Bloodsuckers poised to descend on Sydney

It's about to get bloody in Sydney.

Bloodsuckers: Nature’s Vampires, an award-winning exhibition, will open at the Australian Museum in time for the autumn school holidays with the curtain dropping on Thursday, April 2.

The immersive exhibition features more than 100 objects, specimens, large-scale models, digital interactives and installations, combining science, pop culture and curiosity.

The exhibition was developed by the Royal Ontario Museum in Canada.

Kim McKay, director and CEO of the Australian Museum, said the exhibition would bring visitors face to face with some of nature’s most sophisticated micro-predators, but with a new appreciation.

“Some of nature's most extraordinary survivors often give people the creeps, but this new exhibition, Bloodsuckers: Nature’s Vampires, showcases just how astonishing these species are," she said.

"They have mastered the art of survival in ways that are impressive, demonstrating the power of evolution in action, playing critical roles in maintaining healthy ecosystems.

“By bringing this exhibition to Sydney, we're inviting people to look beyond the misconceptions and engage with the science that shapes our world. Inspiring curiosity and deepening visitors’ understanding of biodiversity is at the heart of the Australian Museum’s mission.”

The exhibition features vampire bats, black flies, candiru catfish and medicinal leeches, while exploring bloodsuckers’ impact on literature, mythology and popular culture.

Check out australian.museum/exhibition/bloodsuckers/ General public tickets go on sale on March 18.

Hard Core: Mona unveils a new headliner

French-Swiss artist Julian Charrière has been chosen as the next headliner at the Museum of Old and New Art (Mona) in Hobart. 

Charrière will present his first solo exhibition in Australia in Tasmania from June 6, 2026, to March 29, 2027.

Opening in time for mid-winter festival Dark Mofo (June 11-22), his Hard Core will feature an assemblage of artworks from sculpture and installation to film and photography that bridge nature, science, history, industry and myth.

‘Ideas burst from Julian Charrière (below) like licks from an over-friendly dog," says Mona’s founder, David Walsh. 

"Sometimes it’s a lot - attending one of Julian’s exhibitions can be overwhelming. But Julian isn’t a meddler. His ideas are deep and incisive, the sort of ideas that expose the soft white underbelly of reality." 

Hard Core will transform Mona’s touring galleries and spill out into the Void and newly excavated additions to the museum. 

It will feature sculptures made of coal, lava, molten computers, onyx and obsidian.

Cored samples taken from glacial erratic boulders are repaired with steel, aluminium, brass and silver. A lump of stromatolite rock, hundreds of millions of years old, is slowly polished to a perfect sphere between lapidary rock grinders. 

There are plants preserved cryogenically, snails slurping the calcium carbonate from marble statues, and a vending machine full of fossilised ammonites.

So, all very Mona. 

In photographs and video installations, Charrière pits human action against ideas of nature’s grandeur and vulnerability. 

With Breathe, a permanent installation commissioned especially for Mona and built into the museum’s foundations, Charrière releases oxygen molecules that have been trapped inside banded iron ore formations since the Great Oxidation Event some 2.4 billion years ago. 

Visitors are invited to inhale this ancient air, which has been lodged in rock over the years, 

Mona’s director for curatorial affairs, Jarrod Rawlins, said: ‘We like beautiful adventures, physically, emotionally and philosophically, and Breathe delivers that from every angle.’

Berlin-based Charrière has exhibited widely, but this is his first solo exhibition in Oceania.

‘What’s special about this show is how it coalesces distinct works into a single geological body, compressing planetary timescales into a shared, stratigraphic architecture and encounter," the artist says. 

" Here, Mona acts as both figurative and literal bedrock - a boundary-pushing museum which, carved from sandstone, situates human civilization within a far older story; a story of stone and bone.

‘Tasmania, too, is integral to the temporal dissonance of Hard Core: a primeval, almost Gondwanan place, where exhibiting feels less like placing works in a museum and more like returning them to the planetary condition to which they already belong.’ 

A full-colour exhibition catalogue including installation photography will be published later this year.

* Charrière has exhibited at many of the world’s major art institutions, including solo shows at Museum Tinguely in Switzerland, Palais de Tokyo in France, and SFMoMA in the US. 

