visual-art

Blood flows through veins of challenging art exhibition

Blood: Attract & Repel explores why we're both attracted to and repulsed by blood — a liquid that fills our body but still makes people squirm.

So how do you feel about blood? Let's take a look at some of the featured works, in which art and science collide in curious and sometimes confronting ways.

Compass made from placenta

Art and metallurgy combine in this surprising artwork, where the blood of 69 women's placentas was used to forge the metal needle of this compass.

Giant Gromits inspire Christmas tree trail planned for Adelaide

Now Adelaide is about to join that illustrious list, with its own Christmas tree trail.

In a bid to bring festive fun to the Adelaide Riverbank and attract visitors near and far, Renewal SA has sought tenders for the $40,000 project.

The pitch?

To design and manufacture up to 30 Christmas tree sculptures.

Each should be at least 1.2 metres tall, but no more than 2.5 metres (which includes the tree and a stand).

They must be identical and have a surface colour and finish so they are effectively a 'blank canvas'.

Art that bears fruit

Sean Rafferty, aka the Cartonographer, began collecting the artwork on boxes after working in fruit and vegetable shops while studying.

His project Cartonography combines the art from cartons into a diorama, as a "cartongraph", and as interactive art that shows viewers where the produce comes from

It is part of Tastes Like Sunshine, an exhibition at the Museum of Brisbane which explores Queensland's food culture.

"It was a simmering interest that became a project and led to a more formal process of collecting the artwork on the boxes," Mr Rafferty said.

Rolf Harris likeness removed from Melbourne mural celebrating Australian icons

The 50-metre mural on the side of the historic Dimmeys building in the inner suburb of Richmond features dozens of portraits of famous Australians.

Dimmeys commissioned artist Hayden Dewar to paint the mural in 2003 in celebration of the department store's 150th anniversary.

Dewar said the disgraced entertainer's depiction in the mural had been on his mind since Harris was convicted of indecent assault in 2014.

Bollard art: What do Melburnians think of the city's 'boll-art'?

Adam Goodes once again face of anti-racism fight in Archibald Prize entry

Colour Doesn't Matter was painted by Darwin artist Megan Adams as a response to the racial abuse of her friend's Indigenous son, a Year 6 student.

"He's just the kindest, happy-go-lucky kid so it was really hard to see him so upset," Ms Adams said.

"Adam Goodes is a fantastic AFL player but he's also a great speaker, speaking against racism; the troubles he went through also related to experiences my friend's son had."

Artists live stream painting process to raise awareness of mental health

Anglicare's Arts&Mind project has seen six south-east Queensland artists living with mental health challenges document their painting process via a social media live stream.

Each artist is expected to complete a work over an eight-hour period.

Snapshots of their progress are then uploaded to billboards throughout the city every 30 minutes.

It is the first project of its kind to run in Australia.

Anglicare's Trina McLellan developed the live art project to refocus people's concepts of mental health.

The Second Lady of the United States on her passion for art therapy

As Second Lady she is making it her mission to promote the profession of art therapy.

"I may just have a short period of time to be a good steward in this position, and one of the things I'm very passionate about is art therapy," she said.

In an exclusive interview with the ABC, Ms Pence said she believed art therapy not only changed lives, but saved lives.

She said she had seen art therapy used effectively for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), for children with cancer, for children with autism who are nonverbal, and for trauma.

Bible stories told through Indigenous art

She reached adulthood before she started painting, watching the work of others as she developed her skills.

When she looks at her dot painting — in the rich colours of central Australia — a bright crucifix she has put in it gives her strength, she said.

"I painted the Last Supper, Christ sitting with his disciples."

More than 60 Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal artists have contributed to Our Mob, God's Story, a book just launched in Adelaide.

Selfie Conscious: Lens people went to for the perfect picture

An exhibition at the Museum of Brisbane shows the lengths people of the 1800s would go to when trying to capture an image of themselves that they wanted to share with the world.

Props, backdrops, costumes, animals and touch-ups were all used to create the perfect photo in the 19th century.

The exhibition — Sit. Pose. Snap. Brisbane Portrait Photography 1850-1950 — showcases more than 330 photos from one of Australia's most significant collectors of portrait photography, Marcel Safler.