Four&Sons
Dogs and
culture collide
A Dog A Day
by Meredith Forrester
Every day since February 19, UK-based artist Sally Muir has posted a new drawing, painting or ‘phone sketch’ of a dog to her Facebook page and will continue to do so for what’s left of the year—or, as she herself puts it, her “365-day dogfest”.
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Cranium Architecture
Although Irving Penn is well known for his portraiture and fashion images, the American photographer also ventured into still life. Opening today at Hamiltons, Cranium Architecture showcases a collection of stunning images of animal skulls (featured above is a dog one). Shot by Penn in 1986 with excruciating attention to detail, each gelatin silver print becomes an sculpture in its own right. Until 13 September 2013.
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Billy Wolf K-9 Coatery
Bandanas have adorned the necks of cowboys, pirates and a certain Poison frontman. Now dogs are having their day. Billy Wolf is the brainchild of former Ralph Lauren designer Lyndsey Drago, who now transforms vintage jackets and deadstock hardware into heritage dogwear by hand in Brooklyn. On our (dog’s) wish list are the waxed canvas rain jacket with salvaged buttons and the chambray bandana—part of the proceeds of which go to Funny for Fido, a standup comedy troupe that raises funds for animal welfare.
Recommended by Samantha Gurrie, Writer
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Portlandia
Portland is the Williamsburg of the West coast. And Portlandia, the cult comedy series starring SNL’s Fred Armisen and Sleater-Kinney’s Carrie Brownstein, brings the irony with side-splitting sketches about the city’s offbeat denizens (hirsute mixologists) and boho environs (feminist bookstores). Season 3 just wrapped, but you can get the Portlandia trinity at the iTunes Summer Sale this week. Need instant gratification? Watch this sketch from Season 2 about a couple of cuckoo pet parents at the dog park. There’s always one…
Recommended by Samantha Gurrie, Writer
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On the road
by Samantha Gurrie
Theron Humphrey and his coonhound copilot, Maddie, are road-tripping across America again, this time to capture adoption stories on photo and film for his new project, Why We Rescue.
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Welcome to my world!
Artist and musician Daniel Johnston is nothing short of a cult icon. He counts Beck, Kurt Cobain and the Flaming Lips as fans. His songs about unrequited love will tug at your heart strings. And his idiosyncratic drawings offer a glimpse at the quiet genius within. In the midst of a European tour, Johnston squeezed in an exhibition at Collection de l’Art Brut in Switzerland, which will feature familiar characters like Jeremiah the frog, Joe the boxer and Casper the ghost. Until 30 June 2013.
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Free run
by João Bento
Julia Schlosser, a Los Angeles-based artist, art historian and educator, belongs to a new category of artists looking at domestic animals in a non-sentimental way. In her photographic series Roam, Schlosser digs deep in an LA off-leash dog park.
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Dreamscapes
Tim Walker has shot for Vogue and Vanity Fair, but the fashion photographer has also been known to dabble in British Surrealism. In the 26 photographs exhibited at the UK’s Bowes Museum, ball gowns impart an alien luminescence, beds teeter on tree tops and flying saucers lead a fox hunt. Walker’s work is at once spellbinding and spine-tingling. Until 13 September 2013.
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My Dog Tulip
We all fret and fuss over our pets, but J.R. Ackerley takes his consternation to the next level. In My Dog Tulip, an animated short film adapted from the British writer’s 1956 memoir, Ackerley wonders if his German shepherd has a headache and worries that her clock is ticking to have puppies. It’s a bittersweet tale about a man and the four-legged love of his life. Voices by Christopher Plummer, Lynn Redgrave and Isabella Rossellini.
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Between Worlds
Between Worlds’ animal-like children offer both a recognisable form and one of rarity and intrigue. These mysterious creatures by celebrated Australian photomedia artist Polixeni Papapetrou, photographed in natural and man-crafted settings, are concurrently beautiful and unsettling to the eye. The Centre of Contemporary Photography in Melbourne presents a survey show of Papapetrou’s work until 14 July 2103.
Recommended by Christina Teresinski, Best in Park
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