Forgotten, overlooked, misunderstood women are a dime a dozen. Everywhere you look there’s another woman not getting her fair share. Today, yesterday, tomorrow too no doubt, unless we get a decent riot together. Burn through a couple of hurdles ASAP. Believe Not Every Spirit, But Try The Spirits is an exhibition inspired by the art […]
Category Archives: Melbourne Art
April
20
A Golden Age of China: I dream therefore I am
posted by Natalie Thomas
I’m in a dream. The Qianlong Emperor (1735-1796) is there. He’s an art connoisseur and the longest living Emperor in Chinese history. During his reign, China became the wealthiest and most populous nation in the world. We’re at his place, the Forbidden Palace. There’s a queasy feeling in my belly, excited but nervous. The feeling […]
April
11
Wearing a Onesy to Boogie
posted by Natalie Thomas
It’s a hard gig being a woman. Have you ever tried taking a sneaky leak behind a parked car at a crowded music festival whilst wearing a catsuit and a fur coat? No you bloody haven’t! You have to strip down to your god given birthday suit, it’s freezing cold, your girls are on high […]
April
08
Boogie: Music Festival or Cult?
posted by Natalie Thomas
They tell us Boogie is a music festival but it’s really a cult. The Head Dude is the dude with the mic. Luckily for we cult members, they share the mic round to a few, signifying a Leadership Battle that mirrors the current Australian Liberal Party. Politics sit outside the Boogie code of acceptable conduct, with […]
March
24
Ballarat Begonia Festival
posted by Natalie Thomas
Here at the revamped offices of nattysolo.com, we love to entertain ourselves with lists of What’s Hot and What’s Not. Now that we’ve relaunched our web presence (with new-look logos for our online and concrete brands; a newly renovated office wing and conference centre by architectural maverick Howard Roark with whom we enjoy a longstanding […]
March
14
Shifting Gear: Design, Innovation and the Australian Car; NGV
posted by Natalie Thomas
The difference between art and design is that with design, it’s generally easier to test if it’s any good and there’s a purpose that can be evaluated. The difference between art and (propositional) architecture is whether or not Callum did it. If Callum did it then it’s art. Art, design and architecture are presently cannibalizing […]
March
11
Plagiarism: What is it and How do you do it?
posted by Natalie Thomas
Design is So Big Right Now that the world’s favourite power lesbian, Ellen DeGeneres, recently launched her own 6-part American furniture design reality TV competition for cable – “Ellen’s Design Challenge”. The Grand Finale saw finalists Tim and Katie design one last piece of furniture, the winning designer taking home prize money of one hundred […]
February
27
Adam Kalkin: The Remote-Controlled Terrorist Coffin; RMIT
posted by Natalie Thomas
Design and warfare have a close relationship and when there’s a war on, there’s funding for ideas with a military potential. LOOOOADS of funding. Hugo Boss needed funding once. Hugo’s fashion house designed and produced all of those killer Waffen SS uniforms (made by Polish slave labourers). Hugo joined the fledgling Nazi Party and contracts […]
February
24
White Night Melbourne
posted by Natalie Thomas
White Supremacy. White Noise. White Australia. You could quite easily argue, that as an adjective White (what with it’s obvious overtones and all) is very last century. Therefore, I’m thinking an immediate rebranding of the White Night spectacle to Colourful Night would be a big help. How about As Good as a State Sponsored Free […]
February
16
Brent Harris: Dreamer; Tolarno Galleries
posted by Natalie Thomas
I once harboured such youthful disdain for painters that I had to coin a new phrase to describe my own senseless discrimination: Paintcism. As a paintcist I believed all painters had it too easy: producing art products that people want to buy and hang on their walls like spice racks. Any idiot can paint, or […]
nattysolo 