Dr Seuss lands next to the d'Arenberg Cube

The whimsical artworks of Dr Seuss are back in Australia - at the d'Arenberg winery in McLaren Vale.

Harvey Galleries is presenting The Art of Dr Seuss in association with Art Evolution and d’Arenberg, Ultimate Winery Experiences reports.

From this weekend until April 26, 2026, a selection of art works from The Art of Dr Seuss Collection will be on display at the Modern Masters Marquee, adjacent to the d'Arenberg Cube.

Admission is free and visitors can explore and buy works from Dr Seuss’s best-known children’s books, as well as The Secret Art of Dr Seuss, a collection based on decades of artwork, which Seuss created at night for his own personal pleasure.

Perhaps the wackiest elements of the collection are Dr Seuss’s three-dimensional Unorthodox Taxidermy sculptures with names such as Carbonic Walrus, Powerless Pufferfish, and Flaming Herring or Seasick Walrus.



Theodor Seuss Geisel was an American children's author, illustrator, animator, and cartoonist. He is known for his work writing and illustrating over 60 books under the pen name Dr Seuss

For more info see https://www.darenberg.com.au/dr-seuss/

Visions of generations past exhibited in Melbourne

The European Union’s flagship cultural diplomacy exhibition Inside Pompeii: Origins of a European Way of Life featuring photographs by Luigi Spina has opened to the public at CO.AS.IT in Melbourne.

The Museo Italiano will be showing the images until December 23, offering a glimpse into one of Europe’s most iconic archaeological sites in the city considered the most European in Australia.

This free exhibition by the European Union Delegation to Australia is part of the EU’s foreign policy initiatives and aims to highlight the importance of cultural diplomacy between the EU with its like-minded partners.

The exhibition explores how history has shaped European identity and culture, and shows the everyday lives of Pompeii’s people, from intricate mosaics and personal graffiti to household objects and grand public spaces.

The commonalities with a modern way of life are striking and Melbourne - with its vibrant multicultural community and deep European heritage - provides the perfect setting for this dialogue between Europe’s past and a shared future, says the EU.

Renowned Italian photographer Spina captured the images during the Covid-19 lockdown, when Pompeii was closed to visitors.

His 38 large-format images take audiences inside the homes, streets, and everyday spaces of the ancient city, capturing a moment of stillness that connects today’s audiences with lives lived two millennia ago.

“As the EU-Australia partnership goes from strength to strength, we take time to celebrate culture, history, heritage and our shared humanity," said EU Ambassador to Australia, Gabriele Visentin.

"Melbourne is so often considered the most European city in Australia, and its vibrancy reflects these same values - freedoms that should be celebrated and preserved through greater dialogue and cooperation.”

Inside Pompeii: Origins of a European Way of Life - Photographs by Luigi Spina will be held at CO.AS.IT. Museo Italiano, 199 Faraday St, Carlton, until December 23. Admission is free. 

RELICS explores the past and the future at the Australian Museum

The Australian Museum’s exhibition RELICS: A New World Rises will open to the public in Sydney on Saturday, August 16.

Created by former LEGO Masters champions Jackson Harvey and Alex Towler, the new exhibition brings intricate LEGO civilisations to life inside a series of upcycled vintage objects.

Set in the year 2130, RELICS imagines Earth in recovery after human abandonment, where nature is returning and LEGO societies have emerged from the remains of a consumerist past

The exhibition reimagines the traditional museum experience through a display of thousands of LEGO pieces that come together to tell multiple interconnected stories.

This exhibition will weave together themes of sustainability and futurism "with playful, imaginative narratives that challenge visitors to see familiar everyday objects in entirely new ways".

Australian Museum director and CEO Kim McKay said RELICS promises visitors of all ages an entirely original, shared experience where everyone has a chance to share their own perspective.

“RELICS invites visitors into a world where the closer you look, the more you see! Not only will it spark conversations about our wasteful world, and the future, but it’s also a fun way to discover the power of creative storytelling," she says.

"Jackson and Alex’s exhibition combines a heady mix of nostalgia, sustainability and future-facing creativity and it’s unlike anything we’ve exhibited before.”

