Five New Art Exhibitions to Brighten Up Your August

Do you remember the maze of brightly coloured vinyl tape on the floor of the MCA at the 19th Biennale of Sydney? That was Glaswegian artist Jim Lambie. He creates hypnotic site-specific installations using a broad range of found materials. Zero Concerto, opening on August 13 at Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, will incorporate potato sacks, bicycle wheels and more of his trademark vinyl tape.

Future Process at Artereal Gallery is all about reconciling traditional craft with new technologies. This group show will contemplate past, present and future methods of artmaking. Curators Ryan McGennisken and Michael Staniak share an interest in reclaiming the relevance of painting and sculpture. Reflecting on the ‘de-skilling’ phenomenon that developed out of Postmodernism, they have selected artists who are part of a ‘re-skilling’ trend in contemporary art.

This elusive-sounding exhibition will feature a collection of photographs from emerging artist Simon del Favero, whose architectural training has fostered an interest in spatial situations and visual relationships. Liminal is an adventure into the space surrounding the photographed object; it is an attempt to see through the solitary in search of something that is not quite visible.

The Slackers are a Sydney-based collective of artists (including big guns like Shaun Gladwell, Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro, Wade Marynowsky, Chris Fox, Angelica Mesiti and The Kingpins). They formed in 1997 and were active until 2002. This month will see a double venue retrospective of their work along with a few new commissions. Spread across Sydney College of the Arts and Campbelltown Arts Centre, Cosmic Love Wonder Lust will be something of a reunion.

There is no one like Hiromi Tango. Her practice is an explosion of colour and texture — neon lights, plaited wool, knitted shapes, creatively-crafted flowers and much more. Fluorescence at Sullivan+Strumpf will see Tango delve into intergenerational relationships, exploring the literal and metaphorical potential of fluorescence and how it can affect our brains and emotions.