If you're dreaming a dream and can hear the people sing, here's an exhibition for you: presented at UNSW's Kudos Gallery, Les Misérables '18 is a show loosely inspired by Victor Hugo's novel and the smash hit Boublil and Schönberg musical. Not that any of the works actually feature characters or stories from Les Misérables, but its spirit of (failed) rebellion brought to life through heightened, musical melodrama is at the core of this exhibition.
The theme spun out of a conversation between curators Luke Letourneau and Katy B Plummer. Plummer had long been a fan of the musical and had spent her childhood singing along to the cast recording. Letorneau had no relationship with the musical, but the pair started thinking about the way it framed history, and how our culture remembers the past.
Most of the exhibition is video-based, but there's also some sculpture, photography and an installation that will take over the gallery's stage.
The line-up is a mix of leading Sydney contemporary artists and rising stars, with pieces by: Liam Benson x Cassandra Bird, Dean Cross, Beth Dillon, Heidi Lefebvre, Daniel Mudie Cunningham, Luke O'Connor x George Haddad, Katy B Plummer, Em Size, Marcia Swaby, Alex Tanazefti, Athena Thebus, Amanda Wolf and Zoe Wong.