The former LEGO Masters champions said RELICS is a passion project the two have worked on for years, and showcases all their insights and ideas when it comes to creative storytelling.

“It’s important to us that every Minifigure we place in the exhibition is telling its own story. We like to put ourselves into the minds of each character … What have they been up to? Are they having a good day? Who are they with? By thinking about their stories, it helps bring the Minifigures to life as they inhabit their RELICS world,” said Towler.

Co-creator Harvey added: “We hope visitors will being thinking about the life material possessions have after they are discarded and encourage people to be more thoughtful about what they throw away.

"It’s exciting for us to take an object that to most people would look like trash and give it a whole new life.”

RELICS is supported by Hotel Partner, Pullman Sydney Hyde Park.

Exhibition Tickets: Adult: $29.00, Concession: $25.00, Child 4-15: $19.00. Tickets are on sale now at australian.museum.

Gippsland resort puts guests in the picture

RACV Inverloch Resort has officially opened the exhibition Narelle Autio: Selected Watercolours which showcases the work of one of Australia's most celebrated photographers.

The exhibition is on display until June 8.

RACV Head of Visual Arts Mardi Nowak said that Autio's Watercolours series captures the essence of Australians' relationship with the water, presenting images that are both complex and beautiful.

"The collection of photographs provides visitors with an immersive experience into Autio's exploration of Australian coastal life and we are thrilled to host Narelle Autio's Selected Watercolours at RACV Inverloch Resort," Nowak said.

"Her ability to portray the beauty and drama of Australian coastal life aligns perfectly with our commitment to providing enriching cultural experiences for our members and guests."

Autio has been recognised with numerous awards, including the Leica Oskar Barnack Award, making her the first Australian recipient. Autio has also won two World Press awards and two Walkley awards

Her photographs are held in collections including such as the National Gallery of Australia and the National Gallery of Victoria.

In addition to Narelle Autio: Selected Watercolours, guests visiting or staying at the RACV Inverloch Resort will also be able to enjoy Digital Dreams, Analog Echoes - an Artificial Intelligence-inspired art exhibition.

Victorians and visitors can enjoy Inverloch Resort with the Gippsland Gourmet Getaway offer. From $399, a package includes a two-night stay in a resort room, a two-course dinner for two at the Radius Restaurant and daily breakfast for two.

The offer is valid for bookings until 31/05/2025, for stays to 31/07/2025.

RACV members receive an 11am late check out (not hat late to be honest), a welcome cocktail in Zenith Lounge for two, gourmet chocolates and biscuits, and a bottle of wine.

Inverloch is in Gippsland, 143 kilometres south east of Melbourne.

Visit RACV Travel and Experiences for more details.

Machu Picchu makes its way to Sydney

Machu Picchu is one of the most awe-inspiring sites on earth and will be showcased at the Australian Museum’s (AM) summer highlight: Machu Picchu and the Golden Empires of Peru.

The exhibition will open in Sydney on Saturday, November 23, with tickets now on sale.

The immersive museum experience which spill the secrets of five ancient Peruvian Empires, dating back more than 3000 years.

Created by Peru’s Museo Larco and Museo de Sito Manuel Chavez Ballon, in conjunction with Neon Global, the exhibition features 134 priceless artefacts including gold treasure from royal tombs, glittering jewels, intricate masks and objects of worship.

Visitors will also be able to enjoy the Virtual Reality experience Machu Picchu and the Spirit of the Condor, which includes a bird’s-eye tour of Machu Picchu while sharing the intriguing story of grand Inca emperor Pachacuti.

Australian Museum Director and CEO, Kim McKay AO, said the venue is honoured to host the collection, including the most opulent collection of Andean gold to ever travel outside of Peru.

“One of the Seven Wonders of the World, Machu Picchu is a top bucket-list destination for many Australians, and this exhibition will further inspire visitors with its state-of-the-art storytelling alongside treasures from these intriguing ancient empires,” she said.

The exhibition is exclusive to the Australian Museum and Sydney will be only the fourth city in the world to host it, following in the footsteps of Boca Raton, Florida; Paris and Milan.

