34-35 / 88
In
APT8 Cinema
, ‘Filipino Indie’ surveyed independent and
experimental digital filmmaking from the Philippines, with a
related retrospective showing the intensely poetic ‘slow cinema’
of Lav Diaz. ‘Pop Islam’ explored representations of the religion
on screen at a time when it is a polarising subject in media and
politics, offering a more nuanced take on the subject.
‘Pop Islam’ was launched with an Anasheed performance of Islamic
spiritual songs by Sydney-based followers of Rifai and Qadiri
Sufism. Anasheed incorporates many devotional musical styles,
often accompanied by percussive instruments, reflecting Islam’s
diverse and multi-ethnic devotees.
For
APT8 Kids
, exhibiting artists collaborated with the Gallery’s
Children’s Art Centre on 12 new hands-on activities and artworks
that were just as popular with adult visitors. Among them were
Choi Jeong Hwa’s bottle-cap interactive
The Mandala of Flowers
and Lawrence English’s suspended ‘whisper cloud’ full of visitors’
wishes. The accompanying book,
Draw, Make, Create: APT8 Kids
,
brought the fun home and into the classroom.
CLOCKWISE FROMTOP LEFT /
APT8 Kids artworks and activities:
Justin Shoulder and Bhenji Ra
Club
Anak (Club Child)
2015 / Lawrence
English
Everyday Whispers
2015 /
Venkat Raman Singh Shyam
The
Woman and the Parrot
2015 / Choi
Jeong Hwa
The Mandala of Flowers
2015 / Photographs: Brad Wagner,
Chloë Callistemon, Brodie Standen
Artist Choi Jeong Hwa and Premier
and Minister for the Arts the Hon.
Annastacia Palaszczuk,
mp
, with
students fromWest End State
School in
The Mandala of Flowers
2015 / Photograph: Mark Sherwood
The Children’s Art Centre publication
Draw, Make, Create: APT8 Kids /
Photograph: Chloë Callistemon
LEFT /
APT8 International Visitors
and First Nations Curators /
November 2015 / Photograph:
Mark Sherwood
BELOW /
Anasheed performance
launching ‘Pop Islam’ /
Photograph: Brad Wagner
The Australia
Council for the Arts
supported the APT8
International Visitors
Program and First
Nations Curators
Program
REVIEW
2015
PAGE
034
PAGE
035
REVIEW
2015
PICTURE
PICTURE