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Rare, unseen Beatles pics released ahead of landmark exhibition

<p dir="ltr">On Thursday, The UK's National Portrait Gallery unveiled five photos from Paul McCartney’s personal archives, teasing a series of unseen photographs of Beatlemania through his own eyes.</p> <p dir="ltr">The exhibition, "Paul McCartney Photographs 1963-64: Eyes Of The Storm”, will run for three months from the 28th of June and is set to showcase what McCartney calls a "humbling yet also astonishing" experience.</p> <p dir="ltr">McCartney approached the gallery in 2020, after stumbling across the images taken on his Pentax camera, which he thought were lost.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Looking at these photos now, decades after they were taken, I find there's a sort of innocence about them," he said..</p> <p dir="ltr">"Everything was new to us at this point. But I like to think I wouldn't take them any differently today.</p> <p dir="ltr">"They now bring back so many stories, a flood of special memories, which is one of the many reasons I love them all, and know that they will always fire my imagination," he added.</p> <p dir="ltr">The images include black-and-white self-portraits shot in a mirror in Paris, John Lennon also in the City of Love, George Harrison in Miami Beach, and Ringo Starr in London.</p> <p dir="ltr">These are five out of the 250 images shot by McCartney between November 1963 and February 1964, and the exhibition will feature in the London gallery's reopening after three years of refurbishments.</p> <p dir="ltr">An accompanying book of photographs and reflections will also be published on June 13.</p> <p dir="ltr">Click <a href="https://uk.news.yahoo.com/unseen-mccartney-photos-beatles-early-230100596.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a> to see the five recently released images.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: 1964 Paul McCartney / National Portrait Gallery</em></p>

Art

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Clothes women wanted to wear: a new exhibition explores how Carla Zampatti saw her designs as a tracker of feminism

<p>The late Carla Zampatti is celebrated in a splendid retrospective Zampatti Powerhouse at the Powerhouse Museum. Planned well before the fashion designer’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-carla-zampatti-pioneered-wearable-yet-cosmopolitan-clothes-for-women-and-became-a-fashion-icon-158377">untimely death</a> last year, the unveiling of her legacy will be bittersweet to her many fans. </p> <p>Zampatti is often referred to as “Carla” by friends and those who worked for her, rather than her brand name, Carla Zampatti. Here, the simple name “Zampatti” removes the emphasis from Zampatti as designer to a simpler assertion: businesswoman, mother, philanthropist-entrepreneur. </p> <p>It is a move as deft and elegant as the rest of the exhibition choices. </p> <p>In one of the best-looking fashion exhibition designs Australia has seen, creative director Tony Assness serves up a dynamic vision of clothes punctuated by a vibrant red (one of Zampatti’s favourite design choices) that encourages excitement and discovery. Clothes are arranged by themes – jumpsuit, jungle, graphic, blouson, power – rather than date.</p> <p>Curator Roger Leong leverages his years of experience to do a relatively new thing for Australian museums: tell the stories of clothes through the stories of women who wore them.</p> <h2>A migrant story</h2> <p>Zampatti’s story is an Australian migrant story. Born Maria Zampatti in Italy in 1938 (not 1942, as is often believed), she did not meet her father, who had migrated to Fremantle, until she was 11. </p> <p>In Australia, she was forced to change her name to Mary. It was claimed the other kids could not pronounce Maria. She did not finish school. When she moved to Sydney in her late 20s, she reinvented herself as Carla.</p> <p>The fashion business started on a kitchen table in 1965 under the label ZamPAtti. By 1970, Carla had bought out her business partner husband, and was sole owner of Carla Zampatti Pty Ltd. </p> <p>Zampatti flourished in fashion. She had a finger on the pulse, was in the right place at the right time, and knew a more glamorous role was possible for a fashion designer than the industry “rag trader”.</p> <p>In the 1970s, the markets suggested that the ultra-expensive haute couture was about to disappear, to be replaced by informal ranges created by a new type of designer often called a “stylist”. It was the decade of flower power, retro dressing and ethnic borrowings.</p> <p>Until the 1960s, fashion had been dominated by the rise of haute couture and the “dictator-designer” system – mainly men who determined hem lengths and silhouettes for women. But in 1973, the French body governing high fashion added a new layer of designers, créateurs (literally “creators” or designers), who produced only ready-to-wear. </p> <p>In 1972 Zampatti opened her first Sydney boutique, inspired by informal shops she had seen in St Tropez. Zampatti offered women bright jumpsuits, art deco looks and peasant-inspired ease.</p> <p>She aimed to provide women clothes they wanted to wear. She draped the cloth and colours on herself. Like many women designers historically, she was alert to how her clothes made women customers look and feel. Zampatti remained the fit model for the whole range and would not produce anything in which she did not look and feel well. </p> <p>Zampatti saw her “clothes as a tracker of feminism”.</p> <p>The 1980s cemented Zampatti’s rise to prominence. She became a household name, even designing a car for women. In this time, personal expression became more important than unified looks dictated by designers. Zampatti’s Australian designing coincided with a new development in Italy: the stylisti. Small, focused family businesses alert to the zeitgeist and understanding quality flourished. It was an approach that emphasised quality and glamour. </p> <p>Zampatti identified talent. She employed well-known couturier Beril Jents on the shop floor after she had fallen on hard times. She then employed Jents to improve the cut of her designs. </p> <p>Zampatti continued to embrace the services of stylists and other designers including Romance was Born, whom she recognised could take her work to the next level.</p> <h2>The stories of clothes</h2> <p>Worn equally by politicians and their circles on the right and the left, Zampatti injected more than power dressing into women’s wardrobes. She inspired a sense that women wore the clothes, not the clothes them. </p> <p>In this exhibition we are given many examples, from Linda Burney’s red pantsuit worn for her parliamentary portrait to a gown worn by Jennifer Morrison to the White House.</p> <p>The exhibition viewer can turn from serried ranks of brilliantly styled mannequins and enter large “listening pods”, screening brilliantly edited videos in the manner of artist Bill Viola. The women, who include Dame Quentin Bryce and Ita Buttrose, discuss the creative mind of Zampatti or reflect on their own Zampatti wardrobe. They are amongst the best such “talking heads” I have seen in a museum.</p> <p>Like many designers, Zampatti was not that interested in her own past. She did not keep substantial archives and records, which is a testament to the skills demonstrated by the museum in bringing us this show. </p> <p>Zampatti never turned her back on her personal story, but she was a futurist, one who looked forward rather than backward.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/clothes-women-wanted-to-wear-a-new-exhibition-explores-how-carla-zampatti-saw-her-designs-as-a-tracker-of-feminism-194040" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

