ARThive

It's Only Madness...

2012-01-18T16:05:00.000+11:00

I really like Batman so at 2pm on Sunday Feb 5 at ARThive I will be unveiling 20 new paintings of various Batman villains, including The Joker, Mister Freeze, Penguin, Killer Croc, Two-Face, Clock King, Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, Black Mask, Mad Hatter, Clayface, The Riddler, Bane, Crazy Quilt, Calendar Man, Zsasz, Scarecrow, Ventriloquist, Ra's Al Ghul, and Manbat. I've been working on these on-and-off in my studio for about a year, but the time has come to quit faffing about and just show them to people. So if you like Batman too and wanna have a look at them, come to 111 Hunter Street Newcastle on Feb 5 and i'll put on a spread of fizzy drinks and lollies and maybe put Prince's soundtrack to Batman '89 on the stereo.
RSVP on facebooky

Steven Nuttall available for freelance work

2012-01-06T10:48:00.000+11:00

Steven Nuttall - The Key

Steven Nuttall - RPG

Steven Nuttall (OX KING) is currently available for freelance work! We recently commissioned THIS awesome mural from him, if you need anything done you should totally get in touch, he's totally versatile, mega skilled, and super nice!

Ok who wants to save me from abject poverty? Will freelance for food!
Poster art, Album art, T shirt design, personalized commission art, wall murals, heck I'll even design a logo for your etsy business or whatever!
Hit me up if you need art did, now at discount prices! I NEED FOOD!
steven.nuttall@hotmail.com

OX KING: Dead Gods Never Die

2011-12-14T21:34:00.000+11:00

Thanks to Steven Nuttall/OX KING for creating this marvelous new wall piece in our hallway at last Saturday's live art event. It really brings the room together! Be sure to come and check out the real thing, the colours will melt in your mouth and fry in your brains. Also, giant big thanks to Renew Newcastle for sponsoring our event and this fantastic piece of fine art. Peep more recent stuff from OX KING at http://theoxking.tumblr.com

Sarah Mould's recluses venture outside!

2011-12-14T21:03:00.003+11:00

Here are some new pasteups by our resident "street artist" Sarah Mould. You can find these on the outside of our building as you walk upstairs to our star attraction (the toilets).

LIVE ART by OX KING!!

2011-11-24T09:56:00.002+11:00

As part of Renew Newcastle's Festive Follies Walking Tour, Arthive will be hosting a special once-in-a-lifetime event. Fresh from Paste Modernism at Cockatoo Island, OX KING (aka Sydney artist Steven Nuttall aka Automaton) will be visiting to drop some mad paint skillz on one of our miserable looking walls in an incredible live art performance that you're invited to watch, critique, and enjoy.

OX has been making quite a name for himself in Sydney this year. Since his SPOOK HOUSE exhibition at ARThive in 2010, he has participated in art battles and live art performances all over the place, from Hardware Gallery, Lo Fi Gallery, Dirty Shirlows, to the Australian Museum!

Check out some of OX KING's recent work at http://theoxking.tumblr.com

From 2-4pm Renew Newcastle will host a walking tour starting at the Renew Church which will make its way through Arthive, Makespace, Shannon Hartigan, Birdhouse, Little Papercup, Run Amok, Odditorium, Tipsy Orchestra, and The Woods. It's a good chance to check out what's happening in each of the RN spaces in the mall and also meet the people behind them. There will be free food, drink, and entertainment along the way.

Supported by Renew Newcastle.

Red Lantern Night Markets

2011-11-17T09:11:00.000+11:00

The Red Lantern Night Markets were incredibly popular last year and this year they will be back for just one night, Nov 26 from 4-10pm. There will be artist and craft stalls, street performers, music, food, and lots of people! The event will be held in our favourite end of town, Hunter Street Mall, and we'll be staying open late for anybody that wants to come and check out what we do. We'll have heaps of original art on sale that has been cluttering up our office and studios, so come visit us! The markets are still looking for donations to help fund the event on pozible, so if you feel like supporting the event with money to help make it happen i'm sure they'd appreciate it.

Word Hurl Anti-Slam VIII

2011-11-03T13:32:00.000+11:00

Hey Everyone, there comes a time in all our lives where we realise that its been nearly a month since we've been to an anti-slam. Luckily, we have the answer. So come, oh yes, please do... there will be biscuits.
Nov 6 from 7pm @ ARThive
Level 1/111 Hunter Street Newcastle

For more information check out the Word Hurl Anti-Slam Facebook.

This Is Not Bart Gallery

2011-10-25T23:55:00.000+11:00

THIS IS NOT BART 2011 via flickr user adamanimation. Thanks again internet!

This Is Not Bart (Is Not Open Anymore)

2011-10-25T23:35:00.000+11:00

Take Me Homer © Eddie Botha

Yep, THIS IS NOT BART is over for 2011. If you missed it, it was really really great! Here is a collection of impressive journalism in case you missed it.

Here is a nice bit by Amy Edwards in the Herald. It was also online here.

And here is another! The photo is a bit weird, where is Sarah?

Oh here she is, profiled in the Newcastle Post.

We also had a great big chat with Jill Emberson on ABC 1233 radio. I don't think you can hear it online but it was really fun and nice.

And then Maynard from ABC Radio came for a visit. look!

listen!
..

Thanks Newcastle Herald, Newcastle Post, and ABC Radio! Thanks to all the artists for contributing their work, everybody who came to the show, especially those who bought something, all the ARThive volunteers for keeping the gallery open, Renew Newcastle for everything, Todd Johnston at Newcastle Response Services, The guys from Bizoo Zine, and 20th Century Fox for not suing us. We would also like to thank the following Simpsons fansites for their coverage of the event, dead homer society, and rubbercat.net/simpsons/ thanks for all the web traffic dudes.

FYI We had so much fun that THIS IS NOT BART will return again next year. Artists keen to participate should probably start making work now! or soon!

Sarah Mould in the newspaper!

2011-10-21T09:41:00.000+11:00

Sarah Mould is featured in the October 19 2011 edition of the Newcastle Post.

Hommer Simpson series by "Hutz"

2011-10-18T13:03:00.001+11:00

For those of you who were too embarassed to stand around watching these in the gallery, you can now watch them in the privacy of your own home. Here are the first 4 episodes (plus bonus materials) of the popular Hommer Simpson web series by "Hutz", currently exhibiting as part of This Is Not Bart.

2011-09-29T00:14:00.000+10:00

A Vintage Dream - Opening Night Photos

2011-09-26T15:15:00.001+10:00

A Vintage Dream, a set on Flickr.

Photos by Adam Clough

THIS IS NOT BART

2011-09-26T14:32:00.004+10:00

Opening Night Friday September 30 from 7pm
Exhibition runs until October 22

We thought it would be dumb/funny to have a group art show called THIS IS NOT BART on the THIS IS NOT ART weekend. So that's what we're doing..

Opening Night proudly sponsored by Renew Newcastle.

Featuring new works by
Angus Crowley
Yana Grant
Jack McWatters
Matt Ranzetta
Steven Nuttall
Sam Robertson
Katt Nolland
Bryce Collins
Mitch Eaton
"Hutz"
Eddie Botha
Ry Wilkin
Sarah Mould
Grant Hunter
Mike Foxall
GWAN (Silas Rees)
MS PAINTINGS
Jessica Louttit
TEZ
Lu Quade
Rose Turner
Logan Knight
Hannah Young
Jason Brown
Janelle Bortkevitch
Sarina Hibbert
Jake Finnen
Mark Jones
Elizabeth Nagy
Mark O'Brien

RSVP on Facebook

Shana Dennis featured in The Canvas

2011-09-15T11:57:00.000+10:00

Shana Dennis profile from The Canvas section of The Post Newspaper Sept 14 2011. A Vintage Dream opens this Friday Sept 16 at 7pm and continues until Sept 24.

Now Showing..

2011-09-15T00:46:00.000+10:00

Unique Oil Free Air - Live At ARThive

2011-08-31T23:41:00.000+10:00

Remember when Unique Oil Free Air played at ARThive?

Word Hurl Anti-Slam: It'll be a Verbosity Monstrosity

2011-08-26T10:53:00.001+10:00

What better way to spend Sunday evening? There’s a heap of cool cats who like to get up and speak to you all manner of manic word smithery.. Better yet, you’re in an art gallery. It’s Sunday. SUNDAY!!!
Introducing Word Hurl Anti-slam: No rules. No scoring. No logical system of judging. Just spoken word performances that punch into the audience like a hurling ball of word vomit that will turn your delicate word appreciating ears into word-paddy on toast. So please, bring a poem, monologue, rant, monkey impression or anything else you can do using your mouth and vocal chords or just your goddamn ears and we’ll have a good ol’ anti-slam, word hurl style.

On Sunday the 28th of August, Word Hurl Anti-slam will be invading ARThive, a place you can find at 111 Hunter Mall. And getting it on.
Starts at 7:00pm with sign-up ending (and the fun beginning) at 7:30pm.
We’re on Facebook or you can contact us at sithspawnguitars@hotmail.com

Bizoo Zine Launch

2011-08-25T14:15:00.000+10:00

Bizoo Zine and the ARThive crew invite you to the launch of Bizoo: The Best, The Worst and The Trash That Never Made It, a free retrospective book that covers the highlights and the lowlights of the music and arts zine, Bizoo. Bizoo grew up in Toowoomba (or as some of you might recall ‘Poo-woomba’). Over its twenty-five issues, Bizoo rounded up a tribe of 50 contributors from across the country and became a platform that supported the arts nationally.

The lowdown...
Saturday October 1
10am: ARThive, Grab the Bizoo Book and check out the ‘This is Not Bart’ Exhibition
10:30am – Midday: You don’t make friends with zines! (discussion)
Midday – 2pm: Free Vegan BBQ
2:30pm – 4pm: This is not a library! (discussion)
4:30pm -5:30pm The Golden Stapler Awards pre beers and chill out

For five years, Bizoo woke up a sleepy town and brought to life a thriving arts community. It gave the young folk in this town an outlet to create, collaborate, and rant and rave together. ‘Bizoo: The Best, The Worst & The Trash That Never Made It’ is the final say of a zine about music festivals, art shows and the shit-fights that followed.

Coinciding with ARThive’s exhibition: THIS IS NOT BART, the Bizoo crew will be hosting 2 discussions around The Simpsons theme:
You don’t make friends with zines! (10:30am - Midday)
This is not a library! (2:30pm- 4pm)
The discussions will be led by zine and independent creators, fans and everyone in attendance. We would actually love your input, so feel free to get in contact.

In the style of Food Not Bombs, and supporting poor starving artists, Bizoo will be putting on a free BBQ lunch kicking off at 12:30pm and to wrap up Bizoo’s hijacking of TINA, pre drinks brought to you by the shady folks at Bizoo will get you in the mood for the Golden Stapler Awards.

Come along, grab your copy of the book, feed your face and have a drink on us. While you're there, meet some of the crew who helped put the book together while sponging off your (or, let’s face it, someone else’s) hard earned tax dollars.

Ps: After we’ve recovered from the days events, we’ll stumble into the TINA Sunday Zine and Artist market. If you couldn’t make it Saturday, Sunday is your last chance to get a copy of the book, and try out our new favourite toy, a Gocco printer! Our hosts at ARThive have created a one off design to celebrate the weekends events that will only be available at TINA’s Sunday Zine and Artist market.

