, as a matter of fact, the book specifically appeals not only to believers but also agnostics and sceptics alike by addressing fundamental questions that concern all of us, which serves as a common foundation and denomination for the essays.

If you are into art for more than mere aesthetics and “art pour l’art” this one is something that you should not go without in your library.

Blasted

Malthouse Theatre

Melbourne, Australia

August 31, 2018

Artist provocateur Sarah Kane’s polarising play has been described as being one of the more shocking and provocative ones.

Dysfunctional, alcohol addled tabloid journalist meets trouble young woman in Leeds, England. The act of seduction goes awry, gets out of hand and we are catapulted into a war torn environment where the arrival of soldier escalates brutal events, which captures the three individuals in the confines of their hotel room bringing their inner and outer demons to live.

In essence, a musing on the lower regions of torture, human suffering, pain, points of no return and atonement.

With the production feeling borderline claustrophobic and devoid of showy elements the cast, comprised of Fayssal Bazzi, Eloise Mignon and David Woods and directed by Anne-Louise Sarks, infuse life into a play by keeping the focus on the ensemble that has been critizised for being overly reliant on shock value depictions of sex and violence by stripping it back to its bare bones.

In no uncertain terms, Blasted is essentially a war story boxed in a hotel room highlighting the interrelations between unrelenting domestic physical and psychological violence and the madness of war.

The audience becomes the voyeur, being confronted with graphic depictions of rape, violence and cannibalism on end - depictions of what populates the front pages of our newspapers every day. Fiction and dystopia that have long become reality.

Twenty-three years after it was first conceived and debated in heated manner, literally all facets of what Sarah Kane might have endeavoured to portray as prophetic in the mid-1990s are now commonplace in our mainstream culture, no matter how grotesque the violence appears to be.

The sujets of Blasted are much closer to home – literally and metaphorically – than most would want to admit.

While the Malthouse Theatre incarnation of Blasted has elements that would fit the Greek Tradition of catharsis, there is an additional contemporary dimension added, one that is all the more depressing because it resembles reality.

The impact of Blasted, a play that has over twenty-three years morphed from fiction to reality, did not leave behind an audience that was shocked anymore but one provoked to think.

Gene Simmons

Festival Hall

Melbourne, Australia

August 30, 2018

Gene Simmons.

Ace Frehley.

Spearheads of KISS.

Outworn labels like “legendary” are not inappropriate in this context as it would prove to be difficult to find anyone who grew up in the 1970s/80s that has not at least been partly impacted by KISS and what its individual constituents introduced to the world of music and popular culture at large.

2018 sees the bigger-than-life persona Gene Simmons reconciling with his former bandmate Ace Frehley taking stages down under to not only celebrate their crowd-pleasers but also gems of their more obscure solo back catalogue, and gems there is no shortage of. A Gene Simmons shows is first and foremost a grandiose exercise in refined, old school entertainment. The man holds court and his engaging banter and crowd interaction do no mask but adorn his accomplish musicianship. It is quite an experience to see how effortlessly Gene rocks through his ever changing set lists including songs he performed the first time around in a live setting, which are well calibrated with ebbs and flows to keep the audience on its toes.

KISS is all about effects and the stage show and tonight was focused on the music, which showcased both Ace Frehley’s, who opened the show, and Gene Simmons song-writing and performance skills. Backed by a band that works like a well-oiled machine and has a pedigree in bands like Slash, Alice Cooper, Vince Neil, et cetera, the show ticked boxes on many levels and it would be hard to argue that it is a mere nostalgia act as timeless hits met contemporary sound.

Ever the consummate silver-tongued businessman, the tour coincided with Gene’s “The Vault” release, another elaborate addition to the growing empire of Gene Simmons’ and Kiss related mementos, including one-hundred and fifty songs, action figure, commemorative coin, personal gift, liner notes – the works – which he hand-delivered to his fans, who also received a double pass to one of his shows and of which there were quite a few present tonight.

An evening that was loose, borderline casual, had Gene and his worthy constituents enjoying themselves, dominating the room yet being accessible, inviting fans on stage various times throughout the set to celebrate their hits with them.

It was interesting that despite the lack of pyrotechnics, costumes, fire, blood or make-up, essential ingredients for the winning KISS formula, the KISS Army left satisfied and did not miss it one iota, which is testament to the showmanship and charisma of one of the few remaining greats of the pantheon of rock and roll.

Stripped of all theatrics and bombast, Gene Simmons showed himself in a playful and humorous light, which added another dimension to his persona and the musical substance of his oeuvre.