Beauty & Style

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Steve Martin discusses his love for Indigenous Australian art

<p dir="ltr">Comedian and actor Steve Martin has long been an avid art lover and collector. </p> <p dir="ltr">After making onto ARTnews Top 200 Collectors list several times in the 1990s, he has recently turned his attention to Indigenous Australian art and its deep cultural history. </p> <p dir="ltr">With his wife Anne Stringfield, he’s bought works by Indigenous artists such as Bill Whiskey Tjapaltjarri, Timo Hogan, Carlene West, Warlimpirrnga Tjapaltjarri, and Doreen Reid Nakamarra, among many others.</p> <p dir="ltr">His love for these works began almost 10 years ago, as he shared with <a href="https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/actor-steve-martin-on-the-joys-and-the-difficulties-of-collecting-contemporary-indigenous-australian-art-1234644806/">ARTnews</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">He said, “It all started with one picture by this artist, Warlimpirrnga Tjapaltjarri. I just really liked it, bought it, and hung it in our house for several years. I really didn’t know that there was a whole big funnel going back this way of its history.” </p> <p dir="ltr">“I hadn’t really seen anything like this before. And they were available, which is an aspect of the art world now that is the opposite—most things are unavailable. And I loved them. I thought they were great.”</p> <p dir="ltr">He said his collection, which includes over a hundred works, is “hard to improve” when dealing with art pieces that are increasingly rare. </p> <p dir="ltr">Some of the works he owns have been displayed in non-selling shows at Gagosian locations in New York and Beverly Hills, California, with Steve saying he “loves just getting these pictures seen” by like-minded art fans. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Art

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Russian guard sentenced after doodling eyes on exhibit painting

<p dir="ltr">A Russian security guard has been found guilty of vandalism after doodling eyes on an abstract painting by avant-garde artist Anna Leporskaya last December.</p> <p dir="ltr">According to the <a href="https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2022/08/29/russian-museum-guard-yeltsin-centre-doodles-sentenced">Art Newspaper</a>, he must serve 180 hours of “compulsory labour” and undergo “psychiatric evaluation”.</p> <p dir="ltr">The painting, titled <em>Three Figures</em> (1932–34), was on loan to the Yeltsin Centre from Moscow’s State Tretyakov Gallery and valued at 75 million rubles (US$1.2 million).</p> <p dir="ltr">News of the vandalism broke when visitors alerted gallery staff of two crude eyes drawn on the painting’s faceless figures in a ballpoint pen. </p> <p dir="ltr">A police investigation revealed the culprit was 64-year-old Aleksandr Vasiliev, a security guard employed by a private company who was on his first day on the job. </p> <p dir="ltr">After the damage was deemed “insignificant”, it was restored and has since been returned to the Tretyakov Gallery. </p> <p dir="ltr">Vasiliev’s lawyer, Aleskei Bushmakov, shared a letter on his Facebook page that he sent to Zelfira Tregulova, the general director of the Tretyakov Gallery.</p> <p dir="ltr">He wrote that “taking into account the circumstances of the criminal case, the damage inflicted to the painting <em>Three Figures</em>” and “the high level of public attention in connection with the incident,” the museum considered closing the case “via reconciliation” but ultimately decided that it “does not regard it as possible to take such an appeal to the magistrate.”</p> <p dir="ltr">In an interview with Russian news site E1, Vasiliev said he believed the 20th-century work by Leporskaya was a “children’s drawing” and claimed he was goaded by teenagers to deface it.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’m a fool, what have I done,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: State Tretyakov Gallery / The Art Newspaper Russia</em></p>

Art

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Galleries continue to erase women artists in their blockbuster exhibitions