The Australian consul-general of Peru, José Alberto Ortiz, said the exhibition will contribute to the cultural connection between Peru and Australia.

“I’m delighted that the Australian Museum will be hosting this exhibition highlighting the rich history and culture of ancient Peru, enabling the people of NSW and beyond to experience Machu Picchu and all our country has to offer,” he said.

“I know the public will be captivated by our unique culture dating back more than 3000 years and will be fascinated by the stories of five empires which are still present in our country today.”

The previous AM blockbuster, Ramses and the Gold of the Pharaohs, set new attendance records for the museum during its six-month run from November 2023-May 2024, attracting over half a million ticket sales.

Ticket prices start at $37.50 for adults, and $20 for children, with VR tickets from $22. Visit Australian Museum.

The amusement park that's also an art collection

Imagine an amusement park with an art theme.

Where else would that work other than the good old US of Ay?

Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy, billed as the world’s first art amusement park, will open for a limited time at The Shed in New York City on November 20, after a successful debut run in Los Angeles.

It is descrbed as "a colourful, riotous fun house of carnival rides and attractions by the 20th century’s most celebrated and innovative artists".

That doesn'y mean Banksy, it means folk I have never heard of.

Luna Luna features a ferris wheel by Jean-Michel Basquiat, a carousel by Keith Haring, a wave swinger by Kenny Scharf, a wedding chapel by André Heller, immersive pavilions by David Hockney, Salvador Dalí and Roy Lichtenstein (OK, I have heard of them) alongside pieces from Arik Brauer, Sonia Delaunay, Monika Gil’sing (nope).

Originally brought to life by the Viennese artist, pop singer, cultural pioneer, and peace activist Heller, Luna Luna debuted in Hamburg, Germany, during the summer of 1987 where it hosted 300,00 visitors.

The park's rides were later abandoned in storage containers for more than 30 years before being hunted down by entrepreneur Michael Goldberg and then purchased by musician Drake.

“You can be art-obsessed or have never heard of Basquiat, and Luna Luna will put a smile on your face," says Goldberg, Chief Experience Officer for Luna Luna and founder of Something Special Studios.

"It’s one of those rare projects that has the power to bring together all walks of life - it’s a nostalgic format done in a totally new way.”

The resurrected Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy debuted in December 2023 in a studio in the Arts District of Downtown Los Angeles hosting more than 150,000 visitors.

Tickets for New York go on sale soon. See https://www.lunaluna.com

Wu-Tang Clan meets David Bowie meets Mona

 

Nothing is too eclectic, too obscure, or too weird, for the team at Hobart's Museum of Old and New Art (Mona).

Namedropping, Mona's latest collection, is said to focus on status and the human pursuit of looking good in the eyes of others, with a piece of very rare music as the centrepiece.

Once Upon a Time in Shaolin is the seventh studio album by the American hip hop ensemble Wu-Tang Clan.

Only one physical copy of the album was created, with no ability to download or stream it digitally. Purchased directly from the Wu-Tang Clan in 2015, it became the most expensive work of music ever sold.

The album was recorded in secret over six years. A single two-CD copy was pressed in 2014 and stored in a secured vault then auctioned through auction house Paddle8 in 2015. A legal agreement with the purchaser stipulated that the album may not be commercially exploited until 2103 (when Wu-Tang Clan will be long forgotten), although it can be played at listening parties.

The winning bidder, Wikipedia assures me, was Martin Shkreli, a pharmaceutical entrepeneur.

In March 2018, after Shkreli's conviction for securities fraud, a federal court seized assets belonging to him, including Once Upon a Time in Shaolin. In July 2021, the US Department of Justice sold it to non-fungible token collectors PleasrDAO for $US4 million to cover Shkreli's debts;

PleasrDAO said they hoped to make it more widely accessible. and so....

For a limited time, visitors can see the album on display, with limited access to public listening events held in Mona’s Frying Pan Studios.

Jarrod Rawlins, director of curatorial affairs at Mona, says: "Every once in a while, an object on this planet possesses mystical properties that transcend its material circumstances. Once Upon a Time in Shaolin is more than just an album, so when I was thinking about status, and what a transcendent namedrop could be, I knew I had to get it into this exhibition."

