Sydney Modern – a work of art for works of art
Image: Sydney Modern interior, artists impression. Image: Art Gallery of NSW
The eagerly anticipated grand opening of Sydney Modern has been announced for December this year with week-long, free events to celebrate the occasion. The impressive addition to the Art Gallery of NSW is the city’s most architecturally and culturally significant new building since the Sydney Opera House.
The Art Gallery of NSW (AGNSW) has been the city’s preeminent art gallery for more than 150 years, and has had several homes before settling on its current site opposite The Domain in the late 1800s. The familiar, purpose-built heritage sandstone building with Corinthian temple-inspired facade, has been the home of AGNSW for more than a century, but its capacity has been surpassed by the city’s cultural needs.
Sydney Modern will double the AGNSW’s exhibition space and facilities. Sitting only metres away from its historic predecessor, the new addition is light years away in terms of design and features. It is a vast and airy complex with cascading levels, indoor and outdoor art gardens, sweeping architectural lines, and a predominantly glass exterior that takes advantage of its scenic position overlooking Woolloomooloo Bay.
Opening celebrations will take place across nine days and include workshops, displays, live performances, and talks and all events are free. The art gallery will extend its hours during the nine days and be open from 10am to 10pm each day from December 3 to 11.
Highlights include:
• Art for All: a free concert on December 10 in The Domain featuring British singer, Ellie Goulding, Australia’s Meg Mac and the electronic duo Electric Fields (Anangu and Zaachariaha Fielding).
• Art Up: a nightly drone show over Woolloomooloo Bay created by Kamilaroi artist Reko Rennie. Featuring 400 drones creating aerial artworks set to a soundtrack.
• Art Exchange: a series of public conversations between artists, thought leaders and creatives from around the world. Panellists include artists Lisa Reihana, Reko Rennie, Howie Tsui and Adrián Villar Rojas; curator, writer, co-founder and executive director of The World Around at the Guggenheim Museum in New York Beatrice Galilee; director of M+ in Hong Kong Suhanya Raffel; comedian Steven Oliver; chefs Adam Liaw, Christine Manfield, Matt Moran and Clayton Wells; former Australian Governor-General Quentin Bryce; and human rights barrister Geoffrey Robertson.
• Performances: a series of special performances at the Art Gallery include GABAN by Brook Andrew, an interdisciplinary artist of the Wiradjuri Nation; RITUAL, a powerful and engrossing choreographic work by actor, filmmaker and martial artist Maria Tran; and Animate Loading, a site-responsive, disability-led choreographic work by Riana Head-Toussaint.
• Workshops: A weaving workshop led by artists from Milingimbi Art and Culture centre in northeast Arnhem Land. The workshop is a response to a series of naturally dyed woven artworks displayed in the Yiribana Gallery of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art, the first gallery that visitors encounter in the Art Gallery’s new building.