<p>The National Gallery recently <a href="https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/about-us/press-and-media/press-releases/after-impressionism">announced</a> its summer 2023 exhibition, After Impressionism, claiming the show will celebrate the “towering achievements of Cezanne, Van Gogh, Gaugin and Rodin” among others. The <a href="https://twitter.com/NationalGallery/status/1528729976542986242">response on social media</a> to this announcement was largely, “where are the women?”</p> <p>Some on Twitter offered suggestions of women who should be included in the exhibition, including Suzanne Valadon, Paula Modersohn-Becker, Gabriele Münter and Sonia Delaunay, to name just a few. The National Gallery <a href="https://twitter.com/NationalGallery/status/1529758889150930944">tweeted</a> the same text to several of these replies: “We have announced a small number of confirmed loans to the exhibition. This includes Camille Claudel’s Imploration. We will share more loans, including major works by women artists, closer to the opening.” </p> <p>While it remains to be seen what these works will be, it is clear they are not considered integral to the show, or a significant draw for the public, by the gallery. If they were, they would have been mentioned front and centre in the press release. </p> <p>That was accompanied by an image of Cezanne’s <a href="https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/paul-cezanne-bathers-les-grandes-baigneuses">Bathers (Les Grandes Baigneuses)</a>, which depicts a group of nude women. Clearly in 2022, the easiest way for a woman to get on to the walls of the National Gallery is <a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/guerrilla-girls-do-women-have-to-be-naked-to-get-into-the-met-museum-p78793">still</a> by being nude.</p> <p>The National Gallery is somewhat of an outlier among global museums in its continued failure to broaden the narratives it tells through its collection and exhibitions. But its focus on extremely well-known white male artists demonstrates what it considers to be innovative and important – and therefore what it does not. </p> <h2>When women have been blockbusters</h2> <p>The expectation that “blockbuster” shows be about household-name artists is a vicious cycle – artists cannot become household names if they’re not included in big exhibitions. The lack of women in traditional art historical scholarship has led to the belief that there simply weren’t many, or indeed any, important women artists working in Europe in this period, which is entirely false – as the backlash on Twitter highlighted. Yet museums still seem unable to recover them into the canon.</p> <p>The idea that only household names sell tickets has also been repeatedly debunked over the past decade. The best example is New York’s Guggenheim Museum’s 2018 <a href="https://www.guggenheim.org/exhibition/hilma-af-klint">exhibition</a> of the works of Swedish artist Hilma af Klint, the first major retrospective of the artist’s works in the US – and the first time most people attending the show had seen or heard of her. The exhibition became the museum’s <a href="https://news.artnet.com/art-world/hilma-af-klint-breaks-records-guggenheim-1522192?utm_content=buffer3ce14&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=facebook.com&amp;utm_campaign=news">best-attended show ever</a>.</p> <p>The National Portrait Gallery’s 2019-20 show <a href="https://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/pre-raphaelite-sisters/exhibition/">Pre-Raphelite Sisters</a> and Madrid’s Museo del Prado’s 2020-21 show <a href="https://www.museodelprado.es/en/whats-on/exhibition/uninvited-guests-episodes-on-women-ideology-and/197d4831-41f1-414d-dbdf-5ffd7be4cc3f">Uninvited Guests: Episodes on Women, Ideology and the Visual Arts in Spain (1833-1931)</a> both foregrounded women in traditionally male art movements and periods. </p> <p>Both were the recipients of <a href="https://www.frieze.com/article/pre-raphaelite-sisters-national-portrait-gallery-review-ode-sisterly-solidarity">some</a> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/19/prados-first-post-lockdown-show-reignites-debate-over-misogyny">criticism</a>, largely arguing that the curators had not gone far enough in centring work actually made by women, rather than simply depicting them. Both shows, however, represent steps towards imagining new methods of disrupting traditional art history narratives. </p> <h2>Still woefully underrepresented in permanent collections</h2> <p>In the autumn and winter of 2020, the National Gallery hosted its first exhibition headlining a female artist. It was a retrospective of the works of the remarkable Renaissance artist <a href="https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/exhibitions/past/artemisia">Artemisia Gentileschi</a>, one of the few women whose work is held in the gallery’s permanent collection. </p> <p>Women artists are woefully underrepresented in the permanent collections of major museums around the world – these are the works of art that are owned by museums and hung on the walls year-round, not just during special exhibitions.</p> <p>The National Gallery, which boasts a collection of more than 2,000 works, owns only <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2019/jan/31/female-artists-are-finally-in-our-galleries-lets-keep-them-there">24 works</a> by women, representing just <a href="https://artuk.org/discover/stories/the-eight-women-artists-of-the-national-gallery">eight</a> women artists. While this ratio is remarkably bad, the National Gallery is not alone in having a profound imbalance. </p> <p>The arts publications Artnet and arts podcast In Other Words partnered in 2019 to <a href="https://news.artnet.com/womens-place-in-the-art-world/visualizing-the-numbers-see-infographics-1654084">analyse</a> the representation of women in the collections of American museums. They found that between 2008 and 2018, just 14% of work in museum exhibitions was by women and just 11% of museum acquisitions were works by women. These acquisitions and exhibitions are heavily skewed towards modern and contemporary art. </p> <p>Women artists working before 1900 are far less represented in museum collections. In some cases, their works are in smaller museums or in private collections and, in others, they are untraced or lost. This makes including their work in exhibitions more difficult because it can be harder to find.</p> <p>Yet despite the fact that women’s work has been less reliably preserved throughout history, a great deal of it still exists. Museums that hide behind the excuse of a “lack” of work by women are perpetuating a lie that has been debunked by innumerable feminist art historians since Linda Nochlin’s famous 1971 essay, <a href="https://www.artnews.com/art-news/retrospective/why-have-there-been-no-great-women-artists-4201/">Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?</a></p> <p>Writing in 2015, art historian Griselda Pollock <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-national-gallery-is-erasing-women-from-the-history-of-art-42505">explained</a> evidence of women artists is “there in black and white” in exhibition and sales records in the 19th century. “This is the primary evidence. It cannot be contradicted. But it has been consistently ignored by 20th-century art historians and 21st-century museum curators.”</p> <p>The National Gallery’s continued reliance on outdated art history is a failure of its duty as a steward of the British public’s art collection. Museums, particularly those like the National Gallery which receive significant public funds, have the responsibility to accurately communicate the history and relevance of the objects they own. They should also continue to innovate and respond to cultural changes. </p> <p>A museum whose collection is less than 1% female is hardly representative of a country whose population is 50% female. Nor is it representative of a history of art which, while still not offering equal opportunities for men and women, certainly fostered an abundance of pioneering women artists.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/galleries-continue-to-erase-women-artists-in-their-blockbuster-exhibitions-184988" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

