“A friend of a friend of a friend” while enjoying the peace and quiet of the Sydney COVID lockdown, knitted these COVID inspired tea cosies. They are gorgeous if not a little scary!

Richard Bell is one of Australia’s most important contemporary artists. Activist, artist and political commentator, Bell uses humour, satire and word play to address issues around representation, place, identity politics, and the perceptions of Aboriginal art within a postcolonial history and framework. This major MCA exhibition reflects the artist’s early activism and strong connections with the Aboriginal community in Brisbane during the Bjelke-Petersen regime (1968–87), and his involvement in the Aboriginal community in Redfern, NSW. It also explores his relationship with key international figures of the Black Power in an ongoing collaboration with American artist Emory Douglas. https://www.mca.com.au/artists-works/exhibitions/richard-bell-you-can-go-now/

Born 1962, Wurundjeri/Boon Wurrung Country, Narrm. Lives and works between Gadigal Country, Sydney and Jerrinja Country, Currarong, NSW. Her practice encompasses collage, installation, event and performance. Projects are often collaborative and concerned with lineages of representation, politics and history. Some projects originate as political practices, others are picked up by cultural institutions. “Climate catastrophe is upon us. And yet, here we are, so far down the wrong road. Trumpeting a gas-led recovery. Watching wildlife disappear, forever. Still stealing stolen lands. Letting liars lie. Is it possible to imagine a way away from this precipice” Deborah Kelly https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMWhH75IFMY&t=4s

The approach to this gorgeous 100% Wood House began with uniting a timeless material with advanced technological construction. From the frame to the structural columns, to the platforms and façade, pieces were carefully prepared locally off-site before being seamlessly assembled onsite. Timber planks were digitally cut before lining the façade walls, and chestnut trunks that inform the column structures were prepared in a sawmill ten kilometres away before being installed on site. All of these were also purposely left untreated, adding another layer of life and narrative to the patchwork of different timber textures. https://www.yellowtrace.com.au/100-wood-house-in-amboise-france-by-local-suphasidh/

“I made this pot because I saw the fires on television and was sad. I was feeling lonely because all of the houses were burning and the animals, some died” Judith Inkamala joined the Hermannsburg Potters group in 1993 and immediately displayed a great aptitude for working with clay and underglaze decoration. Her pots reflect a predisposition for balanced, symmetrical objects, and reveal an accomplished hand in the craftsmanship. Judith is a senior member of the Hermannsburg Potters, and is an inspiring and respected cultural leader for her enduring commitment to the group and her community. https://hermannsburgpotters.com.au/artist/judith-inkamala-pungarta/

During the first wave of the coronavirus we saw of Teddy Bears everywhere. The new waves of community spirit, popping up around the country are gaggles of spoons, adorned with googly eyes, pipe-cleaner arms and feather hats. Creating these spoon villages or “Spoonvilles”is a lockdown craze for kids and adults alike. All you need to start one is some publicly accessible land, a sign reading “Spoonville” and a character or two. It’s then up to others in the neighbourhood to make their own cutlery and join the crowd. Seen in Mort Bay Park, Balmain.