Art Smitten

Ever wondered why art galleries have plain white walls, bright white light, and simple minimalist decor?

This interior practice has been labelled the ‘white cube’ by art writer Brian O’Doherty in his fundamental 1976 text, ‘Inside the White Cube: The Ideology of the Gallery Space.’

This week for our art history segment, Audrey dives into the concept of the 'White Cube' gallery interior, and why we now use it globally.

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This week our new Executive Producer, Audrey, delved into Romanticism and the Sublime, starting with history of the movement and then discussing Neo-Romanticism in art. Ending with an idea of a 'New Romanticim' in contemporary Australian art, one that you can take with you on your upcoming gallery visits.

Artworks discussed in this segment were:

Caspar David Friedrich, Wanderer above the Sea of Fog, 1818

Théodore Géricault, Raft of Medusa, 1819

Henry Moore’s graphic drawings of war-time air raid shelters

Paul Nash, Pillar and Moon from 1932-42

Exhibitions A New Romance at the National Gallery of Australia in 1987 and The Sublime Imperative at ACCA in 1991

Imants Tillers, Mount Analogue, 1985

Eugene von Guérard's North-East View From the Northern Top of Mount Kosciusko from 1863

Irene Hanenbergh’s work, sepcifically at ‘dirty borrowed stardust’ exhibition at Neon Parc Gallery

Samantha Hobson, Burning Grass Season, 2019

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Hour of the Wolf creator and director Matthew Lutton joined Zack and Josh to discuss the immersive theatre production. A follow-up to 2021's Because the Night, Hour of the Wolf invites audiences to walk around the town and experience mystery first-hand.

You can listen to Art Smitten live every Saturday from 12pm on SYN 90.7. Get in touch with the show on our Instagram @artsmittensyn

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Jye Walker, actor behind the devilish Captain Hook in The Mount Players Theatre Company's musical rendition of Peter Pan, joined the show to talk about playing the classic villain.

You can listen to Art Smitten live every Saturday from 12pm on SYN 90.7. Get in touch with the show on our Instagram @artsmittensyn

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Comedian Jude Perl joined the show to talk about her new record and web-series SugarHope Records.

You can listen to Art Smitten live every Saturday from 12pm on SYN 90.7. Get in touch with the show on our Instagram @artsmittensyn

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Zack and Josh were joined by Naarm-based artist, performer, and dancer MaggZ to talk about their instillation at the Immigration Museum, New Reality.

You can listen to Art Smitten live every Saturday from 12pm on SYN 90.7. Get in touch with the show on our Instagram @artsmittensyn

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nick recently watched Filterphonic and Sexagenarian, two films by Melbourne-based filmmaker Lee Galea. Find Nick's thoughts here, and make sure to check out our interview with Lee on the production of the films.

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Head First Acrobats are a Melbourne based theatre company putting on head-spinning shows this Fringe Festival. Company manager and producer Thomas Gorham joined Zack and Ben to talk about Head First Acrobats shows Godz, PreHysterical, and Crème de la crème. 

Godz takes a comedic spin (emphasis on the spinning) to Greek mythology, PreHysterical offers a show for the younger crowd and Crème de la crème features various artists from Fringe Festival in one cabaret show.

You can listen to Art Smitten live every Saturday from 12pm on SYN 90.7. Get in touch with the show on our Instagram @artsmittensyn

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Abigail Banister-Jones returns to the SYN studios, this time to talk about her one-woman show The Story of Cerberus: A Very Good Boy. Set in the fantastical world of Greek mythology, Cerberus stars Abigail playing all three heads of the guardian of the Underworld. She sat down with Zack and Ben to talk about creating and performing a solo show, characterising the three heads of the monstrous dog, and of course the pets that inspired the show.

You can listen to Art Smitten live every Saturday from 12pm on SYN 90.7. Get in touch with the show on our Instagram @artsmittensyn

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Composer Alice Chance spoke to Zack about her upcoming performance Heirloom. Part of Rubiks Collective's Towards Home, Heirloom is about capturing the relationships between mothers and daughters through music.