Art

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New Air NZ exhibit celebrates Māori culture

<p dir="ltr">A new exhibition promises to take visitors through the skies of New Zealand by combining virtual reality with the real world.</p> <p dir="ltr">The exhibition, launched by Air New Zealand, sees a virtual version of Pou Tikanga, Pou Pūrākau (cultural leader, storyteller) Joe Harawira take guests through the story of Matariki, the celebration of the Māori new year.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Attendees will board the waka rererangi (canoe in the sky) to visit the Guardians Tanē Mahuta (forest), Tangaroa (sea), Papatūānuku (land), and Ranginui (sky) to experience the Matariki story, all without moving an inch,” Air New Zealand Senior Cultural Development Manager Jahmaine Cummings-Hodge said in a <a href="https://www.airnewzealand.com.au/join-araraurangi-air-new-zealand-in-the-waka-rererangi-for-a-matariki-journey" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">"A full 3D virtual version of Joe has been created which appears in the experience at a human scale. We have also replicated the carved waka in its entirety digitally using similar techniques, mimicking intricate carvings and textures."</p> <p dir="ltr">A combination of facial motion capture, photogrammetry, and scanning techniques was used to bring the virtual versions of Joe and the waka to life, which can be viewed using Magic Leap headsets.</p> <p dir="ltr">The technology used by Magic Leap layers digital objects onto the real world, meaning that light enters the eye just like it would if a real object were being viewed.</p> <p dir="ltr">The virtual reality experience comes after the airline worked with Harawira for a new safety video celebrating Māori culture, released in May this year, and as part of the company’s efforts to support te ao Māori (the Māori worldview).</p> <p dir="ltr">"As the national carrier, Air New Zealand has a responsibility to demonstrate an authentic and holistic support of Māori culture,” Cummings-Hodge said.</p> <p dir="ltr">The experience, launched at the Canterbury Museum on June 18-19, will be live at Te Puia in Rotorua from June 22.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-73e10ed5-7fff-2715-1fe5-c9fa598026d9"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: @canterburymuseum (Instagram)</em></p>

Domestic Travel

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Salvador Dali exhibition heads to New Zealand

<p dir="ltr">The works of surrealist artist Salvador Dali are the subject of a new multimedia exhibition headed for Auckland and Christchurch that promises to wow art connoisseurs and first-timers alike.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-9847cd07-7fff-bb62-5654-0c315ef447f7">Inside Dali comes from the same team behind last year’s Van Gogh Alive exhibition which has appeared in capital cities across New Zealand and Australia over the past year, per <em><a href="https://concreteplayground.com/auckland/arts-entertainment/a-breathtaking-multimedia-exhibition-of-salvadore-dalis-work-is-coming-to-new-zealand-this-year-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Concrete Playground</a></em>.</span></p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cb_QyP0P_cQ/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cb_QyP0P_cQ/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Inside Dalí NZ (@insidedalinz)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">The exhibition, which comes directly from its current home in Florence, promises to take visitors on a chronological trip through Dali’s life through floor-to-ceiling moving images, real-life objects, and interviews.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-cbe122c3-7fff-d3fa-5a2e-627878e5106a"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">There are five rooms to explore, including the celebration of Dante’s Inferno in the Divine Comedy Room with 100 colourful wooden engravings of the epic poem, and a surreal 360-degree mirror room where you’ll be surrounded by moving imagery of his masterpieces.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cb8fMVkLClF/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cb8fMVkLClF/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Inside Dalí NZ (@insidedalinz)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">The exhibit is expected to <a href="https://blog.ticketmaster.co.nz/arts-attractions/inside-dali-new-zealand-3011" target="_blank" rel="noopener">open</a> first in Auckland from May 28 until June 30, before it takes up residence at the Air Force Museum of New Zealand in Christchurch from July 11.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-783a0a79-7fff-f03a-ff4e-376cdf0b7264"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Ticketmaster</em></p>

