WINTER EXHIBITIONS ARE BEST
Mike Barr's painting titled 'Autumn Lights - Goolwa Beach’
SALA Artworx Exhibition – 123w x 93hcm
Winter Exhibitions are Best (Blog by Mike Barr)
‘Some of the best exhibition time, particularly in Australia, is in the Winter.
Being indoors is good and doing some gallery time we tend to be either inside a car getting there and then inside the gallery enjoying it – whatever the weather may dish-up!
August – the last month of Winter in Australia, is host to the biggest open-access visual arts festival in the world and takes place in South Australia.
Affectionately called SALA (South Australian Living Artists) this month-long festival in now in its 25th year. With almost 650 venues throughout the state, there is plenty to choose from and quite impossible to see it all!
The venues are varied and range from established galleries, pop-up galleries, restaurants, coffee shops and any other space that might be able to hold even a small exhibition. Venues and artists are matched through a well-established online process conducted by SALA.
Nearly 12,000 South Australian artists take part – it’s big!
If you’re an art lover, it’s a month of heaven and the extensive SALA catalogue published well before the festival starts, venues and artists are all catalogued. It’s great reading and your month-long art binge can be carefully curated by a couple of hours of careful planning.
This year, there is one exhibition that stands out above the rest.
ArtworX Gallery & Gifts has put together its annual SALA exhibition in fine style. Illuminate, has more than 100 artists and 200 exhibits. In the SALA catalogue, it muscles its way in on page 35 with a full column list of artists. Some are very well known, others are relatively new and others have been with the gallery since its inception in 2005.
As the saying goes, there’s something for everyone at Artworx – and it’s true!
Paintings small and large, unique world-class glassware, handmade jewellery, pottery and more, will grab you’re attention and your heart.
There are also some painting demonstrations from gallery favourite Victoria Rolinski, and Mike & Tina Barr – checkout the ArtworX website for more information.
Gallery owners Belinda and Steve, leave no stone unturned as they curate and hang the exhibition and will make you feel welcome, even on the coldest day outside. Check out the extensive online catalogue of the exhibition www.artworxgallery.com.au (to be live from Saturday 30 July).
Make it a winter date sometime in August, perhaps with some family and friends. One thing is for sure, it will never be your last visit to this special gallery at Goolwa on the amazing Fleurieu Peninsula!
Happy gallerying.’
- Mike Barr