You can listen to Art Smitten live every Saturday from 12pm on SYN 90.7. Get in touch with the show on our Instagram @artsmittensyn

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shakespeare's stories are timeless, being retold and adapted for new audiences constantly. Matthew Connell, a member of Melbourne Shakespeare Company, is playing Brutus in a contemporary adaptation of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. Zack talked to Matthew about his relationship with the poet's works and what it's like to take on iconic roles in the present day.

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Lee Galea is an award-winning Australian indie filmmaker. Known for films such as Monster Pies and The Neon Spectrum, and current director of queer TV series Single, Out, Lee's work has been shown all around the world.

Zack joined Lee to talk about his latest film release, Filterphonic and Sexagenarian.

You can listen to Art Smitten live every Saturday from 12pm on SYN 90.7. Get in touch with the show on our Instagram @artsmittensyn

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Zack and Ben joined Brandon Pape, artistic director at Antipodes Theatre Company, who talks about adapting the classic show Guys and Dolls.

You can listen to Art Smitten live every Saturday from 12pm on SYN 90.7. Get in touch with the show on our Instagram @artsmittensyn

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Ben was joined by Dr. Paul Mason to talk about the Australian comics industry and his work on The Phantom. Paul talks about his history in the industry and what it's like working on such a popular character.

You can listen to Art Smitten live every Saturday from 12pm on SYN 90.7. Get in touch with the show on our Instagram @artsmittensyn

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Zack sat down with Scott Wilson at Metro Comic Con to talk about the Indigiverse: The oldest living cultures inspiring the newest living heroes. Scott talks about his own love of comics and the stories that inspired him to create the first Aboriginal superhero universe.

You can listen to Art Smitten live every Saturday from 12pm on SYN 90.7. Get in touch with the show on our Instagram @artsmittensyn

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Comics artist Daniel Picciotto spoke to Zack about his time in the industry and the many stories he's worked on. Daniel is currently an artist on Marvel's Ghost Rider and previously worked on Phantom.

You can listen to Art Smitten live every Saturday from 12pm on SYN 90.7. Get in touch with the show on our Instagram @artsmittensyn

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Zack sat down with conjurer Josh Staley to talk about his Melbourne Magic Festival shows, Quicker than the Eye and Up Late, Up Close. Josh gives a small peek into the world of magic and talks about what people can get out of learning to become a magician.

You can find Josh Staley at joshstaley.com or Instagram @josh_staley

You can listen to Art Smitten live every Saturday from 12pm on SYN 90.7. Get in touch with the show on our Instagram @artsmittensyn

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Zack and Ben join game designer Michelle Chen to talk about her upcoming exhibition Mini Melbourne. Part of the Immigration Museum's Culture Makers program, Mini Melbourne invites people to create a digital avatar to explore a virtual city and interact with others.

You can find Michelle Chen's work at https://purplelilgirl.com/ and @itsmichellechen

You can listen to Art Smitten live every Saturday from 12pm on SYN 90.7. Get in touch with the show on our Instagram @artsmittensyn

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SYN's News & Content producer and executive producer of Loud & Queer sat down with author Daniel M. Lavery about his new book, Dear Prudence. Drawing on his days as Slate's advice columnist, Lavery's book is filled with all sorts of advice and wisdom.

You can listen to Art Smitten live every Saturday from 12pm on SYN 90.7. Get in touch with the show on our Instagram @artsmittensyn

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Maleik Njoroge, designer and chess fan, joined Zack in the studio to discuss Chess Without Borders at the Immigration Museum, and the design potential chess holds.

You can find Maleik's work at https://www.instagram.com/_alltribesarebeautiful_/

Tune into Art Smitten live every Saturday from 12pm on SYN 90.7. Get in touch with the show on our Instagram @artsmittensyn

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.