Pss: You’re still reading??? You're keen…
So what’s in the book:
Pictorial interview with naked members of the Dwarves, Comics by Marto, the radio DJ from Cunnamulla doco, the rise of a shitty small town, Tips on Playing Drunk, How to pick fights with covers bands and Skulker, an interview with the most hated man on the internet, Maddox, a comic by Mel Stringer, massive interview with At the Drive In just before they broke up, we ask Jess Veronica some dumb questions, plus truck loads more.

RSVP on Facebook

Drawing Time

2011-08-24T23:35:00.001+10:00

Drawing Time is an upcoming group exhibition curated by Daniel Smith that will take place at Sydney's Gaffa Gallery from September 7-19. The exhibition seeks to explore drawing through the diverse practices of some of Sydney and Newcastle's most interesting artists. Artists featured include Grant Hunter, Tobius Miller, Joel Beerden, Amanda Kenneth, Jo-Ann Cahill, gerant, Daniel Smith, Anastasia Freeman, Bran Sinclair, Taryn Raffan, Sarah Mould, Daniel Tanner, Eleanor Jane Robinson, Patrycja Nedziak, Eduardo Wolfe-Alegria, and Kel Macintosh. A limited edition art book will be available for purchase on the night and will also be available in digital formats.

Opening Night September 8
@ Gaffa Gallery
281 Clarence Street, Sydney NSW 2000

Steven Nuttall interview

2011-08-24T11:40:00.000+10:00

Hey! Check out this rad video interview with Steven Nuttall aka OX KING over at The Canvas Project. You can check out some of Steven's work in the upcoming This Is Not Bart exhibition at ARThive.

Call For Artists: THIS IS NOT BART

2011-08-17T01:43:00.000+10:00

We thought it would be dumb/funny to have a group art show called THIS IS NOT BART on the THIS IS NOT ART weekend. So that's what we're doing..

CALL FOR ARTISTS
We are seeking artists working in any medium to contribute work based on or inspired by "The Simpsons". The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a working class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie. The show is set in the fictional city of Springfield and parodies American culture, society, television and many aspects of the human condition.

All artists are invited to participate, so if you'd like to be a part of this great show, email subjecthive@gmail.com with a link to your URL or some lo-res jpegs of your previous work. It's that easy! A $5 fee will be payable for all selected artists, and 25% commission will be taken on all works sold.

Opening Night Friday September 30 from 6pm. RSVP on Facebook

Looking Back for a bit...

2011-08-15T01:36:00.001+10:00

For those who came in late, here's what you may have missed in the last year! Following the departure of founding Director Simone Sheridan (who went on to co-ordinate TINA 2010 and SAW among other projects), the remaining arthive dudes have put together a pretty diverse and solid year of exhibitions. Twice as many in fact! We cut the length of our exhibitions down to two weeks, which meant more exhibitions, more artists, more art! There's a lot to get through so here we go!

First up we had the debut solo exhibition for promising young local artist Rachael O'Neill. Capturing Compassion was a very personal show for Rachael, and we were pleased to be able to help her make it happen. It was a massive success and raised heaps of money for domestic violence charity NSW Women's Refuge Movement and also the Human Rights Watch.

We had a vacancy in our exhibition program and fortunately we were approached at just the right time by James Jeffery Moran and Ry Wilkin to host their Catch 22 exhibition. The work of each artist complimented the others quite nicely, they made a fantastic team. Heaps of people came to the show as well, so they obviously have more friends than we do.

Matthew Reilly's Ten Chicken Mcnuggets was an exhibition that documented the waste Matthew had encountered walking between his local McDonalds restaurant and his home. In addition to displaying the carefully composed photographic evidence of every piece of cardboard debris, he also invited gallery attendees to sign a petition to make the restaurant take responsibility for their own rubbish. Another good cause!

We had such a blast working with James Jeffery Moran and Ry Wilkin that we invited them back to curate a group show for us. They somehow managed to score a few boxes of canvas shoes from a local footwear company, and so an exhibition of custom painted shoes was pulled together at the last minute from out of nowhere! It was called Sneaky September! Each artist who participated in the show contributed at least one pair of modified shoes, and since there was all that blank wall space, we filled that with art too. Funnily enough James broke his foot skateboarding so was on crutches for the duration of the show.

Sticky Fingers was a drawing show curated by Sarah Mould and Grant Hunter. Featuring all the best drawing talents we could assemble, including Trevor Dickinson, Tobius Miller, Ben Kenning, Nicholas French, and more, the show benefited from overlapping with the annual This Is Not Art festival, so heaps of people actually came into the gallery for a change. We also hosted Air City, a balloon art workshop for Sydney artist Tully Arnot over the TINA weekend which was very rad too.

Arthive's own man-of-the-house Lance Johnson and his mate Brenton Brooker transformed the gallery with a unique hanging system for their photo show Satellite.

I first met Steven Nuttall at the Excelsior Hotel in Sydney and he asked me about ARThive and handed me a business card and eventually we got to know him and he turned out to be a really good dude and his work is amazing so we eventually persuaded him to have a show at ARThive, which turned out to be Spook House. Consisting of original illustrations, prints, sculptural works, the show was heaps awesome and it all culminated in a sick Halloween party with live bands like Hira Hira, Crab Smasher, Mere Women, and gnarly food, scary decorations and ghoulish fancy dress. Steven expanded upon this same concept for a follow up show at Hardware Gallery in Sydney, presumably because nobody in Newcastle came to see it.

The exhibition that caused quite a stir in my own imagination was I Louvre Rock & Roll, the collected masterworks of Nancy Vandal frontman Mike Foxall. The exhibition was both a comprehensive collection of works for concert posters, comic books, music videos, and short films, as well as a launch for his art book of the same called I Louvre Rock & Roll. We had to drive all the way to Bathurst to collect all of the work, and we were given unprecedented access to his entire archive, plus a handful of original paintings completed just for this exhibition. This was a dream show for us, and somehow we actually made it happen!

The V&A exhibition was put together by the Mother and Daughter team of Amelia Filmer-Sankey and Venetia Sieveking, both seemingly at opposite ends of their art careers, but able to come together with this successful collection of paintings, prints, photographs and poetry.

Arthive's own Rose Turner dazzled everybody with her Pink Narcissus solo exhibition, her first show in a year and also her first real foray into painting. A Renew Newcastle tour on the opening night was unprepared for the fleshy bits on display, but the kids and grandads loved it, and probably came back and bought some when their wives or parents weren't looking.

Elizabeth Nagy is one of our favourite people and a splendid artist too. Her Time Pour show was our first for 2011 and featured a selection of her illustration and collage work, as well as some new experiments with digital technology using Microsoft Paint of all things.

DAg ARt aka Daniel Smith, Amanda Kenneth, and gerant, filled the entire gallery with hundreds and hundreds of home made stickers for their Celebrity Story exhibition. The stickers were crafted out of cut up images and text from celebrity magazines and various other sources. These stickers created hilarious juxtapositions, and the sheer quantity of the work meant that there was always something new to see. Bat Yoghurt played at the opening and it was awesome! We hope to have all of these guys back again some day because they're the best.

Alternate Woodland Critter Evolution Fan Fiction may have been a mouthful of an exhibition title, but the exhibition was really something else! The gallery was overrun by plushies, creatures, furry things, actual trees, and lots of nerdy reading that corresponded with the artworks too. The whole thing was a group show cooked up in the woods by Logan Knight, who really is the guy to go to if you're after a game of D&D.

Renee Fitzpatrick's Stellated Octahedrons was a wonderland of geometry and papercraft, that included abstract drawings, prints, and origami!

Our first ever international exhibition made us very nervous and was perhaps our biggest undertaking yet, but we gave it a shot and somehow made it all work. Touring artist MEGA made ARThive the very first stop on his Longing To Be Knotted Together exhibition tour of the world. Thanks to Renew Newcastle we were able to provide him with residential quarters for the duration of his stay, and thanks to the design faculty at The University Of Newcastle we were able to schedule a great artist talk, that left the design kids inspired and buzzing.

Sydney artist Sez Le Pie came up and delivered an encore performance of her iPortrait exhibition, a series of iphone photo portraits dealing with identity in the age of social media, which had previously shown in a Sydney exhibition space, but was recycled for a Newcastle audience.

If I were a betting man I'd put all my money on this being our most popular exhibition this year. What began as an excuse to have a private Arthive Seinfeld marathon quickly turned into a giant exhibition and celebration of everybody's favourite sitcom. Curated by Jessica Louttit, and featuring the best of ARThive's resident artists plus a whole bunch of new faces, Art Vandelay, the Seinfeld tribute show about nothing had probably the best attendance for an opening night that we've had this year, and also scored loads of media coverage in the local papers and also all over the internet. Who would have thought this would ever be so much fun?

Finally we had Eddie Botha's Teasing The Taught exhibition, which was initially supposed to comprise of a large selection of work completed while travelling overseas earlier in the year, but all of the work was unfortunately held up in customs and didn't make it here in time. Somehow Eddie managed to fill the gallery with work anyway, much of it completed in the weeks before the opening. It was a fantastic exhibition, and a real passion project for us here at the gallery, as Eddie is one of our very favourite artists.

That's it for now! Thanks for everything, stay tuned for more cool stuff as it happens.

A Vintage Dream

2011-08-10T23:19:00.000+10:00

An Eclectic Exhibition by Shana Dennis and Karen Kennedy
Faery tales, silent stars, long exposures and much much more.

Opening Night Friday Sept 16 from 7pm RSVP on Facebook
Exhibition open Sept 14-24

Shana is a self taught photographer, artist and crafter from Newcastle Australia. Her photography seeks to evoke a timeless appeal, positioning familiar character archetypes within backdrops of rural landscape and modern architecture. Bodies of works include a series concerned with fairy tales and folklore that added a contemporary spin on the stories by using modern costume and props. To check out some of Shana's photography go here: http://dolleyes.smugmug.com/

Karen who is another passionate creative type, loves long exposures, nature, also the art as well as costuming of tribal belly dance all which show within her work. Her photography seeks to capture textures, mystery, light hearted love and beauty.

Both being left handers since they were born felt it only seemed right they would come together to do an exhibition together.

Opening night on the 16th of September will bring much fun and we want you to dress in your finest vintage quirky attire

There will also be performances from Bahirah Bellydance. Not to mention nibblies, chatting and all round fun.

Hope to see you there!

What Now?

2011-07-24T15:48:00.000+10:00

Hey ARThive fans! I'm sure you're all wondering what's going on with us, right? After hosting a mild celebration recently to acknowledge our 2nd birthday, the ARThive team are now taking a short time-out from regular programming. After two years in the running-an-art-space game, and all of the glorious ups-and-downs along the way, it has been an unreal journey so far. We've achieved almost everything we initially set out to do and then a little bit more, seriously who would have thought we'd still be here? With the increasing pressures of our own day jobs, study commitments, and art practices we're very excited about shifting gears and doing things a little differently from now on. Don't panic though kittens! We're not quite burning out just yet, this is about ensuring the sustainability of the project into the future! Learning from our mistakes rather than repeating them. We will be open again very soon with some slight adjustments to the format, super fresh ideas, and heck maybe even a new coat of paint, so stay tuned true believers!

Everything You Can Imagine Is Real

2011-07-19T22:04:00.001+10:00

Photo © Stu McDonald

Our neighbour Stu McDonald has just finished this cool work on the side of the building we all share, which was made possible thanks to our friends at Street Art Walking. Come and see it for yourself!

Teasing The Taught - Opening Night Photos

2011-07-17T21:47:00.001+10:00

Eddie Botha: Teasing The Taught, a set on Flickr.

