From Mao to Now

Sydney Olympic Park Chinese arts and cultural program offers exhibition opportunity for local artists

Sydney Olympic Park Authority is pleased to announce From Mao to Now
– Chinese sport and propaganda posters and contemporary artists’ responses to modern China.

Commencing on Saturday 28th July and running every weekend until 28th September, this program combines two visual arts exhibitions with interactive cultural workshops and will run in the lead-up to, during and following the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

Sydney Olympic Park has retained Catherine Croll to manage and curate the program. Catherine is a respected practitioner in the areas of Community Cultural Development (CCD) and Cultural Planning, and is skilled at sharing her practical knowledge with others through her work as a facilitator, trainer and lecturer.

In 2007, she spent 7 months travelling 40,000km solo across mainland China and Tibet by bus, train and ferry to create a portfolio of photographs which captures a country and people in a period of rapid change. Her self published little red book, entitled ‘China – A Portrait’, contains images of colorful, ever-changing diversity: from the bird markets of Kowloon to dust towns strung along the Old Silk Road; from isolated minorities clinging to their timeless ways in the back blocks of Yunnan to the frantic commercial dynamism of Shanghai; and from the bustling Hutongs of Beijing to the serenity of the Tibetan plateau monasteries.

The From Mao to Now exhibition will feature Chinese sports and propaganda posters from the Mao era previously unseen in Australia, together with contemporary responses to China produced by artists who have recently worked there. As well, noted Chinese-Australian paper cut artist, Pamela See, will present a series of school holiday workshops enabling visitors to explore and experiment with traditional Chinese artforms including calligraphy and papercutting.

Sydney Olympic Park invites expressions of interest from artists for participation in From Mao to Now and applications (including selection criteria) can be obtained by contacting Catherine Croll directly via her website http://www.CatherineCroll.com. The closing date for pre-selections is 30th April 2008.

From Mao to Now will be held from 28th June until 28th September 2008 (weekends only, 10am to 4pm) at the Armory Gallery, Newington Armory, Sydney Olympic Park. The school holiday workshop program will run at the same venue everyday from 12th July to 20th July inclusive.

For more information, please contact curator Catherine Croll directly on 0419427002 or katecroll@gmail.com