Woman and Child First

Art Monthly Australia

There has been a lot of media attention here recently around issues of child images, "corporate paedophilia" and art. Bill Henson's exhibition was shut down in May before it opened due to including images of a naked 13 year old girl.

Art Monthly Australia (July Issue) has just released it's July issue. The cover is shown. It's a current subject of controversy.

The girl's father has defended the whole thing by saying that we are inadvertently encouraging a "higher level of repression" by not embracing this as art. "We have art to liberate the mind.." 

 I agree repression is problematic and that art (can, though no guarantee's) liberate the mind.

The girl's father goes on to say that he has a fear: "That artists will desert the field of childhood...and I think that is going to be a really sad cultural development for this country".

The girl's father is a wanker. The only sad cultural development we have to fear is that this dickhead gets any more media attention. Please someone lock him in a cafe in Darlinghurst for the next 50 years.

This whole defense is really about how "interesting" and "artistic" the girl's father is when he gets in front of a camera, certainly not about the beauty of childhood. The girl herself gets little to no airspace. I hope this link shows you what I mean. Press Conference.

Shaun Tan

Most of my time is currently spent writing and illustrating picture books, which have reached quite a broad readership in Australia and overseas via foreign publication and translation into several languages.  They are best described as ‘picture books for older readers’ rather than young children, as they deal with relatively complex visual styles and themes, including colonial imperialism, social apathy, the nature of memory and depression. -Shaun Tan

I love to share incredible talent with young people. But even more satisfying - talent with an edge.

Shaun Tan: Born 1974 in Perth WA, he was known at school as a "good drawer".

Ideas For Photographs: 1932

                                                                          

I imagine the person who thought up this marvelous photo idea in 1932 was an extremely interesting person, indeedy do. Someone prone to day dreams...

Another delight for the eyes from Vintage Photographs.

Rosie Flo And Johnny Joe

I love these colouring books by UK illustrator Roz Streeton. They are so much more interesting and indeed interactive ( enough with the i's !) than your average derbrain colouring books.

In designing the books, I have paid attention to all things which irritated me as a child.- Roz S.

Clever woman.

You add your own heads, arms and legs. What mad joy I could have! I want one for myself. So does my daughter. There's also a boy's series (Johnny Joe's) which Ben's keen on too. Let's buy em all goddammit!

Via the gorgeous Book By It's Cover

What haunts...Our Secrets

Inspired by my own family secrets, what haunts... is an interactive art installation that explores secrets and their universality. Viewers respond and participate by reading and adding, in anonymity, their own - often-intimate - secrets to the installation. The varied secrets evoke sadness, horror, shock, humor, and reassurance. They "are riveting to read, telling stories of abortion, adoption, and affairs mixed with more universal confessions, like, 'my heart is broken and I am terrified.'"  - Cathy McLaurin

The artist reports people are strongly drawn to this art piece. Probably because all of us keep secrets.

I was taught to teach children not to keep certain secrets (like that they are being abused).

Secrets can be a torment and a burden.

Many of us keep secrets for decades. Many die with our secrets still buried deep in our psyches and in our hearts...aching for release.

But then...secrets are so tantillizing aussi.

So it's intriguing isn't it, that while we are compelled to keep secrets, this piece of art shows we are just as driven to expose them. The curtained "room" where the participants pen their secrets anonymously becomes a confessional.

Aren't we interesting, complex creatures?

Walking City Dress (Breathing)

Stunning!

by Ying Gao

Found on dear ada.

Take a close look at the fabric, It's like a breathing form of snow and ice together. Just beautiful.

And the video...Very Montreal...Very yummy.

Grace Discovered

I'm a very visual person and I actively seek out images of beauty, interest and delight. Such things captivate my imagination and can literally turn an ordinary day into something with a lovely twist.

Since losing my favourite blogger, Theresa Duncan, to her suicide last July, I've been scouring the net for blogs to help satisfy that need for visual romancing. (Theresa was a genius at this art, as well as an intellectual giant).

In my hunting process, I've come across a blog called dear ada, the author of which always features beautiful pieces of art that fill in my day very happily thank you.

Today, still being on holidays, I found myself with time to languish around the dear ada site and find that the author "birdie"has been struggling with diabetes for 20 years. She speaks about this disease with eloquence and indeed grace in her other site.

She has published her own book Aiming For Grace: 20 Things I Know About Diabetes. (Gorgeous cover).

I really loved reading birdie's posts about her life with diabetes. Having had gestational diabetes when pregnant with Ben, I know something of it, but certainly not what it's like for 20 years on end. The theme of these posts can be summed up in one word - inspiration.

This is the beauty of blogging I think, a person's world can become known, even accessible and in birdie's case, the beauty and struggle of that world is intertwined in a fabulous way.

What a marvelous and interesting woman.

Regardez Vous Le Chat

Le Chat de la Concierge by Janine Niepce 1957.

I do appreciate a black cat. Particularly one sitting in a French street in 1957.

C'est bonne!

Via

Holidays Are For The Idle

I have been lounging on the lounge and eating well. I've taken solitary walks on my deserted local beach. I've not talked to a great deal of people. The cats have been good company.

The sky when viewed for long pauses, speaks very quietly I noticed.

My kids are back from their father's home today. My mother and sister arrived as well. It's been a great day. Full of showers and blue skies, warm moments then chills through cracks in the garage. Home cooked soup and hearty appetites.

This is my holiday so far.

Outstandingly Fair In Her Field

"If you want something, you really have to fight for it. I don't think anything should be easy. If you're determined, you will become the writer or the musician or the dancer. If you want to do anything, you will do it."

- Margaret Olley

Ranunculus and Plums pictured.