Photos by Adam Clough and Jennifer Botha

Eddie Botha Review

2011-07-17T21:45:00.003+10:00

Eddie’s dad was an artist.
Eddie began creating at the age of three.
His drawings were used in the school paper when he was six years old.
His last name is Botha.

Teasing the Taught opened at Arthive on the 24th of June. The exhibition has been extended and is showing for an entire month. It is a must see show.

As well as creating visual masterpieces, the multi skilled South African can build cool stuff, take pretty photographs, design innovative spaces, care for plants and construct extra partition/gallery walls made entirely out of pieces of trashy timber. Which is exactly what he managed for Teasing the Taught. And fill the entire space, he did!

The amount of work in Arthive right now is astounding. When I queried Eddie on how long this work took him to create I almost burst out laughing in disbelief when he casually replied with, “Umm, under a month.” (My status as a sloth artist just increased ten fold.)

On close inspection, I realised each work is actually documented with the exact date and time Eddie created it; another one of his many quirks. Eddie enjoys making subtle social comments on the pricing, commercialisation and marketing of an artwork by putting absurd prices on his creations, such as 99c and $89,999.99. Or buy one for $59.99, or buy two for $58.99.

Eddie’s work is symbolic. He wants people to look to nature and loved ones rather than technology and money. Eddie deals lightly with heavy issues. He finds the humour in hateful and the silly in sombre. Issues such as war, politics, cultural diversity, religion, sexuality and relationships are expressed visually with a five-armed, wide-eyed fictional robot flailing himself towards you, while an overweight Caucasian woman with huge breasts suns herself like a lizard on a beach. All the while, Eddie’s perspectives are causing you to continue examining the work until you finally figure it out…there are three different perspectives within the one picture! Whoa, what a visual feast these little beauties are.

Eddie’s wife, Jennifer is a huge positive influence in his life. The two of them work together: travelling, photographing, marketing, observing and creating.

Eddie’s motivation is truly inspiring. His work is unique, humorous, intriguing and conceptually relevant. After Teasing the Taught, my admiration for Eddie’s work doubled. These strange figurative landscapes have left a some-what addictive need to see more and more.

Written by Emily Mitchell.
Photo by Jennifer Botha.

We're Turning TWO!!

2011-07-01T10:25:00.000+10:00

Hey it's your friendly neighbourhood ARThive gallery. You're invited to our 2nd birthday party!

We opened our doors 2 years ago and despite not really knowing what we're doing we're still active and open and 100% run by artists and volunteers. We've had 28 Exhibitions and countless other events so far and there's going to be lots more great things to come in the future. We think that's pretty impressive, so we're throwing this little party to pat ourselves on the back, why don't you come and have a piece of cake and some fizzy drink with us? Also, It's one of your last chances to see our EDDIE BOTHA exhibition, so it will be nice to see off what's bound to be a super good art show from one of Newcastle's most underrated artists.

LIVE MUSIC BY

TAILINGS
(feat. Jason Campbell from Stiched Vision, Kerry Robinson from Eucalypt)
+
THE MERMAIDS
(feat. Mikey Beestings from Cock Safari, Nick French from Polyfox & The Union Of The Most Ghosts)

There will also be heaps of cool stuff happening outside in Morgan Street thanks to RENEW NEWCASTLE, STREET ART WALKING, ODDITORIUM, and MAKE SPACE. Click here for details on the Winter Wander walking tour.

It's all happening TONIGHT Friday July 1st. We hope to see you there.

Art Vandelay: A Show about Nothing

2011-06-08T12:44:00.002+10:00

ART VANDELAY: A show about nothing.

Shows at Arthive until June 18th.

Elaine Benes and her undeniably maniacal personality, expressed perfectly by her fuzzed hair. George Costanza and his propensity to be the most irritable, cheapest, incompetent bald guy in New York. Frank Costanza and his enraged hand gestures and ill-tempered tones. And Kramer with his unlikely fads and impossible ideas. Seinfeld fans worked hard and brought together a show which essentially is about Seinfeld, but in turn reveals it is really about nothing…

Art Vandelay: A Seinfeld themed group exhibition, opened at Arthive on Friday the 27th of May. Jessica Louttit curated this little beauty, and a hand full of devoted Seinfeld lovers created the work for it.
Arthive became a bustling domain on opening night, with off the hook references, an indoor cinema showing reruns of the golden episodes and enough Seinfeld themed food for an entire retrospective film based on…Seinfeld food! There were muffin tops, junior mints and Adam Clough even brought along some soup. “No soup for YOU!”

Chris Bradley painted Adolf’s Kitchen in response to one of the most acclaimed episodes ever written; “The Soup Nazi”. It made me want to watch the episode whilst eating soup, whilst being a little bit scared. “You want bread?! Three dollars!”

Bryce Collins combined his love for all things tattoo and created a series of little copic marker drawings using witty symbols and a graphic quality. Making references to “The Summer of George”, “A Festivus for the Rest of Us” and of course “The Soup Nazi”, Collins work was simple and fun. And considering it was a whole lot of art about nothing, he managed to pull it off.
Frank: “George, Festivus is your heritage, it’s a part of who you are.”
George: “That’s why I hate it…”

Jessica Louttit’s stuffed Seinfeld characters were a popular hit for the night, complete with Kramer’s permed bangs, George’s tubby tummy and a little pretzel with a face, these guys would blend well with all of your favourite plush toys at home…or would they? “These pretzels…are making me thirsty!!!”

Once again, Newman looked ominous, obese and down right filthy in a work created by Grant Hunter. Originally it was a smaller drawing which Hunter had blown up; playing with the scale, making Newman look just that little bit more pig like. I cried a little bit because just like in the show, this drawing of Newman scared the willies outta’ me! “Hellooooo…Newman.”

Saddened that we cannot have endless Seinfeld shows, but gladdened because Arthive will soon feature more themed group exhibitions…Art Vandelay made me laugh…(just like in the episode where Elaine reveals her radical dance to an entire party)…it made me cringe (with embarrassment for George when he claims he is the architect Art Vandelay, who builds railroads)…and sigh with admiration (when I finish watching six episodes in one sitting and realise how talented Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David are for creating such a successful show about nothing.

Written by Emily Mitchell.
Photos by Angus Arley.

Teasing The Taught

2011-06-07T12:56:00.001+10:00

Solo exhibition by Eddie Botha

Opening Night Friday June 24 from 7pm
Exhibition runs until July 2

Coming up next at ARThive is an exhibition we've been looking forward to for a long time now, a showcase exhibition of work completed during travels in Europe and London by local artist Eddie Botha. Eddie's work is unique, funny, sexy, original, puzzling, a breath of fresh air! We hope you can come along to the opening night. RSVP on Facebook.

Eddie is a landscape architect and international emerging artist that loves portraying human behaviours in contrast to technology, playing off nature and just entertaining with humoristic images. He participated in various exhibitions in Australia and won an Award in the Maitland council exhibition for 2010. The works range in size and mediums, primarily oil paint and pencil sketches with frames manufactured from recycled timber. Eddie is keen to collaborate, and produces works based on sculpures, music, buildings, people and ideas. Eddie says about his work: “The human behaviours; lust, greed, betrayal, love, politics, and religion amuses and saddens me. It is said that my work ‘penetrates the subconcious without hangups’, and thats what I believe art should be about. I hope you feel touched by my works. They tell stories of life, joy, troubles, growth and sometimes pain.” To get a sneak peak of some of Eddie's previous work, visit www.eddiebothacreations.com

Art Vandelay Opening Night

2011-06-05T00:05:00.001+10:00

Art Vandelay, a set on Flickr.

Opening Night Photos by Adam Clough

DAg ARt interview

2011-06-04T20:18:00.000+10:00

DAg ARt Interview from Daniel Smith on Vimeo.

Interview with iPortrait Artist, Sez Le Pie

2011-05-31T15:14:00.002+10:00

Sez Le Pie is a painter, photographer, illustrator and a performance artist. She creates works within installation and graphic design, as well as testing her skills in the vast and current world of digital media...which is what iPortrait is all about.

Each photograph within the show features a character which Sez created. Conceptually her aim was to explore the facades people create on social networking forums, such as Facebook. Being the entrepreneur that she is, Sez also incorporated a sort of installation by projecting her Facebook page onto the gallery wall. Arthive visitors could access this page and post things digitally on the gallery wall.

On concept. Often people adopt facades and reveal only a fragment of themselves, sort of like inventing a new character. I wanted my work to capture the kind of secrecy that Facebook allows people to have when presenting themselves to the world (in the web sense). My university Masters work was based around storytelling and the narrative within fairytales so the idea of role play/performance/narrative tends to be a persistent theme within my work.

On lighting. The consistent lighting scheme was mainly a product of the program I used to shoot the images with, however I did encourage some of my models to choose certain colours so there was a consistency once the works were all installed together.

On installations. I'm most passionate about large scale installations (probably for the challenge of it!). Unfortunately it can be quite expensive and difficult to find the space to make/install the works and often involves a whole team of people to help with the specialty skills I often require, so my passion is not neccessarily what is most accesible!

On interaction. The most important aspect of my work at present is to try and break down some barriers between artist/art and audience. I love watching people become involved with my work, either digitally through technology, as in iPortrait with an interactive facebook page, or as in previous works, where the audience is encouraged to touch, or needs to physically move around within the artwork.

On the art scene. I take my practise seriously but I believe art and the art 'scene' can often be a bit of a wank. I want to make art that is accessible for anyone who comes to see my work and that it is totally ok, if not preferable, to just have a bit of fun with it and hopefully create dialogue with the audience.

Interviewer: Emily Mitchell
Interviewee: Sez Le Pie
Sez Le Pie's Webpage: lepie.carbonmade.com

iPortrait

2011-05-31T13:45:00.002+10:00

i Portrait, a set on Flickr.
Opening Night photos from iPortrait exhibition by Le Pie

Art Vandelay

2011-05-23T12:28:00.003+10:00

ART VANDELAY
Curated by Jessica Louttit

Opening night Friday May 27 from 7pm
Exhibition closes June 4

The month of May will see ARThive basking in something the whole neurotic family can enjoy as Jessica Louttit takes her obsession with Seinfeld to brand new heights & curates Art Vandelay, the exhibition about nothing showcasing the work of Mike Foxall, Ry Wilkin, Grant Hunter, Sarah Mould, Rose Turner, Ezekial Kigbo Jr, Bryce Collins, Stu McDonald, Chris Bradley, Darkoyo, Elizabeth Nagy, Angus Arley, & many sponge-worthy others in one huge Seinfeld fan flaunt!

Opening night will also see the gallery transformed into a tiny cinema showing back to back episodes of the series for you to enjoy whilst munching down on muffin tops, black & white cookies, Junior Mints & pretzels for any kind of donation to ARThive so we can continue to bring you these fabulous exhibitions & eventually retire to Del Boca Vista! Coming dressed as your favourite character is encouraged & there will be a prize for best costume as well as best 'Elaine dance' so start practicing your little kicks! Sweet fancy Moses!

iPortrait

2011-05-04T15:02:00.000+10:00

iPORTRAIT

Photography/Installation exhibition by Le Pie

A series of eleven lo-fi portrait photographs and a digital installation. Iportrait explores themes of voyeurism and role play, fantasy and reality in a digital age. The photographs have been shot using an iPhone, exploring social networking sites and the facades people often create for themselves within these forums. The exhibition also incorporates the Le Pie Art facebook page projected onto the gallery wall in real time, viewers can access this page and post things digitally on the gallery wall. You can start posting things on this wall now by clicking this link
http://www.facebook.com/LePieArt

Opening Night May 13 from 7pm
Exhibition runs until May 21

Emily Mitchell writes about all things Mega

2011-05-03T19:05:00.002+10:00

In this review, Emily Mitchell sits down with our current exhibiting artist, Mega to discuss his artistic practice and exhibition, Longing To Be Knotted Together currently on display at ARThive.

