OzAsia Festival

InDaily’s OzAsia picks for this week include Korean choreographer Eun-e Ahn’s work Dancing Grandmothers, which stars 10 professional dancers alongside 10 “everyday grandmothers” and contemporary play While I Was Waiting, which gives an insight into the lives of ordinary citizens caught up Syria’s brutal war. Also showing this weekend is The Guru of Chai, described by our reviewer as “a piece of unique theatrical genius” which tells the story of a poor tea-seller whose life is changed forever after he meets a homeless girl in a railway station. The popular Moon Lantern Parade returns tomorrow night at Elder Park, including roving performances, food trucks and fireworks. Running in conjunction with OzAsia is Mercury Cinema’s OzAsia Film Festival, which spotlights a collection of leading filmmakers. It includes a retrospective on Thai auteur Apichatpong Weerasethakul and a series of debuts by Asian female filmmakers. Read our top six OzAsia picks here, see all InDaily and CityMag‘s OzAsia stories (include film previews) here, and view the full OzAsia program here.

Tarnanthi

John Mawurndjul: I am the old and the new – installation view. Photo: Jessica Maurer

Tarnanthi Festival of Contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art is underway at the Art Gallery of South Australia, with this year’s festival focussing on a solo survey of works from master bark painter John Mawurndjul, from Maningrida in the Northern Territory. Developed and co-presented with the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), in association with Maningrida Arts & Culture, the exhibition – titled John Mawurndjul: I am the old and the new – includes more than 160 works, spanning 40 years of the artist’s practice. Mawurndjul’s expertise in the technique of rarrk – cross-hatching marks painted on bark – will be on display through a series of installations and painted works. The exhibition opens today and runs until January 28. Also on this weekend is the Tarnanthi Art Fair at Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, which offers buyers an opportunity to buy artwork directly from Aboriginal artists and arts centres from across Australia. The art fair starts today and ends on Sunday.

Fleurieu Folk Festival

Folk singer Ami Williamson. Photo: Anna Warr

Starting today in Willunga, the Fleurieu Folk Festival is promising a weekend of folk, Celtic, blues, roots and bluegrass tunes. This year’s headline acts include singer-songwriter Ami Williamson (daughter of country music star John Williamson), and ABC television presenter and folk singer Mike McClellan. Other highlights include the Chris Finnen Electric Band, Siobhan Owen, Akoustic Odyssey, The Bobby Digger Band, and Courtney Robb & Snooks La Vie. Festival-goers are encouraged to bring their own instruments to perform for an open mic session at Café AcousticA or partake in poetry reading at the Poetry Forum. The festival also features dance performances, music workshops, children’s entertainment and market stalls. 

Lines by Theatre Republic

Recently launched Adelaide theatre company Republic Theatre is presenting its debut production Lines at the Bakehouse Theatre . Written by Pamela Carter and originally produced by The Yard Theatre in London, Lines tells the story of four young men from socially and educationally disadvantaged backgrounds who, in their search for sense of purpose and identity, join the army. Theatre Republic artistic director Corey McMahon describes the play as a “bang up-to-date, political, provocative” work that raises questions about toxic masculinity, war and identity. Read about Theatre Republic in this InDaily story. Performances end on November 10.

Prospect Spring Fair

Max Savage and the False Idols will perform at Prospect Spring Fair this weekend. Photo: Johnny von Einem

Local musicians Max Savage and the False Idols, Jesse Davidson, Adelaide Afrobeat Collective and Lost Romaldo Groove will be entertaining crowds at Broadview Oval for the Prospect Spring Fair tomorrow. The dog-friendly event also features come-and-try yoga, African dance and cheerleading, as well as dog racing, a car boot sale, pop-up bars, an art and craft market and sports matches. The City of Prospect is running a free shuttle bus connecting Prospect Town Hall to the oval, with services running from 8am. Entry is free.

Wish You Were Here! 

Deidre But Husaim, Swarm.

The Adelaide Central School of Art is hosting its annual fundraising exhibition Wish You Were Here! at the school’s Glenside studios from tomorrow. The exhibition features postcard-sized works donated by local and interstate artists, which are available for purchase for $80 each. The works are signed on the reverse so the identity of the artist is revealed only after the purchase. Wish You Were Here! runs until November 16.