January 2020

Top Arts 2020
The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia at Federation Square | 13 March – 12 July 2020 | Free entry

The annual Top Arts showcase returns for its 26^th year presenting artworks from Victoria’s brightest emerging student artists at The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia from 13 March 2020.

Drawn from over 1,700 submissions from schools across Victoria, Top Arts 2020 presents artworks from 43 students who have excelled in VCE Art and Studio Arts.

Themes explored by the exhibiting artists include mental health, the impact of technology on everyday life, diversity and identity.

Working across mediums including painting, sculpture, performance art, theatre, photography and animation, students have undertaken comprehensive research to create innovative and complex artworks.

Tony Ellwood AM, Director, NGV said ‘Top Arts 2020 showcases the amazing breadth of young artists using their voice to speak out against injustice and generate awareness of issues and ideas that concern the youth of today. This is our 26^th year of Top Arts and we’re so proud to continue to support and celebrate art education and provide more opportunities for students to engage with the arts and share their art with peers.’

Artworks in the exhibition are selected by a panel of four judges: Rachael Miller, Victorian Curriculum And Assessment Authority (VCAA) State Reviewer VCE Art; Giuliana D’Angelo, VCAA State Reviewer VCE Studio Arts; Julie Bond, VCAA Regional Representative and David Menzies, NGV Educator and Top Arts curator.

Exhibition highlights include Zach Smyrnis’s Progress Comics 2019, a vibrant series of comic book covers titled The Patriarchy Punishers, The Uni-Diverse Command and The LGBTeam. Influenced by street artist Keith Haring and comic book writer Frank Miller the work showcases characters inspired by modern day activists such as Malala Yousafzai, Antoni Porowski, and Lizzo fighting for gender, sexuality and race equality.

Race and identity are resonant themes throughout the exhibition. Angelo Ooi’s ceramic vessels Transience 2019 and Manifestations 2019 draw inspiration from his Australian upbringing and Malaysian-Chinese heritage. Dusty Diddle’s interactive protest artwork An Index of Childhood Memories, Anger and Intervention 2019 features 32 hand drawn postcards stored in a filing cabinet reflecting the artist’s wish to positively challenge racism, having experienced it firsthand.

Portraiture also features extensively, including Shae Jones’s Portrait of Murrundindi 2019, a large scale painting depicting Wurundjeri Elder Murrundindi. In her self-portrait patchwork 2019, Cat Distell combines different materials and textures to challenge our understanding of the fabric of identity.

Presenting a unique exploration of technology’s influence on society, Ignatz Cady Freer’s absurdist theatre film Tubularis Acrobatics 2019 features three screens with actors performing repetitive tasks in which their actions become more interactive but also increasingly disconnected as the film progresses.

In a moving reflection of suburban life, Lucy Randall takes inspiration from her 87 year-old neighbour as he runs around the streets of Hampton in the hyper realistic sculpture The Shuffler 2019.

Building on the success of Top Arts 2019, which welcomed over 25,000 students and teachers to exhibition and learning programs and events, Top Arts 2020 will be complemented by a dynamic schedule of social and learning opportunities including artist presentations and virtual tours for students in regional and remote areas. Programming also includes introductory talks and folio viewings to inspire and support current VCE students in their Art and Studio Art studies.

Top Arts is a part of the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority’s (VCAA) annual VCE Season of Excellence showcasing outstanding VCE and VCE VET students through a festival of concerts, exhibitions, film screenings and a research presentation program.

Top Arts 2020 is FREE and on display from 13 March 2020 – 12 July 2020 at the Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia at Federation Square. Additional information is available from the NGV website: NGV.MELBOURNE

Following the announcement of international acts including Kevin Morby, The Blind Boys of Alabama and Hand Habits plus our own Alex Cameron, Brunswick Music Festival has today delivered its full 2020 program. Running March 9 – 22, it’s about as Brunswick as hosing down your concrete.

Refurbished, revamped and raring to go, the festival hub returns as Mechanica at Brunswick Mechanics Institute. Still a mystery to many, the prized BMF venue that premiered in 2019, Estonian House also returns; providing the chance to experience some incredible artists inside Brunswick’s stunning best kept secret.

Sheer Mag (USA) return to Melbourne, bringing their huge energy, pure passion, call-to-arms attitude and total defiance of the powers that be, all the way from Philadelphia to fill the rock’n’roll hole in our heart. Seeker Lover Keeper, the musical meld of Sarah Blasko, Holly Throsby and Sally Seltmann, is a triple treat with a double feature: appearing in conversation with Fee B-Squared, before alighting the Estonian House stage with Harmony Byrne.