Domestic Travel

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British Museum unveils female spiritual beings exhibit

<p dir="ltr">A unique exhibition is set to open at the British Museum later this year that celebrates how femininity has been perceived across the globe through history. </p> <p dir="ltr">The exhibit, titled <em>Feminine power: the divine to the demonic</em>, is the first of its kind to be showcased in the British museum. </p> <p dir="ltr">The figures on display range from a Hindu goddess considered the master of death, to a magical Greek enchantress, as the exhibit explores women in both world belief and mythological traditions. </p> <p dir="ltr">The exhibition includes representations of Lilieth, a character from Jewish mythology thought to be the first wife of Adam and later the consort of Satan, as well as Guanyin, the Chinese goddess of mercy.  </p> <p dir="ltr">The idea behind the exhibit is to bring together ancient sculptures, sacred artefacts and contemporary art from six continents to explore how femininity has been portrayed, and how it influenced the way we view women and their power today. </p> <p dir="ltr">For the first time, the British Museum has invited special guest contributors to respond to the themes in the exhibition, sharing their personal and professional viewpoints.</p> <p dir="ltr">The special guests include doctors, professors, activists, authors, lawyers and former members of the British Army, who will share their own stories of feminism, and how they have fought for the rights of women. </p> <p dir="ltr">Muriel Gray, Deputy Chair of Trustees of the British Museum, said, “The Citi exhibition <em>Feminine power: the divine to the demonic</em> is brimming with magic, wisdom, fury and passion.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“I am very proud that through the breadth and depth of the British Museum's collection, alongside special loans, we can tell such powerful and universal stories of faith and femininity from the most ancient cultures to living traditions around the world.</p> <p dir="ltr">Following the display at the British Museum, the exhibition will be seen internationally, starting at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: The Trustees of the British Museum</em></p>

Art

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Prince Charles holds largest exhibit of his watercolours to date

<p dir="ltr">The largest ever exhibition of artworks created by Prince Charles has opened at the Garrison Chapel in Chelsea Barracks, a recently restored chapel in a converted army barracks in London’s Belgravia district.</p> <p dir="ltr">A painting enthusiast, Prince Charles has extolled the benefits of art, saying it “transports me to another dimension”, that painting is "one of the most relaxing and therapeutic exercises I know," and that it "refreshes parts of the soul which other activities can't reach."</p> <p dir="ltr">The exhibition contains 79 of the prince’s paintings of landscapes of the French countryside, the Scottish Highlands, and Tanzania, which is one of Charles’ favourite places to paint. He regularly paints the family’s estates, including Balmoral Castle and Sandringham House, and has also produced works depicting Turkey, Nepal, and the Swiss Alps.</p> <p dir="ltr">As for why he started painting, Charles said, "I took up painting entirely because I found photography less than satisfying. Quite simply, I experienced an overwhelming urge to express what I saw through the medium of watercolor and to convey that almost 'inner' sense of texture which is impossible to achieve via photography."</p> <p dir="ltr">Like Queen Victoria before him, Charles is a “keen watercolourist” who “paints whenever his schedule allows”. Of his early works, he said, "I am under no illusion that my sketches represent great art or a burgeoning talent! They represent, more than anything else, my particular form of 'photograph album' and, as such, mean a great deal to me."</p> <p dir="ltr">While the prince does not sell his paintings, lithographs of his works are used to raise money for his charity; in 2016, it was reported that he had sold approximately £2 million worth from a shop at his Highgrove House residence. The National Gallery of Australia exhibited several paintings of his in 2018 to mark his 70th birthday.</p> <p dir="ltr">The curator of the exhibition, Rosie Alderton, said that Charles "likes to sit in the actual environment and paint 'en plein air.” She added, “His passion for creating beautiful art is conveyed strongly in this exhibition."</p> <p dir="ltr">In addition to the watercolours, there is a tapestry based on his painting "Abandoned Cottage on the Isle of Stroma” that took weaver Ben Hymers eight months to finish.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images</em></p>

Art

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Queen Elizabeth II’s outfits exhibited in royal residences

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">To commemorate Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022, a trio of her most recognisable outfits will be exhibited in the royal residences. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Royal Collection will showcase the Queen’s outfits from her accession, coronation and jubilees at Windsor castle, Buckingham Palace and the Palace of Holyroodhouse. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Among the pieces will be the pink silk crepe and chiffon dress and coat worn by Her Majesty in June 1977 to mark her 25 year reign.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The iconic ensemble was designed by </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">royal couturier Sir Hardy Amies and a matching hat by milliner Simone Mirman. </span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7845734/queen-exhibit-silver.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/307f48ed25b24399bfff029341527f20" /></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credits: Getty Images</span></em></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Also among the collection will be the Queen’s Coronation Dress and Robe of Estate she wore for her coronation in 1953. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This gown took eight months of research, design, workmanship and intricate embroidery to complete in time for her Majesty’s coronation. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Caroline de Guitaut, curator of the displays, said the collection will showcase timestamps in the monarch’s reign, with royal fans being delighted with the insider look. </span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7845732/queen-exhibit-coronation.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/f32dc6586af54278b4bc786e87e863c6" /></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credits: Getty Images</span></em></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Their historic significance resonates all the more greatly given their depiction of the longest reigning monarch in British history.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Visitors to the exhibitions will also see a rare collection of Her Majesty’s personal jewellery collection that adorned these historical outfits. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Among the priceless pieces on show will be the Queen's Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara - an heirloom wedding gift given to her by her grandmother, Queen Mary, when Princess Elizabeth married the Duke of Edinburgh in 1947.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Commonly known as Granny's Tiara, it is one of the Queen's favourite and most treasured pieces and she often wears the glittering headpiece, made of diamonds in a festoon and scroll design, to state banquets.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">These exhibits will celebrate the 95-year-old monarch’s 70 year rule, which will be celebrated on February 6th 2022. </span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credits: Getty Images</span></em></p>

