By Lin Tan
What started off as a four-day pilot art show has now blossomed into a season of art, otherwise known as Anode. This year, the season began in Melbourne on the 30th of October, and is now making its way to Sydney before ending on the 5th of December.
Unlike many art events, Anode is about collective curation and bridging the gap between different art groups or nodes. As you can imagine, the variety in the event’s program is both rich and multi-faceted, hosting more than 250 artists. Film screenings, installations, sound art, live performances, theatre, music and then some are what you can expect from the season.
Having already gone to some of the Melbourne shows, I am pleased to say that I’m looking forward to its return next year. Though the flurry of art shows was worthwhile in itself, the unlikely selected venues of the event only enhanced the overall experience.
In Melbourne, shows were performed on rooftops, ships and warehouses. In Sydney, the stunning Walter Griffin Incinerator Building and Paddington Town Hall, just to name a few.
But what makes Anode truly unique is its anti-uptight stance. It believes that everyone is a creator irrespective of experience. Hence, it is not an event that hosts only emerging or veteran artists. Instead, it prides itself as an event that provides a platform from creativity, seeking out passionate (mostly local) artists working behind closed doors in bedrooms and warehouses, and giving them an opportunity to exhibit their work.
And rather than have a single curator dictating a meticulously planned event, Anode embraces spontaneity, welcoming the idea of an evolving program should the inspirational lift of creativity inspire various nodes to collaborate.
Furthermore, most of the art shows are free or under $20.
This weekend (21st to 22nd of November) marks the official launch of Anode in Sydney. As if to provide a taste of what’s to come, the launch will showcase a screening of Aaron Rose’s documentary, Beautiful Losers, a DJ-set from Sleater Brockman (FBI Radio), a spoken word performance, some improvised sets and more.
Described as a, “portrait of the former nerds, freaks and outsiders who coalesced around New York’s Alleged Gallery in the ‘90s, and became accidental art-stars,” Beautiful Losers is a nostalgic, gritty documentary on the hip hop/punk lifestyle of some of today’s most influential artists.
On the 22nd, The Universe of Keith Haring and Obscene will be showing at the Paddington Town Hall.
The name, Keith Haring, may not ring a bell, but one glimpse of his iconic line drawings will. Cristina Clausen’s captivating documentary of the street artist has the power to linger on your mind for days, or like myself, will get you out and about hunting for his work on your city’s walls (in Melbourne, Haring’s mural can be found at the Collingwood Technical School). This deeply insightful, intimate and heart-breaking film also features Yoko Ono, Grace Jones, Madonna, and other popular artists in the form of archive footage and interviews.
Then there’s Obscene, a documentary centred on the ballsy ex-owner of Grove Press, Barney Rosset. Known for defying the censorship bans of the publishing industry in its early days, Rosset was responsible for publishing the likes of Henry Miller, Jack Kerouac and Samuel Beckett, during a time when their books were shunned as being too ‘obscene’. This funny, eye-opening portrait of the highly influential and rebellious man is laced with a choice soundtrack and some tell-all anecdotes.
For more information, visit anode2009.com
To purchase tickets, visit stickytickets.com.au
