Tag: Humour

An evening offering a truly 'one-off' experience and opportunity to discover Fredrik Brattberg's Norwegian black humour ...

Tobias McCorkell

When your work can't get any lower your expectations can only soar.A knight in shining overalls- Kenny is proud of his w...

Macquarie Park: Sydney's 2nd largest employment hub is about to growInsights as to how you could take advantage of Gover...

Award-winning comedian -Madeleine Stewart -charms audiences everywhere with a sweet demeanour and razor-sharp wit. -Roby...

The Big Bike Film Night is on a mission to share the best cycling short films from around the world.Showcasing our 2020 ...

Wrapped in First Class pyjamas and inflated ankles- Frumpus navigate white knuckle turbulence to touch down in luxury go...

The Salon des Refuses was initiated by the S.H. Ervin Gallery in 1992 in response to the large number of works entered into the Archibald Prize which were not selected for display in the official exhibition. The Archibald Prize is one of Australia's most high profile and respected awards which attracts hundreds of entries each year and the S.H. Ervin Gallery's 'alternative' selection has become a much-anticipated feature of the Sydney scene.Each year our panel is invited to go behind the scenes of the judging process for the annual Archibald Prize for portraiture and Wynne Prize for landscape painting and figure sculpture at the Art Gallery of New South Wales- to select an exhibition from the many hundreds of works entered in both prizes but not chosen for the official award exhibition.The Salon des Refuses exhibition at the S.H. Ervin Gallery has established an excellent reputation that rivals the selections in the 'official' exhibition- with works selected for quality- diversity- humour and experimentation- and which examine contemporary art practices- different approaches to portraiture and responses to the landscape.Visitors can vote in the Holding Redlich People's Choice Award.Covid-Safe informationWe are registered as a Covid Safe business and have new safety measures.All visitors are required to sign in on arrival if they do not have pre-booked tickets. On arrival- visitors must sign in using the QR code provided and on completion show staff confirmation that will be displayed at the end of the check in process. Visitors without a smartphone can sign in at the Front Desk.What are we doing to make our venue safelimited the number of visitors in line with the 4 sqm per person and have introduced timed entry to reduce queues.taking the contact details of all visitors in case contact tracing is necessary.installed hand sanitising units and increasing our cleaning regime to thoroughly clean all touch points regularly throughout the day.removed some seating and other touchable items- including paper brochures.

There's a kind of innocence and earnestness to looking up at the clouds. It's something we do as children - searching for shapes- glimpses of meaning that might suddenly give form to the expansive and changing sky. This yearning to explore and make sense of our world is lost as we grow. When we're not looking down- we look up and feel suddenly small- distant to whatever lays beyond and at the same time- completely at its mercy.It's this notion of the sublime that Jackson Farley uses as the backdrop to his work- but rather than surrendering to these systems of value at play- he peers through - poking and prodding- making fun and inserting his own narrative.His images- taken on his iPhone and blown up 17 times to scale- are riddled with Jackson's mark making- zany loose drawings overlay the forms of clouds- rock faces and flowers and he uses text to give voice to the anecdotes and narratives at the heart of each work. Whether it's 'i miss you' sprawled out over the heavens or lyrics to Taylor Swifts 'We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together' tagged onto 'Jesus' tomb'- each mark becomes a catharsis and speaks to a kind of universal history - a mourning for naivety- lost love and family departed.In Jackson's video work- which shares the exhibition's title- we see a tangible 69th edit of the Bible. The Old and New Testaments are collaged together with the artist's personal narrative to create a hypnotic world that embellishes the fantastical nature of the original text. The crucifix that Jesus died on finds its voice and 'naughty' escapades ensue in the party to end all parties- where the faithful are turned into 'techno fish' and father and son finally have that much needed talk.Using irony- afforded by combining seemingly 'pure' and 'impure' imagery and text- Jackson channels the subliminal and parodies the way in which we see ourselves and our world. With the crudeness of slapstick- schoolboy humour and sexual innuendo- this body of work speaks to the irony of religion- god and notions thereof- whilst also conversely- being just as sentimental- heart-felt and self-reflective.In many ways- TESTAMENT PT. XXXXXXVIIII plays with value: we search for identifiable shapes in the clouds- find ourselves in the lyrics of Taylor Swift songs and we cannot help but identify the number 69 with oral sex. These dualisms almost appear as compulsions- competing for primacy within the spaces of image and video- one sitting alongside the other. They speak to the pathos and hierarchy of Catholicism- whilst also pointing out its irrevocable contradictions.Covid-19 guidelinesIn light of the Covid crisis and to ensure your safety we request that all visitors register upon entry and maintain social distancing. Private viewings can be arranged call or email the gallery to book a time.