Yes I Can/No Can Do

Overview

For most it begins at high school, the pressure to excel, and only increases after that. There’re grades to be got, uni placements to be secured and then there’s the real world with salaries, voluntary super payments and five-year plans. You begin as the little train that thinks it can, soon to realise you’re hauling society’s freight. Welcome to the goal-oriented mindset that Sydney-based artist and curator Tom Polo explores in the exhibition Yes I Can/No Can Do. At Blacktown Arts Centre, four local emerging artists delve into personal and social issues through the lens of the goals we set ourselves. Jodie Whalen looks at losing weight — an issue central to a comfortable existence — to discuss the outcomes of pursuit; in honour of the absurd, Garry Trinh walks through suburbia; having a go at function and limitations, Ben Norris fuses pliable materials; and Prophetic Initiatives get people 'stepping out in faith'.

You can be a part of it through curator-led artists' talks and an absurd walking tour of Blacktown with Garry Trinh.

Image: Jodie Whalen