THE KINGS CROSS ART WALL

The Changing Wall Of Kings Cross Art

Artists have been living and working in Kings Cross since before it was called Kings Cross. Bohemia took root here early on, the development of tenement buildings and the proximity to city and harbour gave this cosmopolitan area an aura of freedom from convention that continues to the present day. The suggestion by Linda Mearing, Kings Cross place manager, that the feature wall in the new Council Neighbourhood Service Center be used for exhibitions of Kings Cross art by Kings Cross artist's has been embraced with enthusiasm by the many artists of the area. Now the exhibition can be an ongoing tapestry of local artists work thanks to this site. Enjoy.

Tony Johansen

22 July - 18 August 2005
Title: GoFigure.net.au
Tony Johansen creates hyper realist art works using the centuries old techniques of the old masters. He also uses the latest digital techniques to produce images that exist only in cyberspace. This particular artwork has both elements. Described as a Triptych in 4 parts it was the first cross media entry into the Archibald Prize. The fourth part, a website with the story of the artwork, and out-takes and alternative images can be found here. With this artwork he has started signing his work TonyJohansen.com a sign of things to come.

Tony Johansen has a studio garret in William Street. He has had several studio's around Kings Cross since 1975. Within weeks of first arriving in the Cross, he participated in the last of the old time annual Kings Cross Art Exhibitions, this one was held at the old Kingsgate Hotel. It was to prove to be the last time the Yellow House artists exhibited together in Kings Cross, as they were all there. These days Tony lives the dream of the  passionate bohemian artist, he teaches art and his studio is called East Sydney Academy of Art.

Contact: 612  9368 0696
Website: www.tonyjohansen.com
Email: Click here to email Tony

Kate Mackay

19 August - 5 September 2005
Title: Untitled
Kate Mackay describes her work as concerned with process and with random difference within uniformity. She predetermines rules to control the creation of each series of works whereby complexity is derived from repeated combinations of simple shapes,with unpredictable variations of pattern and colour as the rules are followed to their logical conclusions.

What Kate did not say is that the result is simply beautiful and appeals to the emotions via the human need for saturation of pattern and colour. Pattern, however that as in nature follows certain rules but is subject to unexpected variation, a kind of perfect imperfection. The work of Kate Mackay has that fundamental appeal of the natural world that evolution has hardwired into our psyche.

Sam Wade

6 September - 16 September 2005
Title: Kings Cross Paintings.
Sam Wade is a quiet achiever. From his Kings Cross Road studio he has been recording the quiet interludes of Kings Cross life like a latter day local Hopper. His art explores the moments between events when people drift through inner worlds like two people at a bus stop, or lose theatrical brazenness like two girls between customers. The man in the bar may well be engaged with someone to the left, but all that we are invited to examine is the gulf between him and the people behind him. The common thread between these paintings is the reddish glow of Sydney's red light district.

Sam Wade's modest ways belie a talent of great sensitivity to the subtleties of human relations. His studio is at the back of an old art deco tenement building and overlooks a typical narrow Kings Cross lane.

Contact Sam Wade by clicking this e-mail Sam link

Cecile Pauly

26 September - 9 October 2005