A statement from Pleasr issued by Mona said: "10 years ago, the Wu-Tang Clan had a bold vision to make a single copy album as a work of fine art. To “put it in an art gallery…make music become a living piece like a Mona Lisa or a sceptre from Egypt.

"With this single work of art, the Wu-Tang Clan’s intention was to redefine the meaning of music ownership and value in a world of digital streaming and commodification of music. Pleasr is honoured to partner with Mona to support [de facto Wu-Tang Clan leader] RZA’s vision for Once Upon a Time in Shaolin."

Visitors can experience a curated thirty minute mix from the album, played from a personalised Wu-Tang PlayStation 1 in Mona’s own recording studio -Frying Pan - by attending a listening event.

Namedropping the Wu-Tang Clan will run twice daily, Friday-Monday, between June 15-24. Mona will release a limited number of free tickets for each event.

Music fans will also be able to see original handwritten lyrics to David Bowie’s Starman, showing edits and spelling corrections.

Purchased at auction by David Walsh in 2022, this piece of music history will make its debut at Mona during Namedropping.

Walsh says: ‘I like David Bowie. If you like Bowie, it’s a pretty good bet you’ll like Mona. That’s why we namedrop."

Running from June 15 until April 21, 2025,See the Mona website from 10am AEST on Thursday, May 30, for tickets.

See https://namedropping.mona.net.au/

Street art exponent to shine in Perth

Acclaimed street artist Rone is bringing his immersive art experience to Perth as part of a collaboration with Centenary Galleries Building at The Art Gallery of Western Australia (AGWA)

To run from July 1-September 30, the exhibition will take over 12 rooms across both floors in the historic Centenary Galleries Building.

Rone, who goes by just one name but was born Tyrone Wright, will bring the full installation of TIME • RONE, and will create brand-new spaces specifically for the West Australian exhibition, with two new mural works exclusive to Perth.

The immersive installation will feature the TIME Bar, an artistic prohibition themed bar, the RONEART Dinner, a limited-capacity full sensory dining experience, and the RONE Store, an online and in-gallery merchandise store.

It will be Rone's only exhibition for 2024, over 100,000 patrons are expected to attend.

The event supported by the Western Australian Government.

Rone has previously painted murals in East Perth in 2018 and Bunbury in 2016.

"Having these types of exhibitions is fantastic for our community, creating vibrancy and offering entertainment for locals and visitors," said state tourism minister Rita Saffioti.

"We're always on the lookout for diverse ranges of events across sports, music and the arts, and having TIME • RONE will certainly be another drawcard for our year-round calendar.

"I definitely encourage Western Australians to head to AGWA to check out this fantastic exhibit, particularly as a great family activity during the July school holidays."

Geelong-born Rone has painted in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Havana, Paris, Berlin, London and Tokyo. 

His work is displayed in galleries including the National Gallery of Australia and the National Gallery of Victoria. 

A trip back to a rebellious time in Tasmania

A new exhibition at the Tasmania Museum and Art Gallery will take a trip back to convict times in Tasmania before a nationwide tour.

Thousands of English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish convicts transported to Australia, as well as people resisting colonial invasion and forced into the convict system, will be brought back to life in a first-of-its kind digital exhibition that aims at revealing a new understanding of the convicts’ contribution to the struggle for Australian democracy.

The Monash University-led convict exhibition UNSHACKLED will be exhibited from now until July 28 at TMAG before embarking on a national and international tour.

UNSHACKLED reveals how Australia’s convict workforce of 160,000 collectively resisted the exploitation of their labour in their place of exile, leading to improved conditions, embryonic unionism and ultimately the end of transportation.

It also focuses on the more than 3,600 political prisoners who were transported to Australia as convicts for protest, democratic reform, media freedom, unionism, and anti-colonial revolution, many of whom had significant political impact advancing democracy.

Monash’s School of Media, Film and Journalism and project lead, Associate Professor Tony Moore, said political prisoners are a major focus for the exhibition.