Mega's illustrations aren't for the faint hearted; aesthetically intense, culturally loaded and a little bit quirky. They will leave you visually satisfied!

Longing to be knotted together opened at Arthive on the 15th of April. It will show for an entire month which means there's no excuse for you to not be down here and taking a peek at this spectacular array of icons, cultural innuendo, and crawling insects, set within the jungle of Bali. The French born artist is a motivated one. He lives and breathes illustrations, graphic design and iconography. In the show, the humble jungle is juxtaposed against the loaded themes of the symbolic image. Mega makes it work, simplifying matters with a minimal palette, or a linking composition.

Curating the show himself, Mega suggested that the way the prints had been arranged was a direct allusion to the way he lived in Bali. He had placed two jungle scenes on each end and the mixed iconic works in between. This is the way he lives; the jungle surrounds him and images of icons, warriors and savage girls absorb his head.

Mega is inspired by his everyday surroundings, and living in the jungle of Bali creates no exception. He likes his life to be simple and true, enjoying authentic Balinese food and informal chats with his neighbours. "Balinese hindu create small offerings displayed on banana leaves on a daily basis, sometimes three times a day, and to me this is art."

Mega keeps inspired by listening to loads of music, from old school funk and soul to new school hip hop. He works day and night and believes that "art is about perseverance and there are no reasons not to work, just poor excuses."

When quizzed about where his love for creativity began he explained,

"It all started when I was a kid. Back then I would spend days and days cutting magazines and pasting new layouts in order to create cool covers for my tapes. I did pretty bad in my art school. I had the usual bunch of bad teachers, who were more like frustrated unsuccessful artists than good educators. So I just stopped going to the school and started spending most of my time painting the walls of my city and the trains of my region. In a way I hated graffiti more than I loved it. I was more attracted by the typographical researches, the forms and colors, than by B-boy characters and all those “wild style” shitty letters that were considered to be cool at the time. I never bought any graffiti magazines, and always founded more inspiration in graphic design books. So, after a couple of years it became natural for me to explore the computer possibilities, as an extension of what I did on the walls."

The uncanny combination of the jungle mixed with cultural icons is what astounds the viewer when attempting to understand Mega's work. Without their typical context, it makes the focus on these icons much more exaggerated. The show is perfect for Arthive; fitting in with the fun, contemporary and edgy approach the gallery has in all of their exhibitions.

Longing to be knotted together is touring to Newcastle, Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Jakarta, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Berlin, Marseille, Paris, and probably more. Be sure to check out Mega's website - www.ilovemega.com It features loads of amazing, detailed works and details about this exhibition.

MEGA artist presentation

2011-04-13T02:06:00.002+10:00

In addition to the Longing To Be Knotted Together exhibition which opens this Friday night at the gallery, touring international artist MEGA will be appearing in a special artist presentation in which he will discuss his journey into art as well as field questions about his processes and past work. This has all been made possible thanks to the support of Renew Newcastle, and the School of Design, Communication & IT at The University of Newcastle. Thanks heaps for helping us out Marni Jackson, Stu McDonald, and Jane Shadbolt! You guys are awesome.

Artist Talk

MEGA artist presentation at School of Design, Communication & IT, The University of Newcastle on Thursday 21 April. All welcome.
Location: Callaghan Campus, Hunter Building HB13 (G12 on this map)
Time: 11:30am-12:30pm).

Exhibition

Opening Night: Friday 15th April from 7pm. You’re all invited!
Exhibition Dates: 15 April until 7 May 2011
Series of 11 hand-pulled screen-prints of exclusive new visuals.
Each print is numbered and signed on a thick hi quality art paper with a special personal embossing.

Presented by ARThive, Acclaim Magazine, and Renew Newcastle.

Further tour dates
MELBOURNE
Opening at 7pm, Saturday 30th April // FED SQUARE - ATRIUM

SYDNEY
Opening at 7pm, Friday 6th May // CHINA HEIGHTS

ADELAIDE
Opening at 7pm, Friday 20th May // MAGAZINE GALLERY

JAKARTA
Opening at 7pm, Friday 28th May // SALIHARA

SINGAPORE
Opening at 7pm, Thursday 2nd June // NIGHT & DAY

BERLIN
Opening at 7pm, Friday 8th July // ZIRKUMFLEX

MARSEILLE
Opening at 6pm, Thusrday 8th September // ATELIER NATIONAL

PARIS
Opening at 7pm, October // SERGEANT PAPER

MEGA- Longing To Be Knotted Together

2011-04-05T22:50:00.003+10:00

French artist, Mega is one of the leading voices of the new artists generation. After a successful career as an art director in France (WAD) and abroad (Acclaim, Australia), Mega decided to devote himself exclusively to his love for art.

Linking traditional techniques with innovative process, his personal art, known for spicing an urban flavor over tasteful creations, has been celebrated in specialized magazines worldwide.
From Nike to Volkswagen to Complex magazine, his images are found on all medias.

Masked warriors, savage girls, iconic objects, swarming insects and other wild creatures emerge straight out from the jungle of Mega's imagination.
In his epic crusade to capture all the components that surround his mental and physical universe, Mega has paid the closest attention to create a fresh and balanced combination of perfectly clean lines and spectacular deep colors. His challenge was to create appealing and cutting edge drawings with the use of a minimum of elements.

The exhibition will be featured in some of the most prestigious galleries around Asia/Pacific and Europe (from Singapore to Indonesia to France.) With a very limited edition of one hundred prints of each artwork displayed across the world, this allows only ten pieces to be sold in each city- ensure you're there on opening night to snap up one of these fantastic works or it may be too late!
The very first Australian stop on this amazing tour will be none other than our very own, ARThive Gallery. Be there to check it out and meet the artist himself on opening night (Friday 15th April) before the show adventures on across the world!

Opening Night: Friday April 15th
Exhibition runs until May 7th

'Alternate Woodland Critter Evolution Fan Fiction' Opening Night

2011-03-27T20:24:00.002+11:00

Logan Knight- the brains behind 'Alternate Woodland Critter Evolution Fan Fiction'

2011-03-27T20:09:00.000+11:00

If you didnt make it to the fantastic 'Alternate Woodland Critter Evolution Fan Fiction' group exhibition you really missed out big time. However, all is not lost, you can still find out some tasty details about the curator, Logan Knight and take a peek at some photos from the opening night!
Our new writer, Emily Mitchell, interviewed Logan on the eve of his exhibition and the full interview is right here! ENJOY!

Alternate Woodland Critter Evolution Fan Fiction provokes a frenzy of imagination and creativity in which works are featured and curated by Logan Knight, with some additions by Rose Turner, Sarah Mould, Jessica Louttit, Sarah Dunn, Ry Wilkin, Grant Hunter and Alex Masterson.
Written by Emily Mitchell.
"I wanted to make a giant mounted plush head to hang somewhere in the gallery as decoration, but figured that if I was going to go that far I might as well organise an exhibition. So I did."
Logan Knight's latest exhibition which opens at ARThive on the 18 March at 7pm is a collection of all the creative things he enjoys...which is where the title Alternate Woodland Critter Evolution Fan Fiction originated from.
Logan relishes in creating cute, furry, animal critter friends especially when they become so interesting that they "erupt with tentacles and disease!"
Sometimes the life of critters can be a little humdrum so taking matters into his own hands, Logan created his own happy place and combined these furry little guys with some truly enthralling fan fiction. Each work will feature a short narrative where the viewer will be bewitched and led into some sort of creeping, crawling undergrowth of darkness, only to discover that the new species of 'Arachnowl' has adopted the power of webbing its enemies!
Other contributions to the critter extravaganza include Rose Turner, Sarah Mould, Jessica Louttit, Sarah Dunn, Ry Wilkin, Grant Hunter and Alex Masterson.
Each of the works feature a short piece of writing about the artists' creature and infact is available for sale in an assortment of little zines. "That’s the Fan Fiction part of Alternate Woodland Critter Evolution Fan Fiction," exclaims Logan.

Q and A with Logan Knight.
Who (personally or favourite artist) is your biggest influence? Do you have a muse?

Life? Is life a muse? There are definitely people - both professionally and personally - that influence what I want to make, both with ideas or just filling me with desire to create, but again, there are far too many to really single one out. My biggest influence changes day to day and sometimes it’s not even a person.


Why did you choose ARThive?
Short answer because it’s run by brilliant attractive people that I’m quite fond of.
Long answer because it’s actually a really good space, where it’s thankfully possible for people to do something that’s maybe a little bit odd just because it will be fun.

Does your mother know you’re here?
She’s most likely here too, so I hope so, otherwise she may have the dementia.
She was supportive when I started making toys under the name Cot Death Toys, so I don’t think there’s too much I could do that she wouldn’t be okay with.

Multiple choice question…What is your motivation for the exhibition?
   A. To sell works.
   B. To fulfill a need to create.
   C. To spread your name.
   D. All of the above.

E. Fun.

Have you only ever exhibited in Newcastle?
Yes.

Can you describe this exhibition in a sentence?
I don’t think there’s a better description than Alternate Woodland Critter Evolution Fan Fiction, it’s kind of all there.

Do you have a blog or your own website we can contact you on?
My clothing company in-the-making is up at www houseofauguste.com

Will there be lots of free alcohol and food on opening night?
Hopefully, otherwise people might start eating each other.

Stellated Octahedrons Exhibition

2011-03-27T19:09:00.001+11:00

Stellated Octahedrons by Renee Fitzpatrick

'Stellated Octahedrons', an exhibition displaying the treatment of a geometrical object over a wide range of artistic disciplines. This show will bring together both two-dimensional and structural objects, exploring the possibilities of modular origami. The artist has created hundreds of fractions and facets, each more intricate than the next. While Fitzpatrick's work is informed by the rigid process of geometry and mathematics her output is highly refined and transcendent.

'Stellated Octahedrons' is a show for lovers of contemporary and and abstract work with a delicate touch.

Opening Night : April 1^st at 7.00pm

Exhibition Dates: March 30^th to April 9^th

DAg ARt - Celebrity Story takedown

2011-03-17T12:37:00.002+11:00

DAg ARt remove the Celebrity Story exhibition from the gallery, really really fast!

Morgan Street Art by Alex Ball and Ben Foster

2011-03-17T11:04:00.000+11:00

Here is a rad process video of Alex Ball and Ben Foster painting up the wall across the street from the gallery. There's a few shots of ARThive's Lance Johnson helping out too!
Street Art Walking are currently accepting expressions of interest from artists interested in creating work of this scale on the front and side of OUR building now, it's funded so get to it! It's not often that opportunities like this come around in Newcastle. The deadline for proposals is March 21. For more information click HERE.

