Poets and Painters: A tribute to Dick Bett AM

The phenomenal success of Poets and Painters 2013 sees us already planning for the next one.  The support and goodwill from the community has been overwhelming. Thank you to all the wonderful poet's and artist's that took part in this landmark exhibition. The power failure at the opening party certainly helped to create an atmospheric opening not to be forgotten.

Press coverage of the event can be viewed here:

Poets and Painters, Island Magazine
You can Bett on local support, The Mercury
Tribute to Bett in words and art, The Mercury


Poets and Painters opened by Chris Wallace-Crabbe                                                                      Photo: © Giles Hugo 2013


Pete Hay and Tom O'Hern                                                                                                               Photo: © Giles Hugo 2013


Hecklers on the night                                                                                                                       Photo: © Giles Hugo 2013


Poet Ben Walter                                                                                                                               Photo: © Giles Hugo 2013

View more photos taken on the night on our facebook page.


Australia, Royal Academy of the Arts, London 

21 September to 8 December 2013

'Australia's most treasured art comes to London for biggest show yet seen in UK'  The Guardian

Bett Gallery artists, Imants Tillers, David Stephenson and Philip Wolfhagen will feature in an exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts in London taking place in September this year.
The exhibition Australia is the most significant survey of Australian art ever mounted in the UK. Focusing on the influence of the landscape, Australia will span more than 200 years from 1800 to the present day and will feature over 200 works, including painting, drawing, photography, watercolour and multimedia.


Women in Business Networking Lunch

Join Emma Bett at the next Studio Network, Women in Business Lunch as she shares some tips on navigating your way through the world of Art. Discover what makes a good piece of art.  How do you buy with confidence?  What do you look for?  What should you avoid?! Emma will introduce you to her favourite Tasmanian artists and show you how easy it is to enjoy good works of art in your home.  Book your seat now here as they are filling fast.




Annika Koops shortlisted for top 100 painters

Eleven Australian-based painters have made the shortlist in a competition to find the “100 Painters of Tomorrow.” Developed by Kurt Beers of London gallery Beers.Lambert Contemporary in conjunction with the publishing house Thames & Hudson, the “100 Painters of Tomorrow” project began with an open call for submissions in January 2013, and will culminate in a publication to be published in 2014. - See more at: http://au.blouinartinfo.com/news/story/928250/australian-based-artists-shortlisted-for-100-painters-of#sthash.U4tgpZdo.dpuf

Eleven Australian-based painters have made the shortlist in a competition to find the “100 Painters of Tomorrow.” Developed by Kurt Beers of London gallery Beers.Lambert Contemporary in conjunction with the publishing house Thames & Hudson, the “100 Painters of Tomorrow” project began with an open call for submissions in January 2013, and will culminate in a publication to be published in 2014. - See more at: http://au.blouinartinfo.com/news/story/928250/australian-based-artists-shortlisted-for-100-painters-of#sthash.U4tgpZdo.dpuf

Annika Koops is one of the eleven Australian-based painters who have made the shortlist to find the international “100 Painters of Tomorrow.” A total of 4,300 entries were received during the open call with the short list consisting of 427 artists from 47 countries. The final 100 painters will be selected by a panel of prestigious judges and will be part of a major exhibition of contemporary paintings at London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts.

Eleven Australian-based painters have made the shortlist in a competition to find the “100 Painters of Tomorrow.” Developed by Kurt Beers of London gallery Beers.Lambert Contemporary in conjunction with the publishing house Thames & Hudson, the “100 Painters of Tomorrow” project began with an open call for submissions in January 2013, and will culminate in a publication to be published in 2014. - See more at: http://au.blouinartinfo.com/news/story/928250/australian-based-artists-shortlisted-for-100-painters-of#sthash.U4tgpZdo.dpuf

Eleven Australian-based painters have made the shortlist in a competition to find the “100 Painters of Tomorrow.” Developed by Kurt Beers of London gallery Beers.Lambert Contemporary in conjunction with the publishing house Thames & Hudson, the “100 Painters of Tomorrow” project began with an open call for submissions in January 2013, and will culminate in a publication to be published in 2014. - See more at: http://au.blouinartinfo.com/news/story/928250/australian-based-artists-shortlisted-for-100-painters-of#sthash.U4tgpZdo.dpuf

Eleven Australian-based painters have made the shortlist in a competition to find the “100 Painters of Tomorrow.” Developed by Kurt Beers of London gallery Beers.Lambert Contemporary in conjunction with the publishing house Thames & Hudson, the “100 Painters of Tomorrow” project began with an open call for submissions in January 2013, and will culminate in a publication to be published in 2014. - See more at: http://au.blouinartinfo.com/news/story/928250/australian-based-artists-shortlisted-for-100-painters-of#sthash.U4tgpZdo.dpuf

