The Museum of Contemporary Art's ARTBAR has become a firm fixture on Sydney's after-dark cultural calendar. For the uninitiated, ARTBAR combines art, music, design and performance for a huge art party on the last Friday of every month, curated by a different artist each time. This month, the event comes under the direction of interdisciplinary artist Reko Rennie.
Perhaps best known for his public art installation Always was, always will be at Taylor Square in Darlinghurst, Rennie's work combines Indigenous iconography with street art to explore notions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander identity in an urban environment. For ARTBAR, Rennie has chosen the theme 'Maverick' to run the night, curating a night focused on praising nonconformity and independence. Australian and international artists will showcase "unexpected art forms" and transform the MCA into a "space of experimentation".
"I show my work where I want and where I can," says Rennie. "I'm not affiliated with the dominant commercial galleries and their curators. For this I've been called a maverick artist… I like it. This night is for all those who are mavericks. Each of the artists I have selected have forged independent careers in creating and making art.'
Your ARTBAR ticket also includes free entry to Tatsuo Miyajima: Connect with Everything.