Expo Liaison Festival Experience

Luna Park

Sydney, Australia

August 25, 2018

For the unitiated: Client Liaison is a two-man performance operation and a dedicated homage to Australian tackiness and the hedonism of the corporate world of the late 1980ies running the gamut from fashion, demeanour, corporate greed, vanity and the trademark groove filled, high-energy synth pop.

Monte Morgan and Harvey Miller AO, the two gentlemen and schmoozing CEOs behind the duo have now taken their endeavours to the next level and launched a themed, curated festival, i.e. an extravaganza dedicated to excess and one that goes a bit further than your run-off-the-mill music fest – a festival that in essence was modelled after the World Expo 88, which was held in Brisbane in 1988 with the significant theme “leisure in the age of technology”.

The multimedia/ and -sensory experience provided over seven hours of Client Liaison-curated retrospect, vintage entertainment framed by main stage performances of fellow electro poppers Alice Ivy, Rainbow Chan, KLP & Luke Million, Ken Davis, Kon, the funky and energetic eight-piece band NO ZU and Total Giovanni and their own act headlining, not only in the duo celebrating their chart hits but accompanied by no less the Australian music legend John Farnham, i.e. “Whispering Jack”, who was  joining them on stage for a medley of his eighties chart toppers.

Upon arrival we followed the ever funky Luke Million down his rabbit hole of disco set against an epic audio-visual display accompanied by footage of the '80s-inspired sci-fi show and exploding with synthesiser chords. Alice Ivy followed suit energetic as ever utilising an array of instruments and creating a vibe that was eagerly soaked up by the audience.

The festival spread across Luna Park’s Big Top, which was comprised of a fashion precinct - of course aligned with Client Liaison’s trademark “international in flavour and cosmopolitan in style”, which featured Client Liaison’s Deluxe Leisure Fashion line, photo opps in 80ies holiday settings or alternatively with their off-white Mercedes Benz limousine on the red carpet and free services like an on-site seamstress that offered to sew patches on your garments on site.

Upstairs a second, smaller stage was set up for DJ and band in a more relaxed ambience.

Attention to details like the “liquid asset” bar menu and the dessert bar, which even had a croquembouche on display, ice sculpture carving and a woodchop competition as an ode to celebrate Australia's oldest “sport”, make Expo Liaison an extravaganza that works on many levels, each facet of which is subtly infused with Client Liaison’s flavour.

The cherry on top of the rainbow coloured Expo Liaison layer cake was the pyrotechnic heavy incarnation of Client Liaison. Never holding back when it comes to extravagant costume changes, back up dancers and ornaments straight from 1980ies Saturday afternoon pop TV shows, the show was an engaging exercise in fine entertainment that was masterfully calibrated with ebbs and flows and hard to resist.

A truly unique, immersive festival and a whole lot of fun.

---

Photos by @k.a.vv

Andrew WK

Manning Bar

Sydney, Australia

August 26, 2018

While Andrew WK himself might not have changed, the way his oeuvre has evolved and come a long way since he had what seemed like “everyone” singing along to what became a bona fide synth metal anthem “Party hard” – a long way that saw the public realize that there is a tad more to his party philosophy than a reception on face value level would suggest: A smart man, celebrating the fact that you are alive and making the most of it.

Andrew WK has become a stern advocate for positivity, mindfulness, self-affirmation and Zen.

In essence, PMA that would couldn’t have made the Bad Brains more proud.

Be your take on Andrew WK what it may - in a live environment the benevolent optimist, motivational speaker and multi-instrumentalist is a force to be reckoned with that instantly connects with his audience. His incarnation in Sydney is an adrenaline fuelled tour de force that works on different levels using hedonist clichés, exuberance, musical adroitness, giddiness, vulnerability and attitude in a subtle manner for maximum effect to get his message across – a “result oriented performance” as David Lee Roth would have put it.

The fact that Andrew WK with his appearance, trademark white outfit and charisma is an instantly likeable borderline cartoon-esque character only adds to the theatrics.

There is ridiculousness, brilliance, earnestness and energy by the bucket load of a born front man and an adoration and affection for his followers that pervades every facet of the show.

Backed by a well-oiled full band, the show is an exercise in rock’s roll excess with three guitarists taking solo-ing over the top or alternatively blast beating and pummelling the audience mixed with quieter interludes of Andrew accompanying himself on the piano.

It proves to be hard to argue that what he has created is not a unique, engaging and holistic performance act that finds it warranted, well-earned  enthusiastic reception in a day and age where cynicism and artifice reigns supreme.

---

Photos by @k.a.vv