This weekend at ARThive

2011-03-17T10:53:00.000+11:00

After a brief break in which we did some renovations on the gallery floor, we're back this weekend with two big events worth checking out. First up on Friday night there will be the opening of the Logan Knight curated Alternate Woodland Critter Evolution Fan Fiction show. It's shaping up to be a very creepy, crawly, friendly and furry show so come and check it out! There's also a new solo show by our friend Trevor Dickinson up at the John Paynter Gallery further up the mall at 90 Hunter Street, so why not double dip and make a night of it? Here's what's happening with us.

featuring contributions by
Logan Knight
Rose Turner
Sarah Mould
Jessica Louttit
Sarah Dunn
Ry Wilkin
Grant Hunter
Alex Masterson

Opening Night March 18 from 7pm
Exhibition runs until March 26

Following that we have the third installment of the Young And Baroque Artist Markets this Sunday March 20. It starts at 10 am and will continue through the day with more stallholders than ever before, this time themed to coincide with the current exhibition. One the day you can expect to see great woodlandy stuff from the likes of Emily Mitchell, Annalise Koche, Tallulah Cunningham, Sarah Harris, Amelia Sayers, Emma Lee Crane, Carly Brett, plus the usual Arthive crew including Rose Turner, Sarah Mould, Jessica Louttit, Grant Hunter, Logan Knight will probably have some cool stuff floating around too. Come and check it out!

ARTISTS WANTED for major public works at Arthive

2011-03-09T15:43:00.003+11:00

Street Art Walking (SAW) is the latest project from former ARThive co-director Simone Sheridan.

SAW wants the city to come alive with artworks, dispersed throughout the streets, creating a public art walk for all to enjoy, locals and tourists.
Our main goal is to bring back a sense of pride within our streets, while showcasing artistic talent.


Morgan Street Mural by Alex Ball & Ben Foster

You may have already seen the great works in Morgan Street just out the front of ARThive Gallery. We think the mall is looking better than ever and want to see more of this happening. Fortunately Simone has negotiated to have access to the front and side walls of our building for large scale public art projects! Interested artists are asked to apply to have access to either the main wall facing Morgan Street where our access door is, or the side wall facing Renew Newcastle HQ and King Street. SAW are now calling out for artists to submit expressions of interest and design concepts. You could show off your work REALLY REALLY BIG for all of Newcastle to see, and be a part of what's becoming the hottest little side street in the east end of town.

To download the EOI form CLICK HERE. Expressions of interest due Monday 21st March by 5pm. Email to Simone at streetartwalking@gmail.com

Here's all the information.

Project Brief: The Octapod Association and Street Art Walking (SAW) have been given the opportunity to curate a new project, featuring two large public art walls. We are calling for artists to send Expressions of Interest from individuals or artists collectives to create a positive public artwork around the local Renew Newcastle artist-run space ARThive. This is an exciting chance for you to expose your work to a large number of people in the arts (and wider) community. We want artworks’ that life the profile of the public space with bright and positive imagery for all to enjoy.
Materials: Artworks are to be made for temporary installation and artists will need to specify exactly what materials they will use to create the artwork. So far, we have worked with outdoor house paint and good quality aerosol paints.
Location: ARThive Wall A) Main Wall (facing Morgan Street) – Entrance to 111 Hunter Street Wall B) Back Wall (facing Renew Newcastle HQ and King Street)
Project Details:
Wall A) Dimensions: 6.66m wide x 3.2m high EXCLUDING: The ARThive notice board is 1.83m wide x 1.23m high
This space is to be left free from the project, as it is an ARThive promotional tool and space for exhibiting artists. We would like artists to propose a design that incorporates this negative rectangle space, considering the fact that the ARThive notice board will change in design often.
Wall B) Dimensions: 3.5m wide x 5m high This wall is facing Renew Newcastle HQ and King Street
Although we have divided the project into two parts, both walls can be painted as one large project. Please specify which walls you want to work with in your EOI. Artists must design full colour designs for us to picture the artworks on the building.
Timeline:
1. Proposals Open Friday 4th March
2. Applications for EOIs close 21st March
3. Artist chosen by Monday 23rd March
4. Work to be completed by Thursday 31st March
5. Launch on Friday 1st April
Artists are required to send EOIs with the following information included:
1. Proposal Brief – A minimum of 250 words explain your idea for either; Wall A or Wall B (or both). Artists are asked to be specific as you can to describe the scale, size and concept behind the artwork. Tell us what colours you will use and the process involved.
2. Support images – Designs and sketches of your proposal for this project.
3. Artist CV – Something that shows us what you have done in the past.
4. Photographs – Example of previous street art works or large scale commissions.
5. Artist budget for this project – How much will you need to cover materials, artistic labour and any other costs like safety equipment? Be as specific as you can in your budget. DOWNLOAD AN EXAMPLE BUDGET HERE.
TO DOWNLOAD THIS INFORMATION AS A PDF, CLICK HERE.
EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST DUE MONDAY 21st MARCH BY 5pm
EMAIL EOIs to Simone at streetartwalking@gmail.com

Celebrity Story - Opening Night Photos

2011-02-28T14:29:00.000+11:00

Celebrity Story by DAg ARt
Feb 16-26 2011

A Festivus For The Rest Of Us

2011-02-17T17:11:00.001+11:00

The month of May will see ARThive basking in something the whole neurotic family can enjoy as Jessica Louttit takes her obsession with Seinfeld to brand new heights & curates Art Vandely, the exhibition about nothing showcasing the work of Mike Foxall, Ry Wilkin, Grant Hunter, Sarah Mould, Rose Turner & many sponge-worthy others in one huge Seinfeld fan flaunt!

Opening night will also see the gallery transformed into a tiny cinema showing back to back episodes of the series for you to enjoy whilst munching down on muffin tops, black & white cookies, Junior Mints & pretzels for any kind of donation to ARThive so we can continue to bring you these fabulous exhibtions & eventually retire to Del Boca Vista! Coming dressed as your favourite character is encouraged & there will be a prize for best costume as well as best 'Elaine dance' so start practicing your little kicks! Sweet fancy Moses!

With so much to work with in the 9 seasons of Seinfeld the more artists we have involved the better! So if you would like to contribute some fabulous fan art to Art Vandely we would love to hear from you! Send an e-mail to subjecthive@gmail.com or jmlouttit@gmail.com to share your ideas, get more details, yada yada yada & we can get things rolling!

Alternate Woodland Critter Evolution Fan Fiction

2011-02-15T14:18:00.000+11:00

The juvenile badger emerges from its family burrow, eyes blinking at
light filtering through the shimmering canopy. The formative years of
the badger's life have been spent underground, nurtured and fed by
devoted parents. But now, upon the brink of adulthood, the time has
come for him to enter the world and begin life anew.
First, there are certain rites of passage that must be conquered.
The owl's head swivels and juts forward as it spies the bundle of fur
appear out of the ground. Its raspberry eyes focus perfectly as it
launches from its perch, its ancestors having long since abandoned
nocturnal hunting in favour of larger prey.
The badger's eyes adjust to the light just in time to see the net of
webbing jettison from the Arachnowl as it swoops overhead in a fluid
motion from one branch to another, landing as its head spins backwards
to observe the progress of the hunt.
The badger rolls about the forest floor, sticky webbing entangling
ever tighter about its limbs. A webbing which can only be broken down
by the stomach acid of the Arachnowl.
The Arachnowl swoops once again, talons at the fore, ready to finalise
the kill. It is heartbeats away from rending flesh when the badger
erects onto its hind legs, fore-paws raised in mittens of webbing, and
pounces upon the former predator.
The Arachnowl banks to evade its surprise attacker but the badger's
left paw strikes it in the beak and remains attached as the badger
swings its body around and onto the Arachnowl's back.
A shriek echoes through the forest as the badger takes a swift bite
from the Arachnowl's neck before they both tumble into the undergrowth
in a mess of feathers fur and blood.
The blood glistens and drips from its maw as it raises its head and
grunts into the canopy, the Sticky-Fisted Badger has earned its
adulthood.
This is Alternate Woodland Critter Evolution Fan Fiction.

Exhibition curated by Logan Knight
featuring contributions by
Logan Knight
Rose Turner
Sarah Mould
Jessica Louttit
Sarah Dunn
Ry Wilkin
Grant Hunter
Alex Masterson

Opening Night March 18 from 7pm
Exhibition runs until March 26

Young & Baroque Artist Markets

2011-02-15T13:12:00.002+11:00

The next Young & Baroque Artist market is set to be held Sunday 20th March beginning at 10am!
How very exciting! This time things will get quite magical as stalls will be specifically themed to a woodland setting and all against the backdrop of our very intriguing 'Alternate Woodland Critter Evolution Fan Fiction' exhibition! When you go down to the woods today you're sure to witness the most unique and exciting artist market to date!

Time Pour Opening Night Photos

2011-02-13T18:38:00.002+11:00

Elizabeth Nagy's Time Pour
February 2nd to 12th, 2011

Celebrity Story

2011-01-31T12:55:00.000+11:00

An exhibition of collage stickers and other works by Daniel Smith, Amanda Kenneth & gerant

DAg ARt is a collective that formed as an investigation into street art. The group started with stencils and moved on to small-scale collaged stickers made from images and text cut primarily from magazines. DAg ARt takes the text and images from these magazines and subverts the imagery by juxtaposing different elements. The use of humour and sometimes-obscene pieces from magazines create works that are at times crass and offensive.

Since the formation of DAg ARt, thousands of stickers have been made with the majority being put on display on the streets of Sydney, Newcastle, Melbourne and Hong Kong.

The exhibition will include a wall of small collage stickers (up to 1000). DAg ARt specialises in juxtapositions and common themes of the works include celebrity, the media, body image, Brad Pitt, body builders, Heath Ledger, bad puns, one liners and people as they are represented in magazines.

Opening Night from 7pm Friday Feb 18
Exhibition runs until February 26

Young & Baroque Artist Market 2011

2011-01-29T18:36:00.000+11:00

It's that time again!

The Young and Baroque Artist Market is on at ARThive Gallery!

BUT this time we're on an adventure, a quiet creepy adventure, with rabbits and bears and toads and every other little creature you can imagine....

This boutique market will be specifically tailored to a woodland setting and we are looking for stall holders to respond to this theme.

If you want to come down to the woods today please send an email to subjecthive@gmail.com by 21st February!

Time Pour

2011-01-20T18:07:00.003+11:00

Time Pour is the solo exhibition of amazing Sydney based artist illustrator, Elizabeth Nagy. After graduating from the Sydney College of the Arts in 2009, Lizzie placed her art practice on hold in the pursuit of becoming a midwife. However, after producing works for donations to Non Government Organisations such as FRANS, Amnesty International and FBi radio, she is now getting right back into creating and we are super excited to be presenting her current work to you!

The exhibition will showcase Lizzie's recent adaptation of coloured pencil and marker into her previous style which was predominately liner based illustration. Her highly time consuming drawings and collages are illuminated with fine detail and affectionate mark making and for this exhibition are centred around themes of time and the pressures of creating as a young illustrator. Inspired by childrens illustration, folk art and craft and collage, Lizzies work is a thought provoking fusion of figurative and fantastical landscapes, typography, anatomy and mythological creatures.

Listing influences such as Shaun Tan, Tohby Riddle, Adrian Tomine and Cristy Road, Time Pour shall be an illustration extravaganza not to be missed!

OPENING NIGHT: Friday 4th February @ 7pm

Exhibition runs until 12th February

Pink Narcissus - Opening Night Photos

2010-12-21T16:29:00.000+11:00

Pink Narcissus exhibition by Rose Turner
December 1-18 2010

The V&A - Opening Night Photos

2010-11-30T16:21:00.001+11:00

Pink Narcissus : Erotic Prayers and Paintings

2010-11-28T21:49:00.000+11:00

Rose Turner, a rip-off Ruben and closet illustrator, is proud to present the fruits of her artistic loins - 'Pink Narcissus'.

