Unwrapping art (and other stuff) with Jonathan Cooper ★ Disvolvi arton (kaj aliaj aferoj) kun Jonathan Cooper
I recently opened a wonderful exhibition of a great Australian artist and teacher, Robin Norling. It’s on at Gosford Regional Gallery, until 17 May 2015. I also wrote the short catalogue essay, The art of Robin Norling: delight… and shadow. Esperanto: Mi ĵus malfermis mirindan ekspozicion de grava aŭstralia artisto kaj instruisto, Robin Norling. Ĝi … Read more
Many years ago, when I worked for the Art Gallery of New South Wales, I ran a travelling art service called “Onsight”*. I took art exhibitions to people for whom a visit to the Gallery would be difficult or impossible, for example, to prisons, hospitals and nursing homes. One day, I visited a nursing home … Read more
Over the next few months I will be introducing three art-related films at Avoca Beach Picture Theatre with three different 20-minute talks on art appreciation: Monday, 2 March, 11.30am: A girl with a pearl earring and other treasures from the Mauritshuis Museum Netherlands My talk will focus on the paintings of Vermeer and other artists … Read more
A book called Lingo: A language spotter’s guide to Europe has recently been published. Chapter 51 is titled “The no-hoper: Esperanto”. As has already been reported, it has received some flak from Esperantists. Here is my open letter to its author, Gaston Dorren: Dear Mr Dorren, I know you have received a number of messages … Read more
By Jhomart and Natasha Here is a literal translation of the lyrics: (See the lyrics as sung, in Esperanto) On this earth grasses murmur In the sky the clouds gather I am a tiny cloud, too Me too… (x 3) And I don’t strive anywhere I no longer need anything Just to see my family … Read more
In recent versions of Mac OS (at least since 10.5), you can type the accented letters of Esperanto very easily, without downloading anything or using a website, as long as the language of your system is English. To prepare your computer (required only once): 1. Open “System Preferences…” from the Apple menu. 2. Click on … Read more
I create a work of ‘art’ by tipping a box of junk upside-down in an art museum. If I left it there and came back a day later, do you think it’d still be there? Why not? Who would have taken it away? No, not the director, nor the curators… but the cleaners! The cleaners … Read more
Narrator: Once upon a time in China there was a skilful painter in ink, especially famous for his depictions of flowers, which were sold for very high prices. He had a friend. One day the artist and his friend were talking. Painter: You’ve been a great friend to me for many years. I‘m going to … Read more
On 21 August 2014, the Sydney Morning Herald published an article in its Traveller section: ‘Boring, pricey and crowded: 17 reasons why I hate museums’. (It was based on a slightly longer article from the Telegraph, London.) This response is in the form of an open letter to its author, Oliver Smith: Dear Mr Smith, … Read more
I just remembered an exhibition I created on the My Gallery section of the Christchurch Art Gallery website a few years back: Space Here’s the introduction: Artists use various techniques to describe, or give the illusion of, three-dimensional space. Artists also sometimes deliberately try to deny the illusion of space. This set of artworks gives … Read more