Did someone order the six course degustation? Brunswick Music Feastival will be serving up a delicious and nutritious aural menu with the likes of Crepes, Eggy, Sunfruits, Baked Beans, Long Lunch and Biscotti on Wednesday March 11.

ARIA nominated Mama Kin Spender will be performing their first Melbourne show in over a year with the harmonious backing of twenty-something strong First Chorus Band of Singers choir, and C. W. Stoneking will mesmerise the Estonian House audience on Friday March 13 – storyteller, genre-defier and a voice as unique as his every performance, this is a headlining spot not to be missed.

Sui Zhen‘s multi-disciplinary craft will weave a landscape of love, loss and utopian dreams on Sunday March 15, while on Tuesday 17 March Xylouris White will enchant with a collaboration that is curiously comparable to the heritage and culture of Brunswick itself.

Rejoice in the rise of imbi and Cry Club; the next generation of music makers and status quo shakers, forging paths and winning hearts on a very special weekend at the Brunswick Mechanics Institute.

And that’s not all – Dyson Stringer Cloher, Hayley Mary, Elsy Wameyo, Elizabeth, Rolling Blackouts C.F., The Merindas, Pinch Points, MOD CON, On Diamond, Ajak Kwai, Ziggy Ramo, Diimpa and more all lend their unique flair to the festival. Like a fabric store fever dream, you’re guaranteed to find something unusual and alluring in the lineup.

Plus; a highlight of the Brunswick calendar, Sydney Road Street Party returns on Sunday March 1 with another perfect afternoon of free tunes and free rein over the suburb’s centre strip. Six offical street stages, five local venue stages,  a brand new food truck park featuring Triple R DJs, the Blak Dot Gallery Artist Market, and it wouldn’t be a Brunswick party without a plant sale (featuring Noisy Ritual wines).

Like picking fruit off your neighbours lemon tree, #BMF2020 celebrates what is quintessentially, charmingly and blissfully Brunswick.

Treat your ears to the entire program here:
brunswickmusicfestival.com.au

 Brought together by Common Good, APRA, Studios 301 and SIEGE JR, Common Good Sessions intends to make the best music possible with the new wave of artists.

If you are on the verge of stepping out and showing the world what you have been crafting and refining in the studio, Common Good wants to make music with you.

Common Good Sessions is a day-long event where a selection of artists are carefully curated to work side-by-side with the Common Good collective. If you’re currently working on a track but need that extra input, or want to start something from scratch, Common Good Sessions is your time to shine.

Formed in 2019, Common Good is a collective of like-minded artists who strive to provide opportunities for the Sydney music community. Headed up by Billy Fox, the collective provides an open space for artists to write, produce, perform and collaborate with one another.

Common Good artists Billy Fox, Mookhi, Lover, Isy Isy and Reggie Banks, have been making moves in their own spaces recently with releases receiving heavy support from Spotify, Apple Music and triple j along with support from international tastemakers alike.

Expressions of interest are now open until COB Friday 20 March.

SATURDAY APRIL 11TH 12PM-10PM

FULL LINEUP: PATRICK TOPPING, SKREAM, MATADOR, ELLIOT ADAMSON, CASEY LEAVER & LOZI

Untitled Group & Thick as Thieves have announced today that they are bringing ‘TRICK’ w/ Patrick Topping, Skream, Matador, Elliot Adamson, Casey Leaver & Lozi to one of the most intriguing and large-scale warehouse venues in Australia – The Wool Store.

TRICK is Patrick Topping’s record label which has recently seen him curate parties around the globe, including at Printworks in London supported by Len Faki and Roman Flügel, in Amsterdam’s underground Central Station, in Belfast with Amelie Lens & now he is bringing the renowned event to Melbourne this April.

After hosting a series of events at The Wool Store, including Solomun, Jamie Jones, John Talabot & Willaris. K, The Wool Store took an indefinite hiatus – now at the delight of music lovers, the space will come back to life again for a series of headline shows. The Wool Store will once again be fitted with a world-class sound system paired with meticulously curated production & set designs.

For the Melbourne edition of TRICK, Topping has selected a quality support lineup including UK’s much loved selector, Skream, as well as Dublin born producer, Matador, & house-producer Elliot Adamson. Local support will come from Casey Leaver and Lozi.

