East West came to fruition one balmy summer evening in late 2010 when some light drunken banter between two like minded friends, (one from Yallingup, WA, and the other from Narrabeen, NSW), developed into a fully fledged group exhibition of artists from opposite sides of Australia.

Art loving east coaster, Bryan Dalli, and west coast creative all rounder, Luke Thomas, have culminated their artistic networks to curate an exhibition of nine artists from the west coast of Australia, and nine artists from the east coast of Australia.

“Louie and I saw a gap in art show space. There were no stand out events that brought together talent from such polar opposites, we felt the need to set the benchmark and bridge the gap” BD.

The exhibition showcases the assorted talents and artistic techniques of emerging to established artists, normally separated by geography, in a communal space. Each of the 18 artists were hand picked to compliment the groups dynamics, and to bring their own unique style and flavour to the event.

“We set out to select a broad mix of skills and artistic genres, so we pulled together friends and colleagues from different backgrounds and compiled a pretty hard hitting line up. The show has stencils and graffiti, juxtaposed with low brow art, and epic garage pieces.” LT.

There will be a live airbrushing display on the opening night with the final product being sold by silent auction. The 2011 East West event debuts in Sydney (11/11/11), with the show set to start touring coast to coast next year.

Artists involved include:

WEST COAST ARTISTS:
IAN MUTCH (KINGBROWN), JEN THOMAS, HOLDFAST TATTOO STUDIOS ARTISTS, PHIL SMART, SUZI Q,  LAUREN FENLON, RYAN YOUNG, NATHAN B, SAIRA KWOL

EAST COAST ARTISTS:
CASPIAN DE LOOZE, BEC CROCKETT, EMILY REID, LAURE IVES, NICK BAZAROW, PATRICK INDO, RAD DAN, SAM CLARK, DESMOND SWEENEY (LIVE AIRBRUSHING)

East West opens at 6.30pm on Friday the 11th of November at The National Grid Gallery, 24 Chard Rd Brookvale, and is on exhibition until the 2nd of December.

OPENING NIGHT FRIDAY 14TH OCTOBER 2011 @ 6:30PM

‘Surf City’ is an exhibition of collaborations by artist Luke Taaffe and photographer Ryan Heywood. Navigating omnipotent seascapes and psychedelic surf iconography of the 80′s and 90′s, the distinct styles of each artist merge into powerful graphic scenery. With a mutual respect for surf culture and the ocean itself, Luke and Ryan combine Megaloden shark jaws, lone boats, vast seas and pyrotechnical patternations, into isolated, pervasive and somewhat sinister environments describing a darker side of the surfer’s experience. Luke’s painterly, graphic and vibrant approach perfectly juxtaposes Ryan’s faded and desaturated sea photography, printed directly onto wood. Grandiose in scale, the pieces command attention and immersion. This show pays homage to urban myths and the more emotive aspects of a surf culture left behind in the wake of it’s commercial success.
‘Surf City’ opens on Friday the 14th of October and is on exhibition until the 2nd of November 2011.

The National Grid & MuMu Grill Presents:

THE FUNNY FARM
An afternoon of art, tapas & live music.
Silent auction from 12pm – 3pm
All proceeds go to the Phoenix Youth Centre.

FEATURING ORIGINAL ARTWORKS BY:
BRIDGE STEHLI, KAREENA ZEREFOS, MIA TANINAKA, LARA ALLPORT, KATHERINE MCLELLAND,
DAN MARSHALL, BRANDON ELS, STUART SMYTHE & BARRETT

at The National Grid Gallery
24 Chard Road Brookvale 2100

Exhibition is open until 30th April.

Analogue celebrates medium format film photography – a collection of traditionally enlarged Black and White images taken with vintage and toy cameras by three Australian based fine art photographers. (Melissa Ramirez, Dax Pointon and Stuart Frossell)

Analogue intends to show people the amazing world of film photography with images that defy digital commercial photography. It’s aim is to prove that film is still a relevant style of photography and to help keep the film photography and darkroom techniques alive as a form of collectable and fine art.