Sep 12, 2009

Firenze, take two

1-5 We change it up and look at contemporary rather than baroque art at Palazzo Strozzi
6-7 Caitlin and I get yet another stairs workout, this time up Giotto's Campanile
8 The Uffizi gallery looks pretty by night
9 My fascination with Italian shrines and madonnelles continues...
10-17 Our wallets get sorely tempted by Florence's fantastic flea market

Sep 9, 2009

Black and white in Ballarat


Corinne and I made the trip (my first, I might add) to Ballarat to check out the International Foto Biennale. The day consisted of a cute lunch destination, a photogenic cemetary, and a treasure trove of an antique shop. These are but a teaser; more Ballarat foto/photo goodness can be found here.

As far as the exhibitions themselves were concerned, our clear favourite was Italian-born, Australia-based fashion photographer Bruno Benini. Benini's works epitomise the glitz and glamor of the 1950s in Melbourne, and moreover, they show him to be a master of photographic composition. The NGV has a small collection of works by Benini (but sadly not a single image uploaded to its online catalogue!), however the majority of his prints and negatives were acquired by Sydney's Powerhouse Museum earlier this year. Coincidentally, the Powerhouse has a smart little online feature: its Photo of the Day blog features a new photo from the gallery's photo library every day. Daily photographic goodness: nice work, Powerhouse. If only the NGV would take note.


(Images from here and here)

Spring is here!

Sep 3, 2009

Firenze in the rain


Found in Florence in February (say that five times fast):
Fantastic street art; dodgy bagmen on the run; peace and quiet (and some gruesome remains!) at San Marco; crazy detail on the Duomo; rain aplenty atop it; lonely emo scribblers on the lantern; and, well, that Daaaavid guy. He seems to have an awful lot of doppelgangers...! One more post of Florentine fotos, then a quickie from Milan and we're done! Whew is an understatement!

The writing's on the wall


I am trying really hard but can't remember where I found this. Maaaaybe from here...? And now I really am going to bed!

Sep 2, 2009

A happy discovery

On Sunday, in an attempt to while away a few hours whilst waiting for a massive set of photos to be printed, I headed to one of my very favourite places to kill time, Magnation. Magnation, like me, and many other awesome things, has flourished in Australia, but in fact originated in New Zealand. Basically, it is a magazine shop run by giant magazine nerds, for other magazine nerds to browse, oogle at, and hang out in. In addition to pretty much every mag on the planet, they have coffee, moleskines, wallpaper guides, funky stationery, and super comfy chairs. Now I am as much of a mag nerd as anyone, but what I was really going for was the chairs. So it was a pleasant surprise to discover at Magnation not only cushiony comfort, but also a new favourite for the magazine rack: Sydney-based EMPTY magazine.


Empty is, in its own words, quite simply a magazine "about creativity, in all its forms." The current issue of EMPTY is billed as "Image Only," which meant it was refreshingly free of the pretentious writing and reviews which so frequently spoils comptemporary art mags. Instead, EMPTY is packed with full size reproductions of work by Australian and international illustrators and artists. I won't say that I loved every piece, but I sure did find a few favourites:
Untitled (Self Portrait), 2009


Electricalize, 2008

Michael Hsiung
Puppeteer re-enacting scenes from Panda vs Unicorn Wars, 2006


Modified Scenes from my Childhood (3 of 7)


In all honesty, Morgan Blair is so interesting she (if she is indeed a she..?) deserves a post all of her own. But right now my head deserves the pillow more. I promise to be back soon, with both Morgan, and the second installment of I-love-art-by-Michaels.

Sep 1, 2009

There is a light...

at the end of the tunnel of Italian photo-posts. No really. Only three (maybe four...?) to go. These are from a daytrip to a set of Baroque villas between Siena and Florence.

Hee hee hee...


Really wish I could remember where I found this!
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