Five New Art Exhibitions to Head to in February

Marking the first exhibition of the year for Sydney’s beloved White Rabbit Gallery, State of Play will see all four levels of the gallery transformed into a different environment, each exploring facets of play in contemporary Chinese culture: playground, campsite, bedroom and funhouse. Guest curated by Barbara Flynn (curatorial advisor to the City of Sydney and Barangaroo), the exhibition features over 45 artworks, including Shyu Ruey-Shiann’s One Kind of Behaviour, a hermit crab-inspired mechanical installation. Sounds fun!

Kids these days. What will they think of next? To find out, be sure to check out ARTEXPRESS at the AGNSW this month, showcasing the most outstanding works created by the 2014 year 12 cohort for the HSC. This is an exhibition that never ceases to amaze, and also to incite inferiority complexes in everyone over the age of 18. From traditional painting, drawing and sculpture to photomedia, textiles and time-based forms, this is an annual favourite for all ages and remains open until April 19.

This exciting double bill sees painter Andre Hemer and designer Elliott Bryce Foulkes up on the walls of Darlinghurst’s Chalk Horse gallery. Hemer is known for his exploration of the intersections between painting and digital media, with works that look a bit like really advanced Kid Pix experiments (in the best way possible). Foulkes is inspired by techniques of graphic design, with a flat, collaged pop art approach to making, having previously worked in print magazines and advertising.

The February instalment of Firstdraft’s dynamite exhibition program features four Sydney-based and rurally engaged emerging artists. Siân McIntyre and Alex Pye explore notions of Australiana and Australian identity through mixed media, sculpture and performance, with their respective bodies of work titled Circular Settlements and Cumnock: The Musical!. In the second and fourth gallery spaces, Laura Moore (Framed) and Christopher Handran (Aqueous Humour) examine photography, the lens and framing through various approaches, shedding light on experiences of immersion, sensation, spectacle and the everyday.

Technically this group show opened on January, 31 but it runs until February 21 and can’t go without a mention. Housed in the iconic Zetland space once owned and renovated by Ken Done, a selection of works by some of Australia’s most exciting emerging and established contemporary artists is on show. The exhibition celebrates the tenth anniversary of this successful local gallery, featuring works by Sydney Ball, Matthew Allen, Tony Albert, Karen Black, Joanna Lamb, Alex Seton and at least 20 more.