Beauty & Style

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Bindi makes first public showing since family furore

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">At just a few months old, Bindi Irwin’s daughter Grace is already following in the footsteps of her wildlife-loving family.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Her dad Chandler Powell shared the latest addition to Australia Zoo, named after his little girl, in an Instagram post on Wednesday, June 30.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The photo showed the new parents, joined by Terry and Robert Irwin, all smiling as they posed in front of the newly built section, Grace’s Bird Garden.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CQryI5ysjuq/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CQryI5ysjuq/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Chandler Powell (@chandlerpowell)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The adorable photos mark the first public appearance Bindi has made since the reemergence of a family feud with her estranged grandfather Bob Irwin and her announcement of her social media hiatus.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Messages of support have poured out for the couple and their new bub.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“A little fledgling in her natural habitat,” one commented.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“She’s beautiful!! Not even a halfyear old and already a legend!” another said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A third added: “Aww how cute she is so lucky to have parents like you guys.” </span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Chandler Powell / Instagram</span></em></p>

Family & Pets

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New exhibit to commemorate Prince Philip

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A new exhibition at Windsor Castle will commemorate Prince Philip’s life and legacy and will include many items that have been gifted to him during his official duties and visits overseas.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The exhibit, titled ‘Prince Philip: A Celebration’, opens on Thursday, June 24 and features more than 100 items from his life.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After seven decades of involvement in the royal family, Philip passed away on April 9 aged 99.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The exhibition formed part of the 100th birthday celebrations planned for Philip, who would have turned 100 on June 10, curator Sally Goodsir told Reuters.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“But following his death in April, we have delayed its opening just by a couple of weeks and are still holding it,” she said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Goodsir said Philip had been aware of both the exhibition and its contents.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The highlights of the display include the coronation robes and coronet Prince Philip wore to the Queen’s coronation in 1953, as well as his chair of estate which normally stands next to the Queen’s at Buckingham Palace - and will be on display at Windsor Castle for the first time.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The items range from personal mementos - including Queen Victoria’s journal recording the birth of Philip’s mother, Princess Alice, in 1885 - to more eccentric objects - such as a human-sized grasshopper wine cooler the former French President Georges Pompidou presented while visiting the UK in 1972.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Other items on display include: photographs of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in a Faberge frame that was a wedding gift; a chess set gifted from Nelson Mandela during his UK visit in 1996; and a pair of cowboy boots inscribed with the words ‘Prince’ and ‘Philip’ in gold, which the prince received during his 1991 visit to Houston, Texas.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The remains of Windsor Castle’s St George’s Hall clock and a fragment of a burnt beam - salvaged by Philip following a fire that swept through the castle in 1992 - will also be on display.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I think without people being able to gather for the funeral, as they might ordinarily have done, I hope they might be able to come to the castle and learn a little bit more about him,” Goodsir said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The public will be able to see the exhibition until September 20.</span></p>

International Travel

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Creator of Uluru’s Field of Light launches new exhibition in Darwin

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Prolific light artist Bruce Munro is back again to dazzle tourists and locals alike in Darwin with his latest light-driven installation.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The latest exhibit stretches across 2.5kms around Darwin’s city centre and features eight illuminated sculptures by Munro, whose a world renowned artist.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B3w58f5lhfl/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B3w58f5lhfl/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">Bruce Munro: Tropical Light opens November 1st Darwin, Australia.Fireflies, copyright © 2019 Bruce Munro. All rights reserved. Photography by Mark Pickthall.</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/brucemunrostudio/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> Bruce Munro</a> (@brucemunrostudio) on Oct 18, 2019 at 8:12am PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Munro was inspired by the Northern Territory’s capital city and is the first citywide exhibition in the world.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The collection reflects Munro’s personal history of visiting Australia as well as the Northern Territory.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“This is a collection of smaller installations and a very different experience to Field of Lights,” Mr Munro told </span><a href="https://www.news.com.au/travel/australian-holidays/northern-territory/creator-of-ulurus-field-of-light-launches-new-exhibition-in-darwin/news-story/003b3522311a1e3d4d96b451c20ed9d0"><span style="font-weight: 400;">news.com.au</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BnmRCh7BFaQ/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BnmRCh7BFaQ/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">One of my favourite Fields of Light, Uluru, Australia - Jane OConnor, Bruce Munro Studio. Photographs by Mark Pickthall and Serena Munro</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/brucemunrostudio/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> Bruce Munro</a> (@brucemunrostudio) on Sep 11, 2018 at 12:40pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Those coming to Darwin for Tropical Lights will experience the beautiful city … which has everything a big city has but slightly more condensed. This exhibition is not about me plonking sculptures from (the) other side of the world and putting them in Darwin, the sculptures are inspired by Darwin.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“So I am interested to see if people enjoy it and feel and think the same as I did when I first came here.”</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B4VKb-HlSw6/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B4VKb-HlSw6/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">Bruce Munro: Tropical Light, Darwin Australia. November 1st 2019 - April 30th 2020. Photography by Serena Munro, copyright © 2019 Bruce Munro. All rights reserved. A huge thank you to @fusionexhibitionandhire &amp; @NTmajorevents an install we will never forget ❤️@tropicallights.darwin</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/brucemunrostudio/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> Bruce Munro</a> (@brucemunrostudio) on Nov 1, 2019 at 10:09am PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>The Tropical Light exhibit in Darwin is open until the 30th of April 2020. </p>