Built in the 1940s, the Australian Heritage Commission listed ‘Wool Store’ is of regional historical, cultural & architectural significance. It is the largest single wool store building in Victoria, built on a grand scale with considerable architectural refinement. It represents a peak of pastoral development when Australia rode on the sheep’s back with the wool industry playing a significant role in the development of Australia, carrying it’s economy post-World War 2 in what is now known as the ‘post-war wool boom’.

The venue is an addition to Untitled Group’s fast growing portfolio including Beyond the Valley, Pitch Music & Arts, Wildlands, Grapevine Gathering, and Ability Fest, as well as the company’s established management, booking & label divisions.

Thick as Thieves search the globe looking for the most exciting underground artists of today, to bring you the freshest touring roster in Australia.  Sourcing the best local & international DJs, their events create a positive atmosphere that leaves our punters feeling good and doing good.

Patrick Topping:

Carving a reputation as the contemporary face of British house and techno, Patrick Topping continues to garner widespread acclaim on account of his prolific production prowess and dynamic DJ sets. Soundtracking countless sunrise memories as resident of Jamie Jones’ famed Paradise parties at Ibiza’s DC-10, Patrick’s now 50-release strong back-catalogue is bursting with iconic dance-floor records on labels such as Hot Creations, Truesoul and Relief Records, with further remixes for Calvin Harris and Booka Shade charting Patrick’s meteoric rise.

Armed with an arsenal of career defining productions in the form of the Beatport chart- topping ‘Be Sharp Say Nowt’, Green Velvet collaboration ‘Voicemail’, and 2014’s Ibiza track of the season ‘Forget’, Patrick’s far reaching appeal has seen him play numerous festivals including Coachella, Awakenings, Ultra, and Tomorrowland. As well as completing several tours of Australia, Europe, South America, Asia and South Africa. Patrick has performances confirmed for the year ahead including Movement Detroit, Kappa FuturFestival and for the first time is hosting his own stage a festival, at London’s Lovebox.

With Patrick reaching number 11 in Resident Advisor’s top DJs poll, landing three DJ Awards, one DJ MAG ‘Best of British’ Award and becoming one of Mixmag’s cover stars the northern powerhouse now enters a refined and developed chapter of his career. The recent birth of Patrick’s own label, TRICK, has provided a home for the UK artist to exhibit his versatility as a producer, as well as a platform to showcase the wealth of the emerging talent which he has been pushing in his DJ sets. Following the recent finale of his acclaimed Motion event series, the UK producer looks set to take things to the next level throughout 2019.

Skream:

As one of the UK’s best-loved selectors Skream has enjoyed the kind of consistency most DJs and producers can only dream of. His passion for collecting and playing music is unrelenting; disco, house, techno and everything in between… it runs deep into his core and he lives it every single day. Still only in his early thirties, Skream has achieved more in the last 15 years than most people do in a lifetime, yet his hunger and enthusiasm is akin to that of a man who is only just getting started.

Tracks like ‘Rollercoaster’ (ft. Sam Frank) and his remixes of Duke Dumont ‘Need You’ and ‘Infinity’ by Infinity Ink helped introduce the world to Skream’s shift in styles, while his mix output from 2013, cemented the change in direction seamlessly blending a variety of 4×4 styles across all of his tracks. Parallel to these pivotal releases he also showcased his eclectic tastes at his Skreamizm parties across the UK and the rest of the world, and so a new chapter began.

Matador:

As DJ Awards’ 2016 Electronic Live Performer, Matador is a revolutionary live artist with a shining reputation for versatility, whilst never compromising on quality. Accolades have been showered on the Dublin-born producer, from proud ambassador of the NEVE 5088 Console, and Richie Hawtin’s PLAYDifferently MODEL1 mixer, his tenure as an ENTER resident at their worldwide events, to his consistent spot in RA’s Live Artist poll, bringing him rapid worldwide acclaim and a devoted worldwide fan base of clubbers and peers alike. Still thirsty for new worlds to conquer, Matador, aka Gavin Lynch, recently took on a new role as label boss for his RUKUS imprint.

Presale Registrations Close: 22nd January 4PM (AEDT)

Sign up for presale:

https://arep.co/p/TheWoolStoreTRICK

Presale goes on sale: 22nd January 6PM (AEDT)

General On sale: 23rd January 12PM (AEDT)

https://untitledgroup.com.au/events/the-wool-store-trick-w-patrick-topping-skream-matador/