Welcome to the BrightSide Extravaganza

Overview

Pole dancing, contortions, roaming dwarfs, live music and Green Fairy Absinthe cocktails served by muscled up topless waiters — the opening night of Sydney artist BrightSide’s debut solo exhibition doesn’t use the word “Extravaganza” lightly. Though anyone showing up after the launch night shenanigans will still find their senses adequately engulfed.

BrightSide, aka Katie Bright, presents her perennial love for fancy dress in a series of images loosely based on characters from both cartoons and from her imagination that she identifies with. Cartoon villains and fairytale heroines come to life with a Lichtenstein vibrancy, fused with elements of sleaze and corporate logos. Purposefully pigeonholing her identity by using these characters to act as reflections of herself and observations of her desires, BrightSide asserts that fairytales have skewed the vision of romance.

Welcome to the BrightSide Extravaganza features these engrossing images screenprinted onto mirrors, lighting installations and live performance. Whether you want to find your own pathway to self-discovery or just see a giant picture of Cruella De Vil careening down a highway with crazed eyes and gritted teeth, Welcome to the BrightSide Extravaganza is sure to leave an impression.