fitzroyalty » Ballarat

Ballarat foto biennale

brian — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:04:33 +0000

Two weekends ago I went to Ballarat to see the Foto Biennale, a huge photography exhibition spread across multiple sites in Ballarat and nearby towns. I focused on the core program exhibited in the Ballarat gallery, the town hall, the mining exchange and the trade’s hall.

I was very impressed with the Tim Griffith photos of skyscrapers and other new architecture across Asia at the Ballarat gallery. My favourite was Nathalie Daoust’s series of artistic facedowns ‘Frozen in time’, also at the gallery.

I liked the Bruno Benini fashion work (above), and the Gerhard Joren series (below) documenting brothels, porn production ... read the complete post

Fitzroyalty - hyperlocal news and reviews about Melbourne's first suburb: Fitzroy 3065 by Brian Ward is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.5 Australia License.

lunch at Europa cafe, Ballarat

brian — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 13:01:49 +0000

While visiting Ballarat for the day recently to see the Foto Biennale I had an excellent lunch with friends at the Europa cafe. From top to bottom: kangaroo with sweet potato mash, five spice eggplant and beetroot relish; a variation on Imam bayildi – an eggplant dish that was more like a curry – with cous cous and yoghurt; salmon with kipfler potatoes and poached egg; and a beef bourguignon pie with chips and salad. Visiting Ballarat is most enjoyable when there are such good places to eat, and I have also had great meals at Bibo, L’Espresso and Eclectic Tastes.

... read the complete post

Lake Wendouree, Ballarat

brian — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 14:14:06 +0000

Lake Wendouree in Ballarat is completely dry, and has been for over two years. It’s surreal to see signs warning you not to swim when there is no water to swim in!

20th century, Ballarat fine art gallery

brian — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 14:18:42 +0000

The twentieth century collection at the Ballarat fine art gallery is considerable, with fine examples of the most revered Australian artists and some works I was not familiar. I’ve always been an admirer of Charles Blackman, and ‘Street Scene’, 1960 is impressive.

Jeffrey Smart’s ‘The Listeners’, 1965, is fantastic, with vibrant red trechnology and yellow landscape.

The work I was most excited by is Weaver Hawkins’ ‘Burragorang Valley’, 1946. The trees look like those in Mambo designs, and it is amazing to think that this work is more than 20 years older than I thought it was!

... read the complete post

L’Espresso, Ballarat

brian — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 14:06:56 +0000

The highlight of my recent weekend in Ballarat was dinner at L’Espresso, a compact cafe / restaurant / CD shop. By day you can buy from a diverse selection of blues and jazz and have breakfast, lunch and coffee. At night it becomes a serious restaurant that serves wonderful food.

My girlfriend started with the anchovy tart with caramelised onion, then had the scallop risotto, which was divinely creamy and flavoursome.

I chose the Italian white bean soup, followed by the slow cooked beef, which was ... read the complete post

19th century, Ballarat fine art gallery

brian — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 14:05:16 +0000

The Ballarat fine art gallery is an impressive institution, with well informed staff and a surprising collection. I knew that it is the largest regional gallery in the country, but I was still not prepared for the extent and quality of the works on display.

I’m going to write separate posts for the 19th century and 20th century works. The 19th century works on display were beautiful, particularly these below. Three themes of 19th century art are evident in these works: orientalism, classicism and a growing sense of realism.

Nicholas Chevalier, ‘Buddha’s renunciation’, 1884

Karl Theodor von Piloty, ‘Beneath the arena’, 1860-1880

I see orientalism ... read the complete post

visiting galleries and photographing art

brian — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 14:19:12 +0000

It is curious when visiting art galleries and museums how diverse their photography policies are. The rules seem to be determined by how anal and old fashioned the institution is, rather than the preservation needs of the collection or the copyright and other issues related to the works and their histories.

In Australia the NSW Gallery has a clear policy displayed on its website and in the space on brochures – it is allowed without flash (this is very important). In contrast, the NGV in Victoria has an abstinence only policy. It says no photography at the venues but has no explanation on its website, despite having copyright and sketching policies.

A similar contrast exists between the Ballarat ... read the complete post

Oscar’s Hotel, Ballarat

brian — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 14:04:52 +0000

If you like art deco buildings as I do, then when looking for accommodation in Ballarat you find a restored art deco pub on the interweb, you may be drawn to try Oscar’s Hotel. It’s a deco pub converted into boutique hotel upstairs (13 rooms) and restaurant and bar downstairs.

It’s a place I can thoroughly recommend. We had a lovely large room with an amazingly comfortable bed. The removations have given each room a fantastic bathroom (ours had a huge double shower and separate toilet). The furnishings were simple, elegant and in sympathy with the style of the building.

... read the complete post

Eclectic Tastes, Ballarat

brian — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 13:21:50 +0000

I’m unashamedly an urban aesthete, and enjoy the cultural and artistic complexity and style of the inner city. I also love travelling, know that I cannot take my values with me, and when visiting other places cannot expect the people there to live the same way I do. Regional Australia has at times been a challenge for me, as the quality of the food is not always as good as what I normally enjoy. In Victoria, however, my expections have been challenged in a good way and regularly exceeded.

I had lunch in Ballarat at the wonderful Ecclectic Tastes. The interior is a ... read the complete post

painting and other manly sports

brian — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:09:20 +0000

So this guy lived in Ballarat and this monument to him on the edge of Lake Wendouree tells us he liked manly sports.

I’m not sure what Ned Williams would have thought of artist Charles Basing. It’s possible they met in Ballarat before Basing left for New York City and Williams died.

According to the exhibition text at the splendid Ballarat Fine Art Gallery, Basing “died of blood poisoning after being trodden on by a camel while on holiday in Morocco.” That’s not very manly. Artists poncing about getting in the way of honest ... read the complete post

Bibo cafe, Ballarat

brian — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 13:08:08 +0000

I spent the weekend visiting Ballarat and Bendigo with my girlfriend, and we had a wonderfully relaxing time. I have lots of stories to post about the weekend, but I also have many Fitzroy stories queued, so for the next two weeks or so I will alternate the posts, one day Fitzroy and the next day Ballarat.

My first Ballarat post is about the Bibo cafe on Sturt St. After arriving in town and wanting a coffee before spending time in the art gallery, we found Bibo and enjoyed a good coffee there. The interior is cluttered and busy with lots of things to ... read the complete post