For the first time in over 12 months, Rose will be presenting an extensive series of works with all the trade marks of her popular style. However, this highly covet-able collection of works will feature (for the first time) a venture into the medium of paint. This has completely altered the nature of the artist's hand with tempting results. Each work has become a hedonistic delight with a primary focus on the human body.

Pink Narcissus will feature romantic colours, Rococo decoration, mythic themes, hardcore nudity and a sprinkling of catholic guilt for good measure.

Many of Rose Turner's works are currently held in private collections and 'Pink Narcissus' is a fresh opportunity to obtain a piece of this bright young thing.

With an opening night planned to rival a Roman Orgy, be sure to secure your place at this art event.

Opening night : Friday the 3rd of December at 6.00pm.
Exhibition runs until December 18.

We are taking submissions for 2011

2010-11-18T18:09:00.002+11:00

ARThive are currently accepting proposals for our 2011 exhibition program.

We are seeking artists with super ideas and radical artworks, regardless of medium, background, or experience level. We offer an inexpensive gallery solution to untrained artists, hobbyists, doodlers, curators, out-of-towners, first timers, experimenters, performers, film-makers, photographers, comic bookers, musicians, and those trying to get that first foot-in-the-door of the Newcastle art scene. If you haven't exhibited your work before and want to know how to get started, our experienced team of volunteers are here to make your first exhibition a great success. For all you established artists, perhaps you're looking to experiment or trial something new in a no risk, street credible environment? Well heck, we're looking to work with you too. We're tired of seeing the same old thing, show us what you've got!

Exhibitions at ARThive cost $75 per week, and may run for 2-4 weeks. We are open Wed-Sat 12-5pm with additional hours and events negotiable.

Hire fee includes:
Rental of exhibition space
Use of kitchen facilities
Electricity costs for duration
Access to gallery storage and hanging supplies
Promotional material including budget posters, invitations, media release and advertising on website, mailing list, Facebook, Twitter, Renew Newcastle, Culture Hunter etc.
Gallery sitting can be negotiated with ARThive volunteers.

DOWNLOAD SUBMISSION FORM

FILL IT OUT AND PLEASE ATTACH:

1 page exhibition proposal
include synopsis of work to be exhibited and contact details of artists involved. It doesn't need to be too formal or filled with wanky artspeak, just tell us what you want to do!
images
5 high resolution jpeg images on CD or a link to your online portfolio/website etc.
artist CV
Something describing your art practice/exhibition or curatorial experience, if any. Tell us what you've been up to.

Please send proposals to
ARThive Gallery
111 Hunter Street
Newcastle NSW 2300
or subjecthive@gmail.com

Places are filling up fast. Don't delay!

(Exhibitions will be selected by the Director and ARThive team based upon rigorous mathematical equations, random google searches, and non discriminatory criteria. If you don't happen to get an exhibition when you want one please don't act like a big baby about it.)

I Louvre Rock & Roll - Opening Night

2010-11-16T23:49:00.002+11:00

Check out these photos from the opening night of the Mike Foxall I Louvre Rock & Roll exhibition which was held at ARThive from Nov 5-13 2010. This exhibition was a dream come true for us here, we were given incredible access to Foxall's entire archive of work from the past 15 years, including heaps of rare material from his time with punk rock group Nancy Vandal, and a few paintings produced specifically for the show. We hope you all enjoyed it! We nearly sold out of the I Louvre Rock & Roll art book, so if you'd still like to purchase one, visit xraystudios.com. There's even more photos in the slideshow below so take a big look!

The V&A

2010-11-16T22:36:00.001+11:00

Collaborative exhibition between local artists - Venetia Sieveking (mother) & Amelia Filmer-Sankey (daughter). Traversing a wide range of themes through a diverse range of mediums: photography, screen prints, oil & water colour paintings & poetry.

As a single Newcastle based parent throughout her daughter’s high school years, Venetia used to teach, lecture, make and write about art, but put these aside to do consistent work that paid the bills. Two years ago (Amelia then in year 10 – 11) rescued all of Venetia’s unfinished work from a damp garage and set about making it clear that she would like to see her mother return to painting. However, it wasn’t until this year when Amelia; using her knowledge of the Renew Newcastle art scene in Newcastle, gathered in her gap year before university & while participating in poetry slams and exhibitions herself, set up an exhibition that anything happened. Then in September she announced triumphantly that she had booked for them both, a gallery – date and place - & Venetia’s hand was forced into production.
This collaborative exhibition is the result and is a production about the magic and beauty of the small, intangible, the unseen beauty in the mundane & that which is taken for granted. Work based in and around that which slips between the footpath’s cracks of the Newcastle and surrounding regions.

Everyone's welcome, so please come along and enjoy the nibbles, drinks, company and music while being the first to peruse the works.
Opening Night 6pm Nov 19
Exhibition runs until Nov 27

Spook House - Opening/Closing Nights

2010-11-09T11:23:00.001+11:00

Here are some great photos from Steven Nuttall's incredible Spook House exhibition, which took place at ARThive from Oct 20-30. We were super impressed with the quality of the work on display, and had a blast at the halloween closing night featuring live music from Hira Hira, Crab Smasher, Let Me Down Jungleman Gently, and Mere Women.. Check out more photos in the slideshow below.

I Louvre Rock And Roll

2010-10-28T16:39:00.003+11:00

I Louvre Rock & Roll
Exhibition and Book Launch by Mike Foxall

Opening Night 7pm Friday November 5

Art fans are polishing their monocles and adjusting their berets in feverish anticipation of a forthcoming exhibition of my various work. It all goes down from November 3 to 13 at ARThive Gallery Newcastle. The exhibition will also serve as the official launch of my book I Louvre Rock & Roll and many of the items from it's very pages will adorn the gallery. It's an 80 page compendium of my finest gear, featuring illustrations, rock posters, cd covers and comic art dating back to the mid 90s. There's quite a few pieces that haven't seen the light of day for years, and others that have never been seen at all. Plus there's lots of pithy anecdotes from yours truly that will provide you with literally minutes of thigh slapping hilarity.
What's more i have recently cracked out the old paints and am currently creating some brand new canvases of pure molten art gold.

Young And Baroque Artist Market is on again!

2010-10-22T20:11:00.000+11:00

We're deep in the midst of preening and picking out some amazing makers to fill the tables of the next Young and Baroque! This boutique market boasts a bounty of unique and and hand crafted items from reigional artists and crafters you'll find one offs not knock offs here! Each maker has an emphasis on quality and a passion for invention. These stall holders cross a wide range of disciplines with many exciting wares made with love for you! Young and Baroque is set against the backdrop of a spectacular art exhibition, one of the many spectacular exhibitions programmed by ARThive for 2010. REMEMBER - This market will be held whatever the weather : rain, hail or shine there's always something to find.

Also if you are interested in becoming a stall holder for our next market please email Sarah or Rose at subjecthive@gmail.com.Please remember to pop in a photo of your products so we can see how talented you are!

Sunday November 7th
11am to 5pm
ARThive Gallery
111 Hunter Street Mall Newcastle

Spook House

2010-10-18T13:11:00.000+11:00

Solo Exhibition by STEVEN NUTTALL aka AUTOMATON

Opening Night - 6pm Wednesday Oct 20
Special Closing Night Halloween Party - 7pm Saturday Oct 30

English born Sydney based artist Steven Nuttall practises in a mixture of illustration animation and sculpture art under the name Automaton. Since graduating from his honours year at Sydney Collage of the Arts in 2007 where he studied experimental film and animation, Automaton has gone on to work extensively with illustration and digital media, producing a large series of print works, comics and commercial designs. More recently after returning from world travels Automaton established a full time studio practice where he works late into the night on a mixture of various projects. Some of Automatons latest work includes music video animation, tattoo design, live sketch performance, a series of one off illustration/painting works and new sculpture pieces which have been exhibited in a variety of group shows around Sydney.

Automatons art deals with a wide variety of subject matter however at the core, the work hinges on a deep grounding within Romanticism, Narrative and the concept of the eternal, these themes often manifesting as the many characters of Automatons world. Characterisation comes almost naturally to Automatons art, growing up influenced by a mix of both humorous western comics and confronting eastern anime, Automatons art draws from both of these worlds, while making a conscious effort not to directly references them. The work aims to challenge the viewer by presenting two opposing world within one frame, creating imagery that is both endearing and confronting, colourful yet sparse, and more often than not both humorous and dark.

For this exhibition there will be two events of note. On the 20th of October you will see your average neighborhood gallery opening, with a lot of chin stroking, back patting, saying "hmmmm a lot and perhaps some blood wine and mouldy cheese. We hope you can come along, it starts at 6pm.

However, for the final night of SPOOK HOUSE there will be a grand closing night Halloween Ball!!! A night of illustration, sculpture, masks, face painting, booze and a line up of the most evil and erotic bands from the very depths of the netherworld to shake your booty and chill you to the bone!!! Bands performing on the night include Hira Hira, Crab Smasher, Mere Women, Let Me Down Jungleman Gently, and Little A.
Come along to the closing night party in spooky costume and you will receive a limited edition SPOOK HOUSE spooky face mask to party the night away in. It starts at 7pm and will continue until the clock ticks over to HALLOWEEN.

RSVP on Facebook

Satellite

2010-10-06T21:56:00.000+11:00

Satellite is an installation of photographic works by Lance Johnson and Brenton Brooker that will transform the gallery like you've never seen before! Opening night is this Friday from 6pm, We hope to see you there!

Opening Night- Friday 8th October

Exhibition Dates- 8th October -16th October

STICKY FINGERS!

2010-09-21T09:45:00.002+10:00

We are thrilled to bring you artworks from 11 of the most exciting contemporary artists and illustrators in Newcastle under one roof! How magnificent!

Come rejoice with us, Friday 24th September from 6.30pm...rumour has it there may even be cake!

Sticky Fingers is an exhibition sure to delight!

Opening Night- Friday 24th September

Exhibition Dates- 24th Sept -3rd October

Pop Singles 7" Launch

2010-09-13T16:38:00.000+10:00

Pop Singles are a cool band from Melbourne who have just released a brand new 7" record. To celebrate they're touring up the coast playing shows, including a stop at ARThive this Sunday Sept 19. Also performing will be Polyfox And The Union Of The Most Ghosts, Alps, and Troopin' Kerry Alpacas. Come on down, slouch in a beanbag, and enjoy some music in the gallery.

Sunday Sept 19 from 4pm
Entry by donation.

Art Verse Music 4

2010-09-13T16:30:00.000+10:00

After a series of super successful events at Jura Books in Sydney, Art Verse Music is coming to Newcastle for the very first time! Come along for a unique and fantastic night of live music, accompanied by artists drawing and painting live before your eyes.

Featuring:

Border Thieves
Jess Locke
The Pedantics
Hopes
Holographic Cocoon
Jenna Gill

$5 donation at the door.

Friday Sept 18 from 7PM @ ARThive Gallery
Level 1/111 Hunter St Newcastle

Join the ART VERSE MUSIC group page to be automatically notified of future events HERE

Sneaky September

2010-09-01T17:08:00.001+10:00

Sneaky September is a collaborative exhibition from a diverse group of artists unified by the canvas shoe.

Wednesday the 1st of October will see an open art workshop with all artists in the gallery working live, customising furiously on 30 pairs of shoes.

Opening Night celebrations start at 630 p.m. Friday the 3rd of September.
...

All artworks will be for sale as well as hanging pieces from each artist.

