January Exhibition Launch Day

@ Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre

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Free

Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre will kick off 2018 with a massive launch day unveiling three brand new exhibitions showcasing Japanese Manga across the centuries, powerful political commentary and popular culture critique on Saturday 13 January, 2018.

Exhibitions include: Manga Hokusai Manga (6 Jan. – 4 Feb.), with sketches by one of the world’s most recognisable Japanese artists Katsushika Hokusai (The Great Wave off Kanagawa); Australia’s first retrospective of political art collective Redback Graphix (13 Jan. – 18 Mar.); and Hear No Evil / See No Evil (13 Jan. – 18 Mar.), seminal paintings critiquing news by Blue Mountains artist Locust Jones, many not exhibited in Australia before.

The launch will also feature complementary fare from newly-launched in-house restaurant, Bellbird Dining + Bar. A seasonal dining destination, Bellbird combines fresh produce harvested on-site with direct relationships with local artisan suppliers to offer a genuine farm-to-table experience at pub prices.

“These exhibitions are all about jaw-dropping graphics that provoke and inspire - from Hokusai’s massively influential sketches, and Locust Jones’ complex scrawling style, to Redback Graphix’s explosive political imagery. Join us on our spectacular launch day and enjoy a lively combination of food and art, with our Head Chef Federico serving up mouth-watering canapes,” said CPAC Director Craig Donarski.

“Due to popular demand, we’ll also be extending Wendy Harmer’s Casula Secrets’ exhibition season to Sunday 21 January, so be sure to come check out her intriguing curation of our expansive archival collection,” said Donarski.

Presented in partnership with the Japan Foundation, Manga Hokusai Manga: Approaching the Master’s Compendium from the Perspective of Contemporary Comics is a touring exhibition showcasing the early works of influential Japanese Painter Katsushika Hokusai. Shown alongside contemporary manga illustrations, the exhibition will highlight manga culture’s unique charms.  Screenings of iconic Japanese films Crayon Shin Chan: The Storm Called: The Battle of the Warring States (28 Dec., 3 Feb.), Bakuman (28 Dec.), and Miss Hokusai (3 Feb.), will accompany the exhibition.

Fresh Blood: Redback Graphix and its Aftermath is Australia’s first major retrospective of the collective’s subversive street art historically contextualising contemporary poster art. Channelling the punk spirit of their Sydney University Tin Shed roots, their posters combine vivid colours with witty social commentary, and are now considered icons of Australian leftist protest art’s golden period. Accompanying children’s workshop Suck On Thiswill guide kids aged 8-12 in crafting their own Redback-inspired posters.

Hear No Evil / See No Evil is a visceral blend of painted text and images by Blue Mountains artist Locust Jones. Created by visually transcribing an endless stream of news broadcasts, his work creates a striking contrast between everyday atrocities, and the absurdity of pop culture that competes in our newsfeeds.

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1 Powerhouse Road
Casula
+61 2 9824 1121

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