• OPENING SOON – New contemporary spaces at the Art Gallery of New South Wales
• SUPPORT – SCAPE Christchurch Biennial Earthquake Recovery Fund
• ON NOW – Bye Bye Kitty!!! curated by David Elliott
• ARTIST UPDATE – previous Biennale artists Wang Qingsong, Isaac Julien, Danius Kesminas and Roger Ballen
• COMING UP – ART HK 11: Hong Kong International Art Fair, 26–29 May
• CHECK OUT – Walsh Bay Sculpture Walk presented by Transfield
• SPECIAL OFFER – discounted tickets to Connected, presented by Sydney Theatre and Chunky Move
• DON’T MISS – Sydney Film Festival program launch on 11 May

This month, the Art Gallery of New South Wales will unveil a new floor for contemporary art, featuring the John Kaldor Family Collection. The new spaces, designed by Andersons Architects, were made possible through a significant gift by the John Kaldor Family to the state of NSW, together with funds generously donated by the Belgiorno-Nettis family and the NSW Government.

Two hundred contemporary artworks – donated by the Kaldor Family – will find a home in the impressive new exhibition space. The first display from the Kaldor Collection features works by Robert Rauschenberg, Christo and Jeanne-Claude and Jeff Koons, among others. Alongside will be a number of commissioned and newly installed site-specific artworks, by artists including Sol LeWitt, Richard Long and Ugo Rondinone.

The John Kaldor Family Gallery opens at the Art Gallery of New South Wales on 21 May. On 21 and 22 May, the Gallery will hold an Open Weekend to celebrate the launch with over 60 free events including performances, workshops, films and talks by Edmund Capon and John Kaldor, as well as visiting artists and curators.

For more information, visit the Art Gallery of New South Wales website. 

Sol LeWitt’s Wall drawing #1091: arcs, circles and bands (room) 2003 (detail)
© Estate of Sol LeWitt/ARS Licensed by Viscopy, Sydney

Help the SCAPE Christchurch Biennale fund future projects by purchasing a 6th SCAPE Biennale Commemorative T-shirt. The Anton Parsons designed t-shirts were produced only days before the devastating February 2011 earthquake. The design depicts the number sequence 043504092010 (the hour, minute, day, month and year of the 4 September 2010 earthquake) which first changed the landscape of Christchurch and caused the postponement of SCAPE. Although the 6th SCAPE was unable to go ahead as planned, this commemorative design will go on to represent this interrupted biennial.

To order online please visit the SCAPE website, or download an order form here.

Bye Bye Kitty!!! Between heaven and hell in Contemporary Japanese Art, curated by 17th Biennale of Sydney (2010) Artistic Director, David Elliott, is on at the Japan Society, New York, until 12 June.

Bye Bye Kitty!!! is a radical departure from recent Japanese exhibitions. Moving far beyond the stereotypes of kawaii and otaku culture, the Japan Society show features 16 emerging and mid-career artists whose paintings, objects, photographs, videos and installations meld traditional styles with challenging visions of Japan’s troubled present and uncertain future. The exhibition includes 17th Biennale artists Makoto Aida, Yamaguchi Akira and Hisashi Tenmyouya.

For more information, visit the website.

As previous Biennale artists continue to exhibit around the globe, we do our best to keep you up-to-date. If you’re in Seoul, Sittard (Netherlands), New York or Melbourne, check out the following shows.  

In New York, Beijing artist Wang Qingsong is holding his first US solo show at the International Centre for Photography. The exhibition features 12 large-scale photographs and three video works. Isaac Julien is presenting a three-screened version of Ten Thousand Waves at the Atelier Hermès exhibition space in Seoul, Korea. This work had its world premiere at the 17th Biennale of Sydney (2010). In Melbourne, the Monash University Museum of Art is presenting Slave Pianos, Punkasila, Pipeline to Oblivion, three major projects by Danius Kesminas and collaborators. And in Sittard, the Netherlands, Roger Ballen’s exhibition Skadukant is on at the Museum Het Domein, featuring 120 photographs from the 1980s to today.

Click here for more.

Wang Qingsong, Competition, 2004 (detail)
Courtesy the artist 
© Wang Qingsong

ART HK 11: Hong Kong International Art Fair returns to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from 26–29 May 2011.

As the world continues to tip eastwards on its axis, Hong Kong has become the centre of the art market in Asia. With 260 of the most influential galleries from 38 countries showing the work of leading international artists, ART HK has asserted its position amongst the most important art fairs in the world. Sponsored by Deutsche Bank, ART HK is the place to experience the excitement of the contemporary art world in Asia first-hand.

For more information on the fair and to check out the participating galleries, visit the ART HK 11 website.

Our Founding Partner, Transfield will at 4 pm today unveil a new sculpture for the Walsh Bay Sculpture Walk, Phil Price’s Tri, 2004. Head down to the north eastern corner of Pier 8/9, Walsh Bay, Sydney to check out this latest addition.

Transfield began its patronage of the arts when Franco Belgiorno-Nettis founded the Transfield Art Prize for painting and sculpture in the 1960s. The Transfield Art Prize quickly established itself as the premier contemporary art prize in Australia. In 1973, Transfield founded the Biennale of Sydney and continues its visionary support today.

Illustration of Phil Price’s, Tri, 2004
Courtesy Transfield

We’re pleased to offer Biennale subscribers discounted tickets to Connected, presented by Sydney Theatre and Chunky Move, from 10–14 May.

Teaming up with Californian artist, Reuben Margolin, Chunky Move’s Gideon Obarzanek animates both the body and the machine through physical connection between the dancers and Margolin’s purpose-built kinetic sculpture. Beginning with simple movements and hundreds of tiny pieces, the dancers build their performance while they construct the sculpture in real time.

Click here to find out how to collect your discount.

The Sydney Film Festival program for 2011 will be revealed on Wednesday, 11 May. The Sydney Film Festival has announced a cross-section of films in the lead-up to taking over the city’s silver screens from Wednesday, 8 June to Sunday, 19 June.

Festival Director, Clare Stewart, relishes Sydney Film Festival’s role in championing new directions in film: ‘Our annual search for international excellence uncovers some exceptional cinema and we can’t wait to show Sydneysiders in June.’

Visit the Sydney Film Festival website to purchase a FlexiPass and to check out a full selection of teaser films.