Tell your friends :)

Opening Night Friday September 3
Exhibition Dates September 1-September 11

Ten Chicken McNuggets

2010-08-18T14:15:00.002+10:00

First solo show by Newcastle photographer/Artist Matthew Reilly
10 Chicken McNuggets: a photographic exhibition of an impact of
capitalism.

still life with trash
For a Limited time Only

Matthew:
The other day I found myself in the vicinity of Broadmeadow
McDonalds and decided to walk the 1.75kms
home to Hamilton. I was blown away by the amount of rubbish I saw - it
wasn't just McDonalds rubbish, but they
were definitely the most substantial contributor to it. Seems to me
council doesn't care about rubbish west of Beaumont Street.
141 photos over 1.75kms and present 51 portraits of trash.
The first one being on their property and the last one being 20 metres
from my front door

sign the petition
buy a postcard only $2.95

(Actually, they're beautiful......)

Opening Night 7pm August 20
Exhibition Dates August 18 - 28 2010

August update

2010-08-04T23:11:00.002+10:00

Young And Baroque Artist Markets - August 1st 2010

Rachael O'Neill's Capturing Compassion exhibition is now over. Rachael was a joy to work with in her first exhibition, and we're delighted to have been able to provide her with the opportunity to show her powerful works. Her exhibition raised nearly $500 for NSW Women's Refuge Movement and to the Human Rights Watch. Congratulations Rachael!

Opening at 6pm this Friday August 6th is Catch 22, the debut exhibition by two young ambitious gentlemen, James Jeffery Moran, and Ry Wilkin. Exploring a contemporary view on the relationship between photography and painting, the two artists work in contrasting yet complimentary mixed-media styles that are sure to knock your socks off. Be sure to come by for opening night to chat with the artists, have a drink, and enjoy a guest music performance by CHASING GHOSTS. Exhibition runs until August 14.

Following Catch 22, ARThive proudly presents Ten Chicken McNuggets, a photographic essay in pollution and fast food economics by Matthew Reilly. This exhibition will be running from August 18 to August 28, be sure to see this unique solo show!

Other upcoming exhibitions include solo shows by Steven Nuttall and Mike Foxall. Keep an eye out for those!

The third in our Cuddle Party series of experimental sounds and good time events took place on July 18, featuring a stellar lineup of Sydney, Newcastle, and Melbourne music talent. Some highlights included the return of Chris Hearn's SCALPS project after a 4 year absence, a free improv set from PENGUINS and MELODIES, and the always brutal grindcore of GRANNYFIST. Cuddle Party will be back soon.

Our first ever Young and Baroque Artist Market was an incredibly popular day of handcrafted goods, original artworks, photo prints, cookies, and heaps more. Thanks to Blackbird Corner for donating heaps of lollies for us to sell, and thanks to the Beanstalk Organic food Co-op for loaning us tables to use. If you wish to be involved in our next market please email ARThive with your details and a sample of your wares - a second Young and Baroque is planned for this November, get crafty NOW!

We are currently accepting proposals for our 2011 Exhibition Program! ARThive would love to hear from solo artists and collectives from ALL facets of the art world. Exhibitions are available in blocks of 2-4 weeks and are moderately priced so as to encourage experimentation, new ideas and risk taking. We want to hear your ideas! Artists and creatives are encouraged to submit a proposal form (available here) and include the following-

1 page exhibition proposal
include synopsis of work to be exhibited and contact details of artists involved.
images
minimum 5 high resolution jpeg images on CD.
artist CV
something describing your art practice/exhibition or curatorial experience, if any.

Proposals are welcome at the following address:
ARThive GallerySuite 3, Level 1/111 Hunter Street
Newcastle NSW 2300

Or email your submissions to subjecthive@gmail.com . Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions.

We hope to see you all at the gallery very soon!

Catch 22

2010-08-02T15:03:00.000+10:00

Exhibition by JAMES JEFFREY HENCEWORTH MORAN and RY WILKIN

You're invited to attend a debut exhibition by two young ambitious gentlemen.
Exploring a contemporary view on the relationship between photography and painting, they are not afraid to make comment on the social and personal impacts that this incestuous affair has given birth to.

Guest Music Performance by Chasing Ghosts

Opening Night: 6pm Friday 6th August 2010
Exhibition Dates: 4th August - 14th August 2010

Young And Baroque - Artist Markets

2010-07-20T18:56:00.000+10:00

ARThive Gallery and local design duo Grey Gardens present:
YOUNG AND BAROQUE

an artistic bazaar of
hand made, moulded,
printed, pumelled,
...drawn, devised
and baked goods
for you and yours
and all between!

Sunday August 1st at ARThive
10am - 5pm
Level 1/111 Hunter Street Newcastle

MARKET WILL BE HELD IN RAIN , HAIL OR SHINE! WE'RE INSIDE!YAY!

For more information contact Rose or Sarah at subjecthive@gmail.com

Cuddle Party #3

2010-07-04T16:20:00.001+10:00

After the outstanding success and warm feelgoodery of Cuddle Party #1 and Cuddle Party #2, Cuddle Party #3 will take place on SUNDAY JULY 18 at the ARThive Gallery, presented by the fine teamwork of Lesstalk Records, Monstera Deliciosa, and ARThive.

With music and other entertainment running throughout the day, and perhaps a bit of food, drink, and other things to buy, you could do worse than spend your Sunday in the gallery curled up on a beanbag with old and new friends.

Entry is by donation, with funds raised going towards a new tin of white paint for the gallery, or maybe a drill or a new printer.
Please wear a shirt.

Featuring music by-

SCALPS
CAVIAR
PENGUINS
MELODIES
JESS LOCKE
GRANNYFIST
TEARJERKER
QUIET THE FEW
STITCHED VISION
MUSHROOM FAMILY
MANNHEIM ROCKET
TROOPIN' KERRY ALPACAS

Standup comedy by-

KRIS MURPHY

and maybe heaps more!

Would you like to know more? email subjecthive@gmail.com unless you're a pervy weirdo looking for a mad gropefest.

Capturing Compassion

2010-07-02T15:00:00.002+10:00

CAPTURING COMPASSION

Solo Art Exhibition by Rachael O'Neill

Capturing Compassion is the debut exhibition from 18 year old artist Rachael O’Neil, a visual testimony to a three year battle with self annihilation. During the process of treatment for her illness Rachael discovered art as a means to recovery and considers art to be a vital necessity. Her solo show is a positive, uplifting encounter generated from a turbulent experience.

An exploration into art as a unique, important and powerful voice in a rationalised, noisy and overly stimulated world. I hope for my works to stir compassion and kindness into the minds and stomachs of those who attend.

Capturing Compassion offers fields upon fields of undulating colour. Brush stokes ebb and flow before crashing into the viewer’s periphery. This haunting periphery, a long dark tone, is the resounding chord of Rachael O’Neil’s painted symphony. For the spontaneity and joy in this young artists use of colour there is also deep melancholy and meditation. These works bear witness to the process of healing and recovery.

The deeply personal nature of this exhibition is secondary only to the artists’ awareness of social illness and abuse. Art can be seen as an antidote to heal societal disease and a voice to those silenced by trauma.

I wish to expose people’s minds to a wide range of ideas and perspectives creating more acceptance and appreciation of diversity.

A percentage of proceeds from the show will be donated to the domestic violence charity NSW Women's Refuge Movement and to the Human Rights Watch. These charities are dependant on public donation and it is Rachael’s wish to support these valuable networks.

Opening Night: 6pm Friday 9th July 2010
Exhibition Dates: 7th July - 1st August 2010

We're Turning One!!

2010-06-16T14:51:00.001+10:00

In the last year ARThive has hosted the work of over 100 artists, musicians, writers and performers, with close to 4000 visitors visiting the little gallery space hidden away upstairs at 111 Hunter Street.
We're happy to have made it this far and would like to invite you to join in the celebrations in our BIRTHDAY PARTY exhibition.
The festivities will feature, among other things, a retrospective exhibition of past and present studio artists and exhibitors, entertainment from the likes of Casio Gloria, Drillbit, and Cock Safari, roving performances, live art demonstrations, a sensational art auction, and almost certainly CAKE.

Featuring new art by
Rose Turner
Rebecca Holmes
David Hampton
Miriam Montgomery
Elizabeth Nagy
Grant Hunter
Angus Crowley
Carl Morgan
Lara Schubert
Sarah Mould
DAPR
Jenna Gill
Stu McDonald
Simone Sheridan
Nicole Chaffey
Marnie Vaughn
Carli Hyland
Fiona Lee
Lance Johnson

Opening Night: Friday 18 June
Times: 6pm – 9pm

Exhibition runs Friday 18 June until Saturday 3 July

RSVP to the Facebook event

Photomedia Mayhem Winners Announced

2010-06-05T15:54:00.011+10:00

May 2010 saw us curate our first group prize exhibition, Photomedia Mayhem. We were lucky enough to gain three major sponsors with a total prize value of over $300. The exhibition saw twelve artists enter the prize, with a total number of five prizes won.

We would like to congratulate Sarah Veritisano for winning the major prize of a $100 voucher to Digital Camera Warehouse in Sydney. Sarah also won a $50 gift voucher from local Newcastle photography store King and Parry. Sarah's work was entered in the category of past/present/future and was well-received by all that visited the exhibition. Sarah is currently studying Photomedia at Sydney's College of Fine Art. You can see more of her work here: http://www.sarahversitano.com/

King and Parry were kind enough to donate two additional $50 vouchers. The second King and Parry winner Wednesday Sutherland won a voucher for her entry which was a series of three photographs, experimenting with traditional and digital technique. Wednesday is currently completing her HSC and you can see more of her work here: http://why4wednesday.deviantart.com/gallery/

Our third King and Parry winner, Joe Douglas, won with his work 'Lance looking back', a portrait of one of arthive collective members Lance Johnson. The work was a combined effort between Joe and Lance, Joe taking the photograph and Lance developing the photograph. You can see more of Joe's work here: http://dougy2040.deviantart.com/gallery/

Our third place prize winner, Jayde Nicholls, won the Les Porter prize for her series called 'When technology attacks'. Jayde is a current student from the University of Newcastle who is mad about all things photography. Jayde loves to experiment with traditional techniques and equipment and we hope she enjoys the prize pack from Les Porter which included traditional paper and ink jet paper. You can see more of her work here:http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaydenicholls/

Thank you to all our sponsors who made it possible:

DIGITAL CAMERA WAREHOUSE http://digitalcamerawarehouse.com.au
KING & PARRY http://kingandparry.com.au
LES PORTER PHOTOGRAPHY http://lesporter.com.au

Calling All Cards

2010-06-02T15:38:00.001+10:00

Photomedia Mayhem Closing Night

2010-05-22T15:33:00.005+10:00

If you haven't had an opportunity to get into the gallery to check out our Photomedia Mayhem exhibition, we're having a closing night event from 6pm on Saturday June 5, where we will be announcing the winners of some awesome prizes kindly donated by Les Porter Photographic Supplies, Digital Camera Warehouse, and King & Parry. Prizes will be judged by Artists Gillean Shaw and Fiona Lee. We hope to see you there!

Reunion Sacred Ibis CDR Launch

2010-05-21T19:03:00.011+10:00

Pop into the gallery on May 30 from 2.30pm to catch the incredible Reunion Sacred Ibis who will launch his Antikythera mini-CDR on Monstera Deliciosa. Joining him for sets of their own will be Polyfox And The Union Of The Most Ghosts, and Cock Safari. Entry by Donation.

Slip 'n Slide Night

2010-05-14T11:54:00.000+10:00

The crunch of shag pile under your bum,
the smell of melting marshmallows
and the glow of your Uncles Hamminex Projector ...

