Abdul Abdullah

Welcome to the 38th guest blog post of Time Out Sydney's 52 Weeks of #SydCulture 2017 challenge! September’s culture selector is Abdul Abdullah, a four-time Archibald Prize finalist and photomedia artist, and co-host of FBi Radio’s Canvas program. Every week in September, Abdul will be telling us what he loved the week before. Think of it as your recommendations for this week, from someone who sees a helluva lot of arts and culture. Over to him. Ya habibi, It is with a tear in my eye and a heavy heart, my dear lovers, that I write to you today. My pen quivers on the page and spittle shoots from between chattering teeth as a pearl of mucus blossoms from my nostril. I choke back a guttural groan that only comes from the agony of loss: this, lovers, will be my final blog post before the baton is passed on to the next soldier of fortune. But rest assured, this is not a break up, but merely a break. After all, I am going to be travelling, and I’m sure you want to read other people. Really it’s me not wanting to hold you back. We live in challenging times – for dates. There is so much pressure. In Perth where I am from, we’d go to the one bar, order how many drinks you’d want (there is only one kind), and after a traditional dance ritual where singles would sway to Tame Impala, or Pond, people would pair up and head back to their respective share houses. It was a simpler time. Here in the big smoke there is the expectation of activities. Lucky for you ladies, gents and everybody e

Welcome to the 37th guest blog post of Time Out Sydney's 52 Weeks of #SydCulture 2017 challenge! September’s culture selector is Abdul Abdullah, a four-time Archibald Prize finalist and photomedia artist, and co-host of FBi Radio’s Canvas program. Every week in September, Abdul will be telling us what he loved the week before. Think of it as your recommendations for this week, from someone who sees a helluva lot of arts and culture. Over to him. Dear diary, There is so much emphasis on young love and first dates, but what about the dates a few years deep into a relationship? What about the older set? What if you have kids? People with kids love dates. Say you’re at a stage in the relationship where you’re comfortable in long contemplative, silences. Say you think Freda’s is too loud and too dark. Say the idea of jumping from place to place just sounds tiring, and you’d rather luxuriate in the high-ceilinged, air-conditioned comfort of a state institution. Well, the Art Gallery of New South Wales is the place for you. Photograph: Felicity Jenkins (c) AGNSW   Step on out of that September sun, check your bags at the cloakroom by the door, give a knowing wink to the security as you pass them, and saunter into the palatial surrounds of our state gallery. To the right you’ll find the ‘classic’ collection of paintings of white people, by white people, for white people. Bloody classic (smiley faces emoji with sunglasses). My favourite painting of white people in this section is ‘T

Welcome to the 36th guest blog post of Time Out Sydney's 52 Weeks of #SydCulture 2017 challenge! September’s culture selector is Abdul Abdullah, a four-time Archibald Prize finalist and photomedia artist, and co-host of FBi Radio’s Canvas program. Every week in September, Abdul will be telling us what he loved the week before. Think of it as your recommendations for this week, from someone who sees a helluva lot of arts and culture. Over to him. Dear lovers, The sun is out, love is in the air, it’s dating season. But what if you’re like me and you can’t swim and you’re allergic to grasses? Worry not friend, these date ideas have you covered.   Gemma Smith – Radiant Greige, installation view Sarah Cottier Gallery, Sydney Image courtesy Sarah Cottier Gallery     Idea 1: the Paddington gallery circuit. Maybe your first date was ok, but you let slip you didn’t know if haloumi was a cheese or a meat, and you think they might think you’re stupid. It happens to the best of us. Take your date for a walk down Hampden Street in the fancy end of town. Start with Martin Browne Contemporary: two storeys of exhibition space, currently showing A.J. Taylor and Sue Ryan. A little way up the street, on the corner of Roylston Street under the shade of a big Moreton Bay fig tree, is Sarah Cottier Gallery, which is currently showing a new body of work by painter Gemma Smith. Taking your date here will prove you’re not stupid. Pro tip: Use words like ‘subtle’ and ‘gesture’, and say ‘hue’ instea

Welcome to the 35th guest blog post of Time Out Sydney's 52 Weeks of #SydCulture 2017 challenge! September’s culture selector is Abdul Abdullah, a four-time Archibald Prize finalist and photomedia artist, and co-host of FBi Radio’s Canvas arts program. Every week in September, Abdul will be telling us what he loved the week before. Think of it as your recommendations for this week, from someone who sees a helluva lot of arts and culture. Over to him. Dear diary, Spring is hectic. The end of August going into September is just about the busiest period for Art stuff. There is heaps of shit on. You wanna go on them dates? I got sweet date ideas. First off you’ve got Primavera. This is an annual show at the Museum of Contemporary Art of a guest curator’s pick of Australian artists under 35. This year Sophia Kouyoumdjian has curated some real guns in the mix like Nicole Foreshew, Tom Polo and Jacobus Capone. They are all good actually. The MCA is in Circular Quay too, so if your date is from out of town you can impress them by making up things about the Opera House. Date question/conversation ideas: “Do you like this painting?” “What do you think the artist is getting at?” “What is your favourite colour?”   Tom Polo 'In a Part of Your Mind, I Am You' (2017) installation view at MCA Photograph: Jessica Maurer     Last weekend was the annual Firstdraft Fundraiser (you missed it, but you can go next year). This was a good place to take dates or find dates. If you want good art vibe