Domestic Travel

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Windsor Castle announces new exhibition featuring Princess Eugenie’s wedding dress

<p>Princess Eugenie's stunning wedding dress that is on display for a new Windsor Castle exhibition shows outfits worn at the royal's October wedding, and has resulted in many letters of support for the royal.</p> <p>The bridal gown by Peter Pilotto and Christopher De Vos was specially created to showcase Eugenie’s long scar from a procedure to correct scoliosis – curvature of the spine – when she was 12.</p> <p>The low-back design was altered as the Princess’s request, who says she chose to highlight her scar to break down “taboo” around scars.</p> <p>“I had always wanted a low back, part of it was showing my scar and I believe scars tell a story about your past and your future and it's a way of getting rid of a taboo,” she said in audio commentary for the new exhibition.</p> <p>“For me it's a way of communicating with people who are going through either similar situations with scoliosis, or having a scar of their own, that they are trying to deal with.</p> <p>“We started getting a lot of letters from people who were happy that I had stood up and showed my scar, and people with scoliosis, letters from girls that are going through the same thing, and I definitely was very touched by everyone's support.”</p> <p>The Queen’s granddaughter – and Prince Andrew and Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson's daughter – married Jack Brooksbank at St George’s Chapel on October 12, 2018.</p> <p>The fabric of her gown included symbols that were significant to the Princess, including the White Rose of York being intertwined with ivy. This special sign represented the couple’s marriage and their future together.</p> <p>The black-tie evening event at the York family home in Windsor Great Park also featured the Princess wearing a blush-coloured silk chiffon gown with a cape. The dress was designed by American designer, Zac Posen.</p> <p>Eugenie said: “I wanted something reminiscent of Grace Kelly in <em style="font-weight: inherit;">To Catch A Thief</em> so I showed that for reference and Zac came up with this silk that he had found from Manchester. </p> <p>“Every single draping effect, every single detail, every button is all painstakingly done by him and his team.”</p> <p>Princess Eugenie admitted that although she is a royal, her wedding day was the first time she had worn a tiara – the Greville Emerald Kokoshnik tiara lent to her by the Queen – which was completed with diamond and emerald drop earrings.</p> <p>“It was the most incredible thing to wear such a piece of history that my grandmother had lent me, very proud moment and the beautiful earrings were a gift from my husband,” she said.</p> <p>The exhibition will feature Eugenie’s wedding gown with a folding neckline around the shoulders to a low back. The low-back feature drapes into a flowing full-length train.</p> <p>Also included in the royal wedding exhibition is the tiara, evening gown, Jack Brooksbank’s morning suit, and Princess Beatrice’s maid-of-honour outfit.</p> <p>Outfits of the wedding bridesmaids, Theodora who is the daughter of Robbie Williams, Louis de Givenchy, who was one of the page boys and one of the flower girl dresses which were worn by Princess Charlotte, Savannah and Isla Philips, Mia Tindall, Maud Windsor and Theodora Williams.</p> <p>Prince George was also a page boy for the special day alongside Louis and both outfits were designed by Amaia Kids.</p> <p>The Zac Posen blush pink dress worn by Princess Eugenie for her wedding reception is also on display.</p> <p>Scroll through the gallery above to see all the outfits featured on Princess Eugenie’s special wedding day. </p>

Art

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Cincinnati Zoo re-opens gorilla exhibit with higher fence