“Few Australians realise their homeland was once the British Empire’s Guantanamo Bay, where about 3600 rebels, radicals and protesters were transported as political prisoners in the late 18th and 19th centuries. ‘Death or Liberty!’ was the rallying cry of a stream of political exiles including liberals, democrats and republicans; English machine breakers, trade unionists and Chartists; radical journalists, preachers and intellectuals; and of course Irish, Canadian and even American revolutionaries," he said.

“This rag tag bunch of journalists and political activists accused of sedition, as well as industrial and rural protesters, trade unionists, rebels and revolutionaries will capture the hearts of new generations. Their political impact in their place of exile helped democratise Australia.” 

Over 20% of Australians have convict ancestry, and the figure is 70% for Tasmanians.

Stories will be showcased through mini-documentaries, large scale animated projections, animated portraits, as well as collected material artefacts, from cruel instruments of punishment to weapons of resistance.

UNSHACKLED has been created by Roar Film and the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery in partnership with Monash University.

The exhibition will travel around Australian capital cities and regions, the UK and Ireland from September 2024 to 2026. Click here for more information, including the UNSHACKLED trailer.

Tragic Titanic remains a tourism drawcard

For a ship that sank on its maiden voyage, the Titanic still generates a lot interest.

The tragic story captivates the world 112 years on and the TITANIC: The Artefact Exhibition is a summer drawcard in Melbourne.

Now open at Melbourne Museum, the immersive exhibition showcases over 200 original objects recovered from the wreck site of the ill-fated luxury steamship.

TITANIC: The Artefact Exhibition offers insights into the human side of the tragedy through the personal stories of passengers and crew who unknowingly set off on a journey on April 14, 1912, that ended in disaster.

Recovered from the wreck site four kilometers below the surface of the North Atlantic by RMS Titanic, Inc., the only company in the world authorised to do so, the authentic artefacts include an unopened bottle of champagne with a 1900 vintage, luggage, china, a filigree ring with diamonds, and a window frame from the Verandah Café.

With their boarding pass in hand, visitors will step through recreated ship interiors - including the Grand Staircase, First Class Parlour Suite, and Verandah Café – and touch an iceberg to feel how cold the water was that night.

Visitors also have the opportunity to experience a taste of the Titanic through a high tea menu inspired by the the ship.

At the time of the Titanic’s maiden (and last) voyage, French cuisine was considered the height of fine dining.

First-class guests would have been treated to French-influenced dishes, made with the best of British produce. The High Tea Lounge executive chef Keith Higginson has re-imagined some classic dishes.

TITANIC: The Artefact Exhibition will run at Melbourne Museum until April 14.

For more information and to book tickets go to: Titanic: The Artefact Exhibition - Melbourne Museum (museumsvictoria.com.au)

Exhibition honours the moment Australia II made history

Time flies. It is 40 years today since Australia scored a historic first America's Cup win - in an event it can no longer afford to enter.

The Australian National Maritime Museum is marking the 40th anniversary of Australia II’s historic win by exhibiting Ben Lexcen’s drawings of the famous keel that are in the National Maritime Collection.

The exhibition, entitled Show us the Keel: Winning the America’s Cup in 1983 takes us back to September 1983 when John Bertrand and his crew crossed the line to take the America’s Cup from the US for the first time in its history.

Designer Kexcen named his radical concept of an upside-down keel with winglets ‘Darth Vader’, referring to the all-powerful villain of the Star Wars movies that took cinema by storm in 1977 and 1980.

His drawings chart the progress from a conventional design to the winged profile.

The design challenged the strict formula for designing 12-Metre class racing yachts, known as the America’s Cup Rule.

Australia II and its winged keel was kept literally under wraps before the America’s Cup races off Newport, Rhode Island.

To chants of ‘Show us the keel!’ and a media frenzy about what was hidden under the covers, Australia II and its boxing kangaroo mascot sailed to victory and into the hearts and minds of Australians.

Prime Minister Bob Hawke famously said: "‘Any boss who sacks anyone for not turning up today is a bum".

Alongside the design drawings, the exhibition includes a range of items associated with the win.

The free exhibition is at Wharf 7, Maritime Heritage Building behind the main museum building in Sydney and is open from 9am to 5 pm Monday to Friday.

Image: Sally Samins 

You know you are an icon when a museum devotes an exhibition to you

Taylor Swift is officially a pop culture icon.