It's a night of wholesome, 100% nostalgia, yes it's

SLIP 'N SLIDE NIGHT!!!!!!!

ArtHIVE will be hosting the first SLIDE NIGHT as part of our PHOTOMEDIA MAYHEM festival.
There will be a showing of inherited and found slides from all times and places (even dimensions) and we would love you to join!

Come along and fest upon pop corn and pink lemonade.
There may even be sherbet!

You are also welcome to bring some slides of your own!
Just remember to slam down a few Goldie Hawn coins to help out your favorite ARI!

7pm Friday May 14
Level 1/111 Hunter Street
Newcastle

RSVP On Facebook

Photomedia Mayhem - Past/Present/Future

2010-05-07T00:32:00.001+10:00

Photomedia Mayhem is a month long celebration of all things photography. We have asked artists to submit works based on the triple concept of ‘PAST/PRESENT/FUTURE’.

ARTISTS:
David Baker
Brenton Brooker
Jenna Gill
Lance Johnson
Marina Maxwell
Jayde Nicholls
Chris Rowe
Simone Sheridan
Wednesday Sutherland
Sarah Versitano
Kieran Perry

Opening Night Friday May 7 2010
Exhibition Dates May 5- June 5 2010

JUDGED BY FIONA LEE AND GILLEAN SHAW

FEATURING PERFORMANCES BY KRAIG GRADY AND JENNA GILL

Proudly Sponsored by
LES PORTER PHOTOGRAPHY http://lesporter.com.au
DIGITAL CAMERA WAREHOUSE http://digitalcamerawarehouse.com.au
KING & PARRY http://kingandparry.com.au

Kraig Grady to perform live at ARThive

2010-04-28T14:31:00.002+10:00

As a special treat as part of the opening of our PHOTOMEDIA MAYHEM festival, composer/sound artist Kraig Grady will perform in the gallery from 6pm on Friday May 7. Kraig will have CDs available so please do support him in his travels through Australia by purchasing a copy.

Kraig Grady, an Anaphorian now living in Australia, composes almost exclusively for acoustic instruments of his own making or modification tuned to just intonation. Often his work is combined with his Shadow Theatre productions.
Kraig will be performing on one of his main instruments, a vibraphone that has been retuned to a scale known as Meta-Slendro. This 12-tone scale developed by Erv Wilson and likewise found among the people of Anaphoria Island, comprises harmonics that occur in a recurrent sequence of similar properties to the Fibonacci series. Grady has selected out of the almost infinite variations of this series, one of those found upon the 'slopes' of a figure known as Meru Prastara. Due to the strong reinforcement of difference tones and beats, the music is able to venture also into explorations in room resonance and acoustical phenomenon using the nowdays often disregarded parameter of pitch.
His work has been presented at Ballhaus Naunyn Berlin (Germany), the Chateau de la Napoule (France), the Norton Simon Museum of Art (Los Angeles) , the UCLA Armand Hammer Museum, the Pacific Asia Museum, the Los Angeles Philharmonic's American Music Weekend and New Music America 1985. He was chosen by Buzz Magazine as one of the "100 coolest people in Los Angeles".

Check out this video of a Kraig Grady collaboration with Chris Abrahams.

Schools Project - 25 yrs Carnivale Murals April 2010

2010-04-23T15:26:00.000+10:00

There is an exciting opportunity for an artist to work with school children and the community on a paid public art project.

Are you someone that may be interested in a short contract to assist to facilitate some artworks this kind of art project?

CLICK HERE for more information

CALL FOR ARTISTS

2010-04-19T17:32:00.006+10:00

DOWNLOAD ENTRY FORM

INFORMATION SHEET

EXHIBITION AND COMPETITION DETAILS

Photomedia Mayhem is a month long celebration of all things photography. We are looking for artists to submit works based on the triple concept of ‘PAST/PRESENT/FUTURE’.
This could be interpreted literally, in terms of technique and medium, or a conceptual interpretation, based on photograph subject media. The theme is very open!

We want the exhibition to be a survey all many kinds and styles of photography. You can print your photos on the back of beer cartons for all we care, get creative and show us what your photo media is made of!

Submissions due Sunday 2nd of May by 5pm.

Please print entry forms and attach to your submitted work.

An entry fee of $10 per entry will be charged to cover costs of the exhibition. An entry form will need to be filled out with each separate work entered, including a $10 entry fee per entry. Entries can be a series or individual work, falling under one title.

If you think you would like to contribute to this exhibition, please get in touch.

For more information contact Simone on 0410 115 736 or email subjecthive@gmail.com

Simo Soo Album Launch

2010-04-18T14:13:00.003+10:00

Simo Soo has a new album out through Lesstalk Records! To celebrate, he is taking off on a whirlwind tour of the world, making a special return to the ARThive, where he last performed back in September for the opening of our TYRANNOSAURUS REX exhibit. In addition to Simo Soo, you can catch the oddball genius of our own CasioGloria, the noise rock of Liz Hurley, and the synth explorations of Stitched Vision.

May 1st 2010
7pm Start
Entry By Donation

Infinite Decimals live at ARThive

2010-04-11T02:02:00.000+10:00

Here is a short video document of Melbourne's Infinite Decimals live in the gallery on April 3rd 2010. To what was a very small but appreciative audience the band performed two extended pieces of improvised experimental music accompanied by marvelous visual manipulations by Paul Rodgers.

Cuddle Party #2

2010-04-10T00:33:00.009+10:00

Coming up on Sunday April 18 is Cuddle Party #2, an all day music festival in the gallery! The first event back in January was such a swell way to spend a sunday we figured we might have another! Before you freak out, this isn't some pervy gropefest, just a posi day of sharing music and rad vibes. This cuddly day will feature a whole bunch of great live music including a rare trio performance from Polyfox And The Union Of The Most Ghosts, debut sets from The Origami Girls and Fairy Mountain, plus CasioGloria, Hira Hira, Little A, Michael Crafter, Happy Phlegm, The Luke Hoskins Inexperience, Apartment, Blind Jake, Mark Lagana, Miles Thomas And The RVs, and possibly more. Bands will kick off around 12pm and entry is by donation, with funds raised going towards some new paint, tools, and essential supplies for the gallery. See you there!

Sunday April 18
ARThive Gallery
Level 1/111 Hunter St
Newcastle Mall

RSVP on Facebook

Inaugural Exhibition by DAPR

2010-03-21T19:14:00.005+11:00

Arthive is proud to present the first public viewing of works by DAPR.

Paintings I found while moving is an exhibition showcasing extraordinary talent by a hidden artist.

It took some convincing but we got DAPR to agree to share these amazing paintings.

Curated by Jenna Gill, this exhibition is not to be missed.

Opening Night Friday April 9th

Exhibition Dates April 7th - May 1st

INFINITE DECIMALS - "0.18232323..." album launch

2010-03-09T00:59:00.000+11:00

Coming up on April 3, Melbourne experimental act INFINITE DECIMALS will launch their new album 0.18232323... in Newcastle at the ARThive, accompanied by live projections by Paul Rodgers. Also performing are local improvisers CRAB SMASHER, who will launch a new mini-album titled The doctor is in... over his head, and Sydney artist SCISSOR LOCK, who you may recall performed at our fundraiser show last July.

Saturday April 3
7pm start
Entry by donation

Line King

2010-03-04T01:40:00.002+11:00

Line King is is an exhibition by Chris Brown, a local photographer and installation artist, featuring a collection of his latest black and white photographic works, and a large, detailed, geometric installation made of over 10 kilometres of string.

Opening Night 6PM Friday March 12
Exhibition Dates: March 10th-April 3rd 2010

View photos from Opening Night

Tyes To The House

2010-02-01T22:53:00.003+11:00

Tyes To The House is the latest exhibition of painted and illustrated works from Newcastle artist Shane Westernhagen.

Tyes to the House is a ghostland of animals and people that have lived, worked, and war'd together and ultimately, died together.

Opening Night 6pm Friday Feb 12
Exhibition Dates Feb 12 - Mar 5

Casio Gloria - Live at Cuddle Party

2010-01-19T00:48:00.002+11:00

Casio Gloria performing live at Cuddle Party #1 at Arthive January 17 2010. Video by Nicholas French.

Cuddle Party

2010-01-16T12:26:00.006+11:00

ARThive, Artless Armchair, Lesstalk Records, and Monstera Deliciosa present
CUDDLE PARTY!!
(A cuddle party is an event designed with the intention of allowing people to experience non-sexual group physical intimacy through cuddling.)

Featuring Live Music by
MIKE McCARTHY'S COLOURS
COCK SAFARI
POLYFOX AND THE UNION OF THE MOST GHOSTS
THE SNOOZEFESTS
WHEEL OF DEATH
KIKC ROKCS
HOLOGRAPHIC COCOON feat. KEANE WILLIAMS
LOBSTER FACE
CASIOGLORIA
BLOCK []
THEORY OF KRIS
EDWIN MONTGOMERY
CRAB SMASHER

Sunday Jan 17
ARThive - 1/11 Hunter St Newcastle
12pm-8pm
entry by donation

Penis Tower Anti-Slam

2009-12-17T02:52:00.003+11:00

Bring along your free verse, rap, spoken word, shopping lists, stand-up routines, parables, dad jokes, improv, whatever you've got & sign up for the PENIS TOWER ANTI-SLAM. You could win A PRIZE. You would win THE UNCONDITIONAL ADORATION OF YOUR PEERS. You could win WHATEVER'S BEHIND THIS DOOR. But we're not judging you on your poem, no sir. You won't know how we're judging you til the end. We just wanna hear ya, because WE KNOW YOU'RE OUT THERE.

It's easy, turn up, scrawl your name on the list & await INSTANT FAME.

last sunday of each month

7 30pm SIGNUP, 8 00pm SHOWDOWN

PROBABLY FINISHES BY 10.

The next event is APRIL 25

at the ARThive

level 1/111 hunter st, newcastle mall

entry by donation

Tapes, Breaks, and Skinny Old Men

2009-12-12T10:50:00.004+11:00

Tonight in the gallery from 7PM we have an evening of experimental noise, electronica, and sound art from local heroes Luke Hoskins AKA DRILLBIT and Michael Liestins AKA COCK SAFARI, with special guest from Brisbane, respectable sound artist Adam Park AKA UNIQUE OIL FREE AIR. To finish off the night, Adam Park and Michael Liestins may collaborate as ANAL CUM WOLF. Homemade CDs and Cassettes will be available to purchase. Entry is by donation.

Secret Santa

2009-12-08T11:01:00.002+11:00

Secret Santa is the final exhibition for 2009 for the gallery. To celebrate Christmas and our first successful year of operation, we've invited all of the artists, performers, volunteers, and friends of Arthive to participate in a fun artwork exchange and open show. Works will be exhibited for the duration of the show and then gifted at random to other participating artists. It's not too late to be a part of the show, if you're keen, stop by and ask for a blank postcard!

Featured Artists
Simone Sheridan
Michael Liestins
Abbey Cecil
Maddy Phelan
Trine Deans
Rose Turner
Neal Booth
Benjamin Bourke
Cara Pflueger
Di Drew
Angus Crowley
Nicholas French
Marnie Vaughn
Miriam Montgomery
Sam Shepherd
Sarah Mould
Grant Hunter
David Hampton
Jarrod Skene
Maree Van-Tent
Jenna Gill
Lick La Creme
Lance Johnson
Marni Jackson
+ More!

Opening Night 6pm Dec 4

Secret Santa installation

2009-12-01T17:19:00.001+11:00

Open General Meeting

2009-11-25T08:30:00.000+11:00