Barry Keldoulis on Enjoying his Hometown During Sydney Contemporary
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Barry Keldoulis is building a two-way highway between Australia and the art world. After 15 years abroad between New York and Europe, he returned to his hometown of Sydney and started his own gallery in 2003 and, later, became the director of the SydneyBarry Keldoulis on Enjoying his Hometown During Sydney Contemporary
Barry Keldoulis is building a two-way highway between Australia and the art world. After 15 years abroad between New York and Europe, he returned to his hometown of Sydney and started his own gallery in 2003 and, later, became the director of the Sydney Contemporary art fair. From September 13-16, Sydney Contemporary will occupy Carriageworks, an arts hub near the former railyards, and feature more than 300 artists from 30 countries and a full roster of programs — from performances to talks to wining and dining. Keldoulis shared his recommendations on how visitors can best experience a city as unique as Sydney. What made you leave Sydney? And what brought you back? I was young and eager for experiences. A screenwriter friend had fantastic stories of New York in the ’70s, so I headed there, and sort of lucked into a job with the then Commissioner for Cultural Affairs for the City of New York, Henry Geldzahler. He was a great mentor, and I got an amazing education in art. Ten years in New York went by like 10 months. After a few years in Europe, it was the mid-’90s and the beginning of the idea of leading from the edge, and the end of the idea of one or even a few ‘Art Capitals.’ Good work could be made anywhere, and the art scene [in Sydney] was buzzing with a new generation of artists whose work I felt could stand up on the international stage, but with a unique Australian-ness. And then there’s my love of swimming and the ocean — there’s not many places where you can bodysurf crystal-clear ocean waves and then be in the city in 20 minutes.What can visitors expect from this year’s Sydney Contemporary fair and what are you most excited for? Visitors will be able to see new work from over 300 Contemporary artists from more than 30 countries, and excellent work by some modern masters. Installation Contemporary also presents large works that normally are beyond the scale presented in galleries. There’s an abundance of performance art, and Sydney Contemporary is, perhaps unusually, a ‘whole of scene’ affair, with everything from Artist Run Initiatives through young galleries to the Blue Chip, and, indeed, for the first time we have the National Art School participating, so visitors can see how the whole ecosystem of the art world integrates and operates. I’m excited by the whole thing, but also the potential for the fair to help with the internationalization of antipodean art. All of us want to see Australian art taken to the world, but it’s a two way street that needs to be developed. A good example of how an art fair can assist is Yavuz Gallery, one of the better galleries based in Singapore. They have been doing the fair since its inception in 2013, and now exhibit a number of Australian artists, not only in Southeast Asia, but around the globe.Are there any dishes from the local cuisine that visitors must try? If so, where should they go to try the best version? Sydney is a gastronome’s delight. Not only is there excellent traditional cuisine, but also, in a very multi-cultural environment; there’s joy in experimentation, so it’s a fusion capital. I would recommend trying the “stir-fried glass noodles, caramelized wallaby-tail meat” at Billy Kwong, in Potts Point, a fantastic restaurant run by Kylie Kwong, an Australian of Chinese heritage who works with ingredients from the various aspects of her background and upbringing and Australian native plant and animal life.What are some of your favorite restaurants in Sydney?Longrain does Thai with a slight Aussie twist, Baccomatto Osteria is fantastic Italian, both in Surry Hills, Sean’s Panaroma and the Icebergs Dining Room in Bondi are fantastic mod-Oz, but really there are too many to mention.What other cultural offerings does Sydney have that visitors should take advantage of before or after the art fair?Well, the Sydney Opera House is the obvious one, but a lot of people don’t realize that it has about 8 different venues in the complex, so there’s always something of interest to see. Theater is alive and well here, and there’s the major theater companies (Sydney Theatre Company, Belvoir) but for something off the beaten track try the Hayes or the tiny, experimental Stables, both in Kings Cross.What is the one tourist attraction you’d recommend to people visiting Sydney for the first time? Well, I’ve already mentioned the Opera House. But one must also experience the harbor. Take the Manly ferry, to get a sense of the grandeur of the waterway, but also take some of the ‘inner harbor’ ferries, to Mosman, Cremorne or Neutral Bay, and even perhaps the River Cat, that goes inland 15 miles to Parramatta, the demographic center of this great metropolis. (Check to see if there’s something on at Cockatoo Island, a stop on the way, which often has cultural events happening there. You can ‘glamp’ by the harbor there for about 20 bucks a night!) And one shouldn’t miss the Bondi to Coogee coastal walk.Do you have a favorite park in the city where you like to spend a quiet afternoon? I love the fact that there’s actually almost untouched native bush in and around the city and harbor, rather than manicured gardens (though there are some beauties of those too). Most of what was land kept for the military is now the Sydney Harbor National Park. Check out the islands in the Harbor, Shark and Clark, or North, South, Middle or Bradley’s Head. And a very special garden has been created by Wendy Whiteley, muse and wife of one of our most significant artists, in Lavender Bay.If one were to take a day trip to a small town or to do some hiking, where would you recommend they go? The Blue Mountains, just 40 miles west, are a World Heritage listed area, and amazing. Not pointy mountains, but rather a dissected plateau that even stunned Charles Darwin when he visited.Where would you recommend people stay in Sydney (could be a neighborhood or hotel)? Can I suggest that people stay in more than one place? Perhaps a few days in a hotel by the harbor (Ovolo Woolloomooloo, Pier One Walsh Bay) then in another with more big city vibe like Chippendale (The Old Clare), and then to remind yourself that this is uniquely almost a ‘resort city,’ by the beach (QT Bondi)!http://www.blouinartinfo.comFounder: Louise Blouin p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 17.0px Georgia; color: #d81e00} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 15.0px; font: 12.8px Georgia; color: #1155cc} p.p3 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 32.0px Arial; color: #232323; min-height: 37.0px} p.p4 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 32.0px Arial; color: #232323} span.s1 {text-decoration: underline ; font-kerning: none} span.s2 {text-decoration: underline ; font-kerning: none; background-color: #ffffff} span.s3 {font-kerning: none; color: #222222; background-color: #ffffff} span.s4 {font-kerning: none} p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Times} Read more