Overview
Unless you've spent the last two months living under a rock, it's safe to assume you'll have heard about The Lady and the Unicorn exhibition at the Art Gallery of NSW. Visiting from Paris' Musèe de Cluny – Musèe National du Moyen Âge, the exquisitely beautiful, richly symbolic tapestry cycle — otherwise known as 'the Mona Lisa of the Middle Ages' — is yours to gaze at until Sunday, June 24. It's only the third time the works have left France since their creation circa 1500, so we're pretty darn lucky to have them in Sydney. And even luckier, there's an incredible accompanying program designed to complement the exhibition's themes of art and the senses. So once you've soaked up the tapestries in all their mysterious glory, you can dive into a host of events including an impressive lineup of guest speakers, tapestry weaving, live poetry performances, panel discussions and weekly sessions on mindfulness and meditation. Here are some highlights.
PRACTICE MINDFULNESS
Intrigued by the Coming to Our Senses series but can't commit to the four-week program? Then put Wednesday, April 25 in your calendar. As part of that evening's Art After Hours program, artist and Zen Buddhist practitioner Lindy Lee joins mindfulness educator Steve Pozel for a free talk on the power of art to engage our senses, inspired by the five senses theme running through The Lady and the Unicorn tapestry cycle. Discussing contemporary artists ranging from musician John Cage to renowned performance artist Marina Abramovic, Lee and Pozel will explore the intimacy of mindfully engaging with performance, art and music, along with the potential for meditation itself to spark the creative impulse.
Wednesday, April 25 at 6.30pm. Free.
ENGAGE YOUR SENSES
Whether you're an old hand at meditation or newly curious about developing greater mindfulness, you might be interested in the four-week multi-disciplinary program Coming to Our Senses. Combining a sensory exploration of artistic, musical and natural elements from the tapestry cycle (and other works in the gallery), the course guides an intimate group of 25 people through mindfulness practices and meditation, aiming to help participants cultivate awareness, restore focus, heighten engagement and deepen empathy. Led by mindfulness facilitator Steve Pozel, each week you'll also get to glean wisdom from guest artists, including Chinese-Australian artist Lindy Lee; Australian composer, producer and pianist Stu Hunter; and celebrated practitioner of the Japanese tea ceremony, Yayoi Maloney.
Every Saturday from May 12 to June 2 from 9am–12pm. $420–450.
'Taste' c1500, from 'The Lady and the Unicorn' series (detail) Musée de Cluny – Musée National du Moyen Âge, Paris Photo © RMN-GP / M Urtado.
BECOME A TAPESTRY EXPERT
Fans of tapestry-making and textile art in general will definitely want to come along to Weaving Histories. The event takes place across an entire day and will answer everything you've ever wanted to know about the context of medieval European tapestry, including the traditions and techniques that continue to influence the medium today. Spend a Saturday having an exclusive viewing of The Lady the Unicorn exhibition, hearing a talk from US tapestry historian Laura Weigert, refreshing yourself at morning tea, followed by an afternoon at the Australian Design Centre for a panel discussion led by Art Gallery of NSW curator Jackie Dunn with tapestry artists and scholars Valerie Kirk and Cresside Collette. The day wraps up following afternoon tea with the speakers.
Saturday, June 2 from 10am–3.15pm. $55–65.
SEE ART AFTER HOURS
There's a stellar lineup across April and May for the Wednesday Art After Hours program, where you can visit The Lady and the Unicorn exhibition as well as enjoying drinks, guided Biennale tours, talks, workshops, film screenings and live music inspired by the tapestries. Upcoming highlights include a talk from celebrated soprano, actor, composer and playwright Deborah Cheetham on April 11, who'll be reflecting on the impact the medieval tapestries have had on her. April 18 sees wine educator Aaron Basher host a talk on taste, smell and the language of wine, and on May 9 you can catch award-winning Australian author Charlotte Wood discussing her complex response to the tapestries. That's your Wednesday nights covered for the next month or so.
Wednesdays from 6pm. Free entry.
HEAR SOME POETRY
The Lady and the Unicorn tapestries have famously intrigued artists and writers throughout time, with everyone from filmmaker-writer Jean Cocteau to novelist George Sand and poet Rilke finding them a source of inspiration. Not averse to a spot of verse yourself? Then you'll want to time your visit to coincide with Poetic Threads, a live event of poetic performances taking place as part of Sydney Writer's Festival 2018. Enter the exhibition before public hours at 9am to join a small audience as much-loved Australian poets Mirrah, Candy Royalle and Scott Sneddon (AKA Scott Wings) share their own imaginative responses to the tapestries and their mysterious, mythical world.
Friday, May 4 to Sunday, May 6 from 9am. $55–65 including exhibition entry.
The Lady and the Unicorn tapestries are on display at the Art Gallery of NSW until June 24.