Eleven Australian-based painters have made the shortlist in a competition to find the “100 Painters of Tomorrow.” Developed by Kurt Beers of London gallery Beers.Lambert Contemporary in conjunction with the publishing house Thames & Hudson, the “100 Painters of Tomorrow” project began with an open call for submissions in January 2013, and will culminate in a publication to be published in 2014. - See more at: http://au.blouinartinfo.com/news/story/928250/australian-based-artists-shortlisted-for-100-painters-of#sthash.U4tgpZdo.dpuf

Eleven Australian-based painters have made the shortlist in a competition to find the “100 Painters of Tomorrow.” Developed by Kurt Beers of London gallery Beers.Lambert Contemporary in conjunction with the publishing house Thames & Hudson, the “100 Painters of Tomorrow” project began with an open call for submissions in January 2013, and will culminate in a publication to be published in 2014. - See more at: http://au.blouinartinfo.com/news/story/928250/australian-based-artists-shortlisted-for-100-painters-of#sthash.U4tgpZdo.dpuf

Annika Koops was recently awarded Highly Commended prizes from both the City of Hobart Art Prize and the Churchie Emerging Art Prize.

Annika Koops, from( Inter) face series 2012


From the stockroom...


Annika Koops
Sissy 2012
inkjet print, framed
122 x 93 cm (paper size)
edition of 5
$2,900
enquire

Coming up...

Vitrify Alcorso Ceramic Awards
30 August to 10 September 2013
Finalists: Jane Sawyer, Angela Valamanesh, Janetta Kerr-Grant & Keiko Matsui
Judged by David Handley, Peter Timms and Neville French

Angela Valamanesh, Vent 1to 3, ceramic, 46 x 16 x 4cm

Victor Greenaway
White Earth Reflections
30 August to 10 September 2013

Victor Greenaway, spiral lipped bowl form, porcelain, 10 x 20 cm

Tom O'Hern
Dead Dog
13 September to 4 October 2013

Tom O'Hern, Shit Head, ink on paper, 95 x 70 cm

Toby Pola
Loose Nut
13 September to 4 October 2013

Toby Pola,  Losers blame their parents, failures blame their kids, carved balsa wood and gouache

Joel Crosswell
Constance ARI at Sydney Contemporary 13
19 to 22 September 2013, Carriageworks, Sydney


Joel Crosswell, Devils Buckets, mixed media

Prudence Flint
Cut on the Cross
11 October to 1 November 2013

Prudence Flint, Cut on the Cross, oil on canvas, oil on linen

Bett Gallery in Singapore

Bett Gallery will be on show at the Australian Consulate in Singapore in an exhibition featuring selected ACGA (Australian Commercial Galleries Association) member galleries.  Urbandigenous will take place from the 1st to the 31st of August 2013.  Bett Gallery will be featuring the work of Richard Bell and Vernon Ah Kee.

Hobart City Art prize finalists

Belinda Winkler, Brink 2013, bronze and steel photo: Peter Whyte

Judges for the 2013 City of Hobart Art Prize have chosen 35 works from a field of 490 entries.
Congratulations to our Bett Gallery artists (and staff, hi Mish) included in the finalists. The winner will be announced on 19 July 2013.

Jane Burton
Amanda Davies
Neil Haddon
Annika Koops
Mish Meijers
Tom O'Hern and Lou Conboy
Megan Walch
Tricky Walsh
Belinda Winkler

Sculpture by the Sea Dick Bett AM Memorial Invitation

Cluster by Ian Bonde Sculpture by the Sea Dick Bett AM Memorial winner 2012

We are pleased to announce that Matt Calvert has been awarded the Dick Bett AM Invitation to exhibit in Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi.The exhibition this year will be held from 24 October to 11 November, 2013.

For more info visit the sculpture by the sea website: http://www.sculpturebythesea.com/Home.aspx

Les Blakebrough AM

Congratulations to Les Blakebrough who was made a Member (AM) in the General Division of the Order of Australia  for significant service to the visual arts as a  ceramicist and educator and through professional associations.

Illumination: The art of Philip Wolfhagen

Philip Wolfhagen is to be congratulated on the launch of his National touring exhibition curated by the Newcastle Art Gallery and Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery.

The exhibition opens in Newcastle by Sir Guy Green AC KBE CVO on 22 June 2013 and will tour to the Australian Capital Territory, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania.

