[click here to print this entry]
By: Max Olijnyk
Date: 12th May 08
Release: Compilation
To Cure: A quiet weekend
What:
Dear Art, Please Touch Me
When:
Sat May 24 - Sun June
Where:
The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, Fed Square
How much:
Free (you gotsta have a driver's license to hire audio tour equipment but that doesn't matter because you have an iPod, so you can download the podcast from this Thursday at Next Wave).
I used to think audio tours were lame. All those people smugly strolling around galleries, wearing headphones, getting told what to think. I prefer my own inner monologue, thank you very much - ‘Tired legs... hungry... what would happen if I touched that?'. When I finally gave one a try, I discovered they're actually quite enjoyable! It's like being able to remember what you ‘learnt' at art school, or walking around with one of your nice lecturers.
Dear Art, Please Touch Me, on the other hand, is more like rampaging through the NGV with a bunch of bad-ass imaginary friends. Artist Danielle Freakley's tour is constructed from audio fragments provided by characters as diverse as an angry virgin, an edgy toddler and a red-bearded sailor, all giving their honest opinions and gut reactions to some of the NGV's most significant works.
If you're the type who gets intimidated by the gallery setting, maybe this will release you from your shackles. Dear Art, Please Touch Me emphasises the utter subjectivity of art criticism and also the idea that serious art can be enjoyed by anyone. If you're the type of person who has a bunch of bad-ass imaginary friends, you might not need it.