The Museum of Arts and Design in New York is to present Taylor Swift: Storyteller, a career-spanning look at the artistic reinventions of the 12-time Grammy Award–winning songwriter and singer.

Opening on May 20, the exhibition will be on view exclusively at MAD through September 4, 2023.

Taylor Swift: Storyteller highlights include the cheerleader and ballerina ensembles from the award-winning music video for Shake It Off (2014); the red wedding dress and bellhop uniform from I Bet You Think About Me (2021) and the sparkling ensemble from Bejeweled (2022),

Concert attire by couture fashion houses will be featured along with props, jewelry and projections of music videos rounding out the exhibition.

“At MAD, fashion and the decorative have long been valued as a critical visual language and no one speaks that language quite like Taylor Swift,” says Alexandra Schwartz, the museum's curator of modern and vontemporary art, craft, and design.

“Whether dressed down in a flannel shirt and untamed hair or literally dazzling her audiences in head-to-toe Swarovski crystals, Taylor gives greater meaning to the palettes, textures, and depths of feeling expressed in her songwriting.”

OK. Alexandra is obviously a huge fangirl.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a series of public programs and events inspired by Swift's fan base: from video and film screenings to karaoke singalongs.

Additionally, The Store at MAD will stock a curated selection of Taylor Swift merchandise, from apparel to accessories. That was a given. This is the US after all. The dollar is king.

Tickets for the exhibition cost $US25 per person. For more information, visit madmuseum.org.

Vinexpo says farewell to Hong Kong, hello to Singapore

In a move that had long been expected, Vinexposium is changing the location of its flagship wine trade exhibition in the Asia-Pacific region and has chosen Singapore to host Vinexpo Asia in May 2023.

The group intends to capitalise on the history of Vinexpo Hong Kong (above), which was held in Hong Kong for 20 years until 2018. With a new name echoing its broader scope, Vinexpo Asia is returning to the region with the aim of maximising its influence.

Vinexpo Asia will take place in Singapore from May 23-25, 2023 in the heart of the Marina Bay Sands complex.

The new venue has been chosen thanks to the appeal of Singapore as a growing business hub.

Vinexpo Asia will focus entirely on wines and spirits and will become an annual event in the group’s portfolio.

Vinexpo Asia expects betweeny 1,000 to 1,200 exhibitors from across the globe.

The latest research by the IWSR for Vinexposium forecasts an annual rate of overall growth of 1.5% by 2025 in Asia-Pacific, which is higher than the forecast for Europe, estimated at 1.4%.

“There is currently strong demand among our exhibitors to return to Asia in the best possible conditions," says Rodolphe Lameyse, CEO of Vinexposium.

"Singapore stands out as an obvious choice for serving the interests of the entire Asia-Pacific region and act as a magnet, not only for Chinese clients, but also Australians, South Koreans, Thais, Japanese and Vietnamese, to name a few.” 

Vinexposium is the world's leading organiser of wine and spirits trade events. 

Attention all art-loving Sydney sinophiles

The Jiangsu Art Museum from China has launched an exhibition that will run in Sydney until December.

Lovers of Chinese artworks, calligraphy and oil paintings can view "Taste Life - Exhibition of Artists' Works and Cultural Creative Products from Jiangsu Art Museum" at the China Cultural Centre until December 10.

The name was clearly conjured up by a constipated committee from the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism - but the showing will be a major attraction for sinophiles.

Since ancient times, Jiangsu, a fertile "land of fish and rice", has had a history of cultural heritage.

Exhibitions like this are deigned to boost cultural exchange and co-operation between Jiangsu and Australia and to showcase the talents of Jiangsu to people in Australia.

Jiangsu is an eastern-central coastal province of China with its capital in Nanjing. 

The Jiangsu Art Museum, formerly known as the National Art Exhibition Hall, was built in 1936 and was the first national art museum in China.

This exhibition features 38 works of Chinese painting, calligraphy, oil painting and printmaking.

See https://www.sydney.com/destinations/sydney/sydney-city/city-centre/events/taste-life-exhibition-artists-works-and-cultural-creative-products-jiangsu-art-museum