Tasmanian Artists for Bushfire Relief

Going bush

Skullbones Plains in central Tasmania will soon host 11 visual artists, 7 of which are Bett Gallery artists on a very special retreat. 
A Tasmanian Land Conservancy project, the selected artists will spend four days on residency in an immersive wilderness experience. 
The residency being held mid February will be filmed and maybe the subject of a documentary. 
An exhibition of works produced as a result of the residency will be held in September 2013 - we will keep you posted where it will be.

Artists include:

Immants Tillers, John Wolseley, Phillip Hunter, Phillip Wolfhagen, Richard Wastell, Vera Moler, Janet Laurence, Julie Gough, Tim Burns, Joel Crosswell and Megan Walch

Happy Holidays

Bett Gallery will close on the 24th of December for a qiuck break, opening in 2013 on the 3rd of January.  Thank you to all of you for your support over 2012.  We look forward to catching up in the New Year.

Opening tonight: Thornton Walker – Koay teow th’ng

Peranakan II, 2012.  Watercolour, ink and acrylic on paper. 172 x 140 cm

Thornton Walker is a Melbourne based visual artist, whose practice explores memory, stillness and nostalgia. Since his first solo exhibition in 1980, Walker has exhibited widely, and his works are held in both national and international collections, including the National Gallery of Australia, Art Gallery of NSW, Parliament House, and the British Museum. 

Walker produced his latest body of work Koay teow th’ng, while undertaking an artist’s residency in Penang, Malaysia. In this exhibition, Walker mediates on the past through capturing the faded faces that decorate Penang’s temple walls. Through his characteristic use of photography, the artist translates atmospheric images into watercolour, ink, acrylic and oil paint. The intimately cropped works suggest a quiet fragility and passage of time, though their ink stained and spattered surfaces. 

In Koay teow th’ng, Walker gently mocks our enthusiasm for the allure of foreign cultures. With a wry irreverence, the artist contrasts his dreamy portraits with unrelated Chinese characters. In his Nonya girl image, the script reads “lychee in heavy syrup.” The banality of the text belies the atmospheric and romantic portrait. Indeed, the title of the exhibition takes its name from a popular noodle soup dish sold at road side stall in Malaysia. 

Come and join us for the opening at 6pm, November 9.

Koay teow th’ng runs until December 1^st.

Neil Haddon at Inflight

Bett Gallery artist Neil Haddon is currently exhibiting 'the black mirror, the hunter, the basement, the studio'  at Inflight Gallery. The exhibition runs until November 30th, with a floor talk from Neil on November the 24th, 2pm.

What our artist's are up to

Heather B Swann, Bronek Kozka, Annika Koops and our own lovely staff member Mish Meijers are all finalists in the Substation Contempoaray Art Prize, announced 21st of September 2012.

Raymond Arnold, Neil Haddon, Tim Burns and Megan Walch are all finalists in the 2012 City of Hobart Art Prize.  Announced 5th of October 2012.

Barbie Kjar, Peter Atkins, Heather B Swann and Prudence Flint have all been selected for inclusion in this years Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery 2012 National Works on Paper exhbition.  Ends 7 October.

Bronek Kozka is a finalist in the 2012 Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize, announced 26 October 2012.

Joel Crosswell selected for Shotgun

This is a great show.  Don't miss it.

Joel's work is creepy and superb.

15 September to 7 October 2012

CAST, Tasma Street, North Hobart

Pat Brassington: Á Rebours, interview at ACCA 2012

Congratulations Helen Wright

Congratulations to all the winners in this year's Waterhouse Natural History Art Prize, especially our own Helen Wright who took out 2nd place in the Works on Paper category with her wood cut print titled The Exquisite Corpse of Seaweed Man .
 
The Waterhouse Natural History Art Prize is a prestigious art award that celebrates our intricate and complex global biodiversity and encourages excellence in natural history art within Australia and around the world.

The prize was established by the South Australian Museum in 2002 to honour its first curator, the eminent zoologist Frederick George Waterhouse. Now in its tenth year, the Waterhouse is Australia’s richest prize for natural history art. It has proudly contributed over one million dollars to the arts community since its inception.

The enduring popularity of the prize is testament to the unique opportunity it gives artists to interpret the beauty and fragility of our natural world.

The exhibition of finalists' artworks are on display at the South Australian Museum until 9 September 2012.

Annika Koops featured in current Australian Art Collector magazine p.122-129

Melbourne Art Fair 2012

Heather B Swann wins Swan Hill Drawing Prize

Cloud, ink on paper, 100 x 150 cm

Congratulations to Heather B Swann, having just won the Swan Hill Drawing prize, judged by Roger Butler from the National Gallery of Australia.  Bett Gallery are thrilled to announce a drawing exhibition by Heather B Swann in it's upcoming program.  Watch this space...