About the Can’t Do Tomorrow Festival:

Between 20 and 29 of February 2020, we’ll be transforming the Facility, Kensington, into an outlandish Eden populated by a crowd more hedonistic than a 90s warehouse rave.

More than 100 artists, crews and collectives will descend on the Facility to display (and distribute) work in urban art disciplines as varied as: painting, murals, photography, stencil, sculpture, video, illustration and epic immersive installations.

We want to change the way you experience public space. To holler ourselves hoarse about Australia’s urban art scene and inspire (as well as invest in) a new generation of talent. Ultimately, we’re keen to question the very nature of art itself.

We don’t pretend to be custodians of the contemporary urban art scene. We’re a micro-movement inside a macro-movement. The underground grows, advances and develops with its own organic energy. We’re just here to provide the platform.

About Kaff-eine:

Kaff-eine is an established street and contemporary artist recognised for her illustrative freehand style, delicate linework, and quiet melancholic characters. She has painted public and private works in Australia, Germany, France, USA and the Philippines; had successful solo and group exhibitions, and illustrated two children’s books.

To celebrate LGBTQI identity and culture, Kaff-eine is creating Infinite Thanks, a collection of small paintings with images and  stories called ‘ex votos’, dedicated to rainbow deities. These will reflect the daily fears, needs, and aspirations of a range of rainbow folk. Kaff-eine will display these paintings inside a purpose-built shrine at the Can’t Do Tomorrow festival.

The post INTERVIEW: Zoe Paulsen, Festival Director & Kaff-eine, Artist on the Can’t Do Tomorrow Festival – On Now #ListenNOW appeared first on Driving You Mad, Driving You Crazy.

There’s also a free art talk entitled “New York Stories” – on Sat 6 Oct 11am – 1pm and you can book tickets by email to: communications@fortyfivedownstairs.com – Its a free event but bookings are essential as places are limited.

The exhibition details are below:

Award-winning artist Marco Luccio’s latest exhibition, Manhattan Dreaming, will open at Melbourne’s fortyfivedownstairs on the 25th of September. An astounding collection of paintings and drypoints, Manhattan Dreaming reveals an artist who, having achieved an enviable level of intimacy with his metropolitan muse, is now able to capture her lines, angles, moods and movement with a spontaneity bordering on instinct.

Luccio is constantly chasing and challenging his own boundaries, and there can be no doubt that exciting new ground has been broken with Manhattan Dreaming. The paintings in this collection—some of which span 6 feet in height or width—were all painted in situ, often amid heavy pedestrian traffic (and interest), in single sessions stretching up to seven hours. Scenes commenced in daylight are layered over to depict the night-time hours in which they were completed. The constantly changing features of scenes—both human and non—are captured in evocative hazes that suggest both their arrival and departure. The energy that went into producing these works is immediately palpable: they are, in a very real sense, exhilarating to view.

Complementing the canvas-grounded hustle and bustle are Luccio’s drypoints, which, eschewing the monumental bridges and buildings so recognisably Manhattan, have taken on the no less iconic scene of the New York City diner. Copper plates and tools in hand, these pieces were also created in situ by Luccio and delightfully capture the unabashed eccentricity and character of some of the city’s most legendary haunts.

Long-term followers of Marco Luccio’s work will find their appreciation of his expertise and artistry taken to a new level, while first-time viewers will have the fortune of being introduced to an artist who continues to bravely explore and expand, creating beautifully striking works of art in the process.

Images: photographed by Sina Basila

The post INTERVIEW: Marco Luccio on his latest exhibition “Manhattan Dreaming – Painting & Prints of New York” appeared first on Driving You Mad, Driving You Crazy.