Cool People Making Cooler Things

Reviews

I consider myself to be endlessly blessed with cool friends. They are diversely creative and talented and also endlessly generous.

A few weeks back I got to attend a good friends end of semester fashion show. Mackenzie is only 23 but she’s intimidatingly talented and so cool I can’t believe she’s friends with a weirdo like me. Below is a little review I wrote after watching a dazzling display of talent strut down a runway.

That same week I accompanied another of my stupidly talented friend, Heather, to an art exhibitions opening night. She herself is a talented artist that I’ve had the pleasure of posing nude for (the resulting painting has pride of place over my bed). She is a painter, a pianist, crafty as all heck, a qualified plant person and studying graphic design - I know it’s a lot. So, it was a pleasure to take in some very cool art with someone that could explain all the technical prowess to me.

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WHAT LIES BENEATH

On Thursday the 25th of June I attended my very first fashion show. This was an exciting prospect as many hours of Project Runway and RuPaul’s Drag Race has given me the unfounded belief that I know anything about fashion (I do not).

Central Gallery was transformed into a stage for innovative design as North Metropolitan TAFE fashion department’s diploma and advanced diploma students showcased the fruits of the last 12 months labour in a fundraiser for the end of year Graduate Show. After acquiring delicious refreshments we made our way to our seats.

The runaway show was walked by volunteer models and fashion students to the electrifying beats provided by Predrag Delibasich. Beautiful, striking, and wonderfully bizarre garments walked the long circuitous runaway. A huge shout out the elegance and confidence of all the models. Performing for such a considerable crowd is never easy.

Although the show lacked some thematic cohesion, it in no way detracted from the mind-blowing art on display. This cohort of Diploma and Advanced Diploma students are bursting with talent. From fascinating concepts to flawless construction each look displayed a full range of artistic expression. A special shout out to the whimsical camping inspired number by Bella Cherie (@itsbella.cherie), which was so darling and excellently made I desperately want to own it.

I would wear the shit out of this

And the ethereal and innovative look by Mackenzie Rogers (@cleoviree) which floated down the runway like something from a dream.

I am so proud of Mackenzie, these looks are inspired!

But my favourite part was watching all the students come out at the end to take their bows and well-deserved praise. I have never seen a more intimidatingly cool collection of humans in my life. They looked like they belonged in London, New York, or Amsterdam. Turns out there is plenty of fashion talent hiding away here in little old Perth. I can’t wait to see more of what the North Metropolitan Fashion Department Students have to offer.

MORE IS MORE

Art exhibition by Tessa Dorotich and Ariel

I am not a minimalist. I do not believe in the ‘less is more’ sentiment. And so, attending the ‘More is More’ art exhibition by Tessa Dorotich and Ariel Katzir was right up my alley. It was an explosion of joy and whimsy. Held at the Sava Gallery in Shenton Park the exhibition used a variety of media to explore the emotional language of colour with an “insistence on joy.”

Opening night was a delightful communal appreciation of maximalism. The space was transformed into a world of colour. Each of the three studio spaces were dedicated to either blue, orange, or green. The art within expressing the different emotional facets of each colour.

The large portraits were captivating. The use of various media creating an endlessly engrossing intersection of technique and expression. I was especially taken with how clothing was rendered through an expressionistic movement of paint. The pottery on display was another highlight. Adorned with faces and ears, they were perfectly weird and charming – the kind of thing that would enliven any home.

And the ears… oh the ears. They were a repeating motif. Either on individual tiles or attached to the larger canvases. Some also had holes in which you could attach ceramic earrings of various designs including paint palettes, chairs, and ears to the ears. It’s that kind of attention to detail and commitment to playfulness that had me grinning like a little kid.

Skill married perfectly with artistic expression to create this most excellent collection of art. My friend and I spent ages inspecting each piece and were drawn into discussion of what we saw and how it made us feel. Most strikingly, the exhibition inspired within me a desire to create in my own small ways.

The promotional material stated that, “the exhibition offers an unapologetic affirmation that there can never be too much colour, too much feeling, or too much joy.” And I can’t help but agree. As female artists Dorotich and Katzir fearlessly reclaim the idea of being ‘too much’ and instead challenge us to consider if we are, in fact, being enough.