NAS NEO: On Print

Overview

In the National Art School's quest to make art accessible and engaging for all, it birthed the monthly event NAS NEO. The free after-hours event brings together live music, food and drinks, and art of every kind — with a particular emphasis on interactivity. Head to the staggering sandstone-walled venue on Thursday, June 8 for the next iteration, On Print, which celebrates a broad range of print techniques via workshops, drag performances and exhibitions.

The headline act for the first winter NAS NEO is Battlesnake, the psychedelic rockers who supported KISS on their recent tour Down Under. Catch their hits like 'I Am the Vomit' and 'Nightmare King' on your arty weeknight. Sticking to the night's theme, drag performers will wear dazzling screen-printed creations for both group and solo numbers.

Flex your own creative muscles in a range of workshops. There's collage printing with Tristan Chant, the talented artist who fuses screen printing and chopping and rearranging images to form something new. Attendees can try their hand at Chant's creative practice via silk screens (and are encouraged to bring their own t-shirt to use in the session).

Do you know what frottage is? Well, if not, you should be even more excited to head to Marcus Dyer-Harrison's session on the artform. Tracing and rubbing over material objects (say a coin or a leaf) with a lead pencil will leave a version of your subject embellished on your page. Through this technique, you can create new versions of the ordinary things in your surroundings — and uncover a new way to see and explore your world.

Tickets are free, but you need to RSVP. Hands-on art, live music and dinner chosen from a lineup of food trucks? Better than whatever else you had planned for a Thursday night. Can't make it on the 8th? The next NAS NEO is on Thursday, June 22 and will be spotlighting contemporary Indigenous art — RSVP and then add it to your diary ASAP.

NAS NEO: On Print takes over the National Art School grounds in Darlinghurst on Thursday, June 8 from 6–10pm. For more information, head to the website.