Cement Fondu Is Paddington's New Experimental Art and Performance Space

Lovers of art, music, live performance, quirky ideas and wild experiments, you have a brand new, rather roomy home. It's called Cement Fondu and you'll find it in a beautiful, 270-square-metre space in a leafy street in Paddo.

Here, directors Megan Monte and Josephine Skinner are ready to surprise you, make you laugh and get you thinking. Drawing upon their two decades in the arts between them, they're planning out-of-the-box exhibitions, one-off performances and lively conversations. And that's just in the main gallery. There's also an Art Store, which will host artist takeovers, and The Project Space, to be dedicated to workshops, residencies and emerging artists.

The frivolity will kick off on Saturday 10 March, with the opening of Cement Fondu's first exhibition, Suburbia. Between 6pm and 8pm, there'll be three live happenings: a cooking demo-storytelling show with Indian diva Radha La Bia (aka Shahmen Suku), a Miss Philippines-inspired Aerobics Oz performance by Caroline Garcia and The White Drummer, starring Tina Havelock Stevens (2017 Fisher's Ghost Award Winner).

Open to the public from Thursday 15 March till Sunday 29 April, Suburbia will feature works by more than 15 local and international artists and collectives, spanning across art, music, cinema and performance, and exploring the concept of "looking beyond our own backyard". Expect paintings by Tangentyere artists Nerine Tilmouth, Louise Daniels and Elizabeth Nampitjinya; tapestries by Melbourne-based Paul Yore; audio works from the Sweatshop Western Sydney Literacy Movement; and stacks more.

Meanwhile, Rosie Deacon, who's currently in residence at Parramatta Artist Studios, will take over the Art Store with her animal-inspired sculptures, jewellery and installations. And, in The Project Space, she'll be collaborating on a public workshop with a trio of artists from Studio A; look out for details.

Find Cement Fondu is at 36 Gosbell Street, Paddington from March 10, or visit their website for further details.

Image: Radha La Bia-Shahmen Suku, The Divine Game, 2017. Performance installation. Image credit: Tim da Rin.