Image above: Greg Johns Seaing The Land – Feeling The Land (Shedding Figure) – photograph by Ashley Starkey
The Palmer Sculpture Biennial opens on Saturday 19 March and will be open to the public on weekends 11am – 5.30pm and Wednesdays 2pm – 5.30pm until Sunday 17 April.
It will include works from 23 leading artists, including 1 from overseas and 6 from interstate. Two emerging artists are included and our honoured artist recognition acknowledgement is to Orest Keywan from NSW.
Catherine Speck, Art History Lecturer, Adelaide University, will be the opening speaker, after which the “Verandah Music” event will begin at 3pm. “The Yearlings”, Aaron Thomas, Tom Redwood, local identity Andrew Allanson and from NSW our specially invited guest performer Ian Kilippax Mathews, one of Australia`s great singer-songwriters, will provide a memorable 10th anniversary event. In between the musicians’ performances we are hoping to have a professional clown performing!
The Landscape is a hilly 400 acre property near to the township of Palmer on the way to Mannum. Strolling over a rise in a setting that includes escarpments, rocky outcrops and open countryside and suddenly encountering a striking sculpture is an unforgettable experience. In such a setting, works of sculpture have much greater impact than they could achieve in a Gallery.
After the opening, the Biennial will be open to the public on weekends and Wednesday afternoons until Sunday 17 April.
The Palmer Biennial is a Growing Phenomenon
The first of the Palmer Sculpture Biennials was held in 2004, and since then they have gained an impressive reputation both locally and internationally. The event is now one of the longest, continually running sculpture exhibitions in the history of sculpture in Australia. A growing number of people who have experienced past biennials now make a point of attending each new one. The biennial is run by the artists, and rather than aiming to show a large quantity of works, the emphasis is on quality, artistic merit, and how well they interact with an Australian environment. A high priority is that visitors should be able to engage with both sculpture and place.
Opening Day and Music Event, Sunday March 19th
Opening day at Palmer is not like most art openings. Admission is free and time is scheduled for visitors to walk around the property and view the works at leisure. The property is open from 11am and the opening starts at 1pm. After the opening, the “Verandah music event” will begin at 3pm and our leading musicians will be performing.
For those who have not been there before, the property is 3.5 km down the Davenport Road which starts opposite the Hotel at Palmer on the way to Mannum.
Contact details:
Email the Palmer Project; palmersculpturebiennial@gmail.com
or phone Greg Johns – 0438807860 (email gjoh4899@bigpond.net.au),
or Bill Clifford (08) 8398 0868 (email jandbclifford@internode.on.net)
or visit our website palmersculpturebiennial.org