Art news

This week as the Fringe Festival begins, Melbournians will have their last chance to view works by New Yorker Roni Horn, in her large-scale exhibition at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art. With a number of world renowned photographic sequences, Horn presents intriguing portraits of subjects ranging from family to French actress Isabelle Huppert, all exploring the intrinsic nature of what can (or can’t) be captured through portraiture. – JD

Not only is Brazilian artist f. marquespenteado the proud bearer of a tongue twister of a name, he is also quite the master with a needle and thread. Working between London and São Paulo, Penteado has worked in fine art, fashion and community based projects and was included in the endearingly titled ‘boys who sew’ exhibition organised by the UK Crafts Council in 2004.
f. marquespenteado’s East London show at v22 gallery presents stitched figurative works that address the role of masculine identity through a medium traditionally associated with female practioners. The show's press release explained this butterfly catcher embroidery using the most indecipherable pile of jargon I've come across in a while- "a reference to paradigns around contemporary science and anthropocentric debate surrounding subaltern species." Phew. He also uses very pretty colours and some lovely beading.

Shirty is this Saturday y'all.  Make sure you don't miss it!

Insight joined forces with the ghastly ghouls from Stab last Thursday (6th) and launched the Insight Art Installation at The Beach Road, Bondi.  The event was a knock out, with the surf, skate, fashion, film and music industries all coming together for one big party.  Entertained by DJ Dead Mike and then killer emerging New Zealand band "Surf City" (who incidently got signed on the night).  Beers were drank and mischief and fun had by all. Viva la Insight!

Skate deck designed for an exhibition called - 'I Used To Skate Once...' at The Outpost gallery in Brisbane.

Hard working Melbourne art group DAMP, has turned to focus on the collective nature of their practice itself, with a new work currently exhibited at Uplands Gallery. Consisting of an over-scaled, ten foot high plinth, atop of which perch a circle of ten chairs, Untitled 2007 will function as a place for the artists to work and discuss ideas, all the while in plain view of gallery visitors. Truly an unusual insight into the curious goings-on of the DAMP gang. JD

Artwork by London illustrator Katy Smail