UPDATE, June 28: As of June 26, the Greater Sydney region including the Central Coast, the Blue Mountains and Wollongong is under a compulsory two-week lockdown until 11.59pm on July 9. Many events in Sydney have therefore been cancelled or postponed until after this period.
Oh starry, starry night – we have been utterly transfixed by the blinding glow of lush exhibition Lumen. Currently on show at White Rabbit Gallery until August 1, if you haven’t had a looksee as yet, then prepare to be dazzled. The magnetic collection brings together glimmering works from more than 25 artists from China and Taiwan.
We particularly love the work of collective LuxuryLogico, they fuse music, theatre, dance, film, architecture, installation and technology into their practice. Their mesmerising installation ‘Miniature’ corrals a starfield of LED lights into a large scale pendant work that transfixes you with its cellestial beauty. They also field the flickering awe of ‘Solar’, mimicking the interstellar eruption of solar flares on the surface of the sun via 300 donated desk lamps converted with low-energy bulbs.
Elsewhere, Dai Hua’s ‘Chinese Dream’ presents a wearable lightbox parodying the national flag, utilising bold colours and typeface. The exhibition also explores the evolution of AI though digital artist Wei Wei’s interactive ‘Mood Machine’. It harnesses a Tesla coil’s arcing lighting to spark a wide range of emotional responses. Wei collaborated with musician Jia Di Wang on eight accompanying audio pieces. All this and so much more makes Lumen a positively glowing experience. At a time that could easily be defined by darkness, the artists look to the light, offering an enduring sense of optimism.
A word to the wise: the lines outside the gallery can get rather long with current capacity restrictions, so arrive early (even before the doors open at 10am) or be prepared to wait.