<p>The Cincinati Zoo reopened its gorilla exhibit on Tuesday with increased security measures, following last month’s incident that resulted in the death of western low land gorilla Harambe.</p> <p>The enclosure is now surrounded by a reinforced barrier that is half a foot taller than before at 42 inches high. It has passed repeated inspections by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.</p> <p>It will also have solid wood beams at the top and bottom, plus knotted rope netting at the bottom, the zoo said. Surveillance cameras also were added.</p> <p>The news of the reopening comes a day after Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters said he would not bring charges against the boy's mother, who was tending to another child when her three-year-old “just scampered off”.</p> <p>Director Thane Maynard said the exhibit had been safe for 38 years, but the new barrier helps to reassure guests and protect everyone on both sides of it henceforward.</p> <p>The boy involved in last month’s incident allegedly climbed over the previous barrier and made his way through some bushes and fell about 15 feet into a shallow moat. <br /> <br /> A special response team shot the agitated, 17-year-old gorilla to protect the boy, who was treated for scrapes.</p> <p>Deters said he has been a bit surprised by the reaction to the gorilla's death, citing “It does not equate human life, and they felt that this boy's life was in jeopardy, and they made the painful choice to do what they did.”</p> <p>The zoo's actions will be reviewed separately by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. </p> <p>The remaining residents of the enclosure include two a20-year-old females that were grouped with Harambe. The others are a family group of eight, led by a silverback named Jomo. </p> <p>Do you think this is a great enough increase in security in light of last month’s incident? Let us know what you think in the comments below.</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="/travel/travel-insurance/2016/03/how-to-make-a-diy-travel-wallet/"></a></strong></span></p> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/%20http:/www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/2016/06/no-charges-against-mother-of-son-who-entered-gorilla-enclosure/%20">Mother of son who fell in gorilla enclosure will not face charges</a></em></span></strong></p> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/2016/06/parents-of-boy-who-fell-in-gorilla-pen-reveal-his-condition/%20">Parents of boy who fell in gorilla pen reveal his condition</a></em></span></strong></p> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/2016/05/gorilla-harambe-cincinnati-zoo-boy-falls-into-enclosure/%20">Mother of boy who fell into gorilla enclosure speaks</a></em></span></strong></p>

News

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New Annie Leibovitz exhibition celebrates women

<p>Annie Leibovitz, 66, widely considered one of the best female photographers of all time, recently launched a new exhibit in London, Women: New Portraits. This project, 17 years in the making, features portraits of high-profile women from around the world, such as Michelle Obama, Adele, Lupita Nyong’o and Aung San Suu Kyi.</p> <p>She began work for this exhibit back in 1999 after a suggestion by her late partner Susan Sontag. In the incredible photographs, Leibovitz showcases the role of the modern woman – the artist, the musician, the CEO, the politician, the writer, the entrepreneur. “What I love to do with my work is show what women do,” she told <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.wharf.co.uk/whats-on/arts-culture-news/annie-leibovitz-exhibition-women-new-10733732" target="_blank">The Wharf</a></span></strong>.</p> <p>Rather than showing women as many photographers do – made-up, styled and dressed to perfection – Leibovitz’s portraits capture women in a raw state, showing them as they truly are. “The work is supposed to be democratic – all the frame sizes are fairly equal and you could have Hilary Clinton next to a homeless woman, there was no rhyme or reason,” she says.</p> <p>With such an array of incredible women posing for her series, it is clear that Leibovitz is trying to create an accurate depiction of what it means to be a woman in today’s society. Gloria Steinem, who sat for the project, said, “there have not been representations of women that show them as whole human beings, so this is remedial. Yes, men can be denied their full humanity, but not as much. Each one of these photographs is a novel, it is so amazing, there is a complete human story in every photograph.”</p> <p>According to Leibovitz, who holds the honour of being the first American to photograph the Queen at Buckingham Palace, her project is still ongoing, and on the top of her list of possible subjects is German Chancellor Angela Merkel.</p> <p>The exhibition, which has already shown in London and Tokyo, is currently on display in San Francisco and will be followed by Singapore, Hong Kong, Mexico, Istanbul, Frankfurt, New York and Zurich. For more information on tour dates, <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.ubs.com/microsites/annie-leibovitz/en/tour/all-cities.html" target="_blank">click here</a></span></strong>.</p> <p><em>Image: REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth</em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="/entertainment/art/2016/03/famous-paintings-redone-with-cartoons/"><em><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Famous paintings redone with cartoons</span></strong></em></a></p> <p><a href="/entertainment/art/2016/01/classic-art-reimagined-in-modern-times/"><em><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Artist reimagines classical paintings in modern times</span></strong></em></a></p> <p><a href="/entertainment/art/2016/01/stunning-entries-of-wildlife-photographer-of-the-year/"><em><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Stunning entries of Wildlife Photographer of the Year</span></strong></em></a></p>

Art

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Beautiful pictures from Montreal Mosaiculture Exhibition

<p>The Montreal Mosaiculture Exhibition is considered the world’s most prestigious competition of horticultural art, and after viewing these photos you’ll understand why. Over 200 horticultural artists from all around the world, using thousands of plant species, created these amazing living plant sculptures for the exhibition.</p> <p><img width="499" height="312" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/10459/1_499x312.jpg" alt="1 (95)" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p><img width="500" height="750" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/10460/2_500x750.jpg" alt="2 (99)" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p><img width="500" height="500" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/10461/3_500x500.jpg" alt="3 (97)" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p><img width="500" height="334" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/10462/4_500x334.jpg" alt="4 (89)" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p><img width="500" height="750" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/10463/5_500x750.jpg" alt="5 (85)" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p><img width="500" height="334" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/10464/6_500x334.jpg" alt="6 (80)" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p><img width="500" height="334" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/10467/7_500x334.jpg" alt="7 (75)" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p><img width="500" height="320" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/10468/8_500x320.jpg" alt="8 (69)" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p>

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