Amid dwindling audiences and rising production costs, Australian opera is facing its first national review. So what are the solutions put forward so far?
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Arts + Culture – Articles, Analysis, Comment
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Matt Damon and Kyle Sandilands have both been accused of ‘whitesplaining’, but what does that mean?
Can emojis be used to tell stories, and if so what kinds of stories can we use them to tell? The National Young Writer’s Festival, which opens today, aims to find out.
The latest filmmaker to try his hand at Macbeth, Justin Kurzel has delivered a cinematic masterpiece, but shies away from the wicked depths of his villains.
Food is central to experiences of war - think of the humble ANZAC biscuit - for both soldiers and those on the home front. Yet we are only just beginning to understand its emotional, social and political significance.
Flex, a dance style that originated in Jamaica in the 1990s, has evolved into a protest movement in the US that enables its practitioners to articulate their experiences of racism, police brutality and violence.
In a world full of catastrophe, what good are books? Specifically, can books be written to do good?
Chris Brown may be denied entry into Australia due to his violent past. Is this political posturing, or genuine support for survivors of domestic abuse?
Turnbull’s 21st century vision for government provides an opportunity to fundamentally rethink arts and cultural policy from the ground up and move beyond its 20th century legacy.
What if Malcolm Turbull’s conception of “21st-century government” imagines a healthy civil society and a responsive economy that values debate, imagination, difference and surprise - all provided by the arts.
Sex is part of young people’s lives. So how do we teach young authors to navigate tricky narrative waters when they write about it?
A memorial unveiled in Canberra this week honours the work of Australian war correspondents, but a new Pentagon “Law of War” manual identifies journalists in conflict zones as “spies and belligerents”.
The discovery of battered old boots, tattered garments, trinkets and dead cats concealed in the walls of historic buildings sheds new light on the lives of Australia’s early white settlers.
Depictions of women bullying women are a mainstay of reality television shows, just as reports of Twitter fights between female celebrities are regular tabloid fare. It’s a phenomenon with a long history.
The Horse, currently on display at the National Gallery of Victoria, celebrates the pivotal role the horse has played in the evolution of civilisation.
This year’s Melbourne Fringe Festival program features an array of performances by artists with disabilities. Their work tells its audience what the mainstream looks like from the margins.
The death of Gordon Darling last month reminded many in the arts community of the key role that he played in fostering the visual arts in Australia. But should his contribution have been more widely noted?
The Senate Inquiry into the 2015-16 arts budget cuts continued in Adelaide last week. If nothing else, it provided a timely reminder that art - and the lives of artists - matter.
If the new arts minister, Mitch Fifield, abolishes the National Program for Excellence in the Arts and diverts its funds back to the Australia Council, he will increase arts funding at no cost to the budget bottom line.
Anne Summers’ ambitious 1975 book reframed Australian history by placing women at its centre. It was a book of its time. But its groundbreaking approach ensures it is also a book for today.
Brett Bailey’s Macbeth at Brisbane Festival is a powerful production that relocates Verdi’s opera (based on Shakespeare’s play) to the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Martial arts superstar Ronda Rousey was in Melbourne yesterday to promote her bout with fellow American Holly Holm at UFC 193 in November. But fans care as much about her fights as her fighting words.
Succeeding generations need to know where they are placed in the unfolding grand narrative of Aboriginal art. Those of us who are not Aboriginal need to understand the complex relationship between settler Australians and the people of the land.
The Book Council of Australia began to take shape last week when MUP director Louise Adler was announced as its chair. But what is its purpose, and how will it embrace the industry’s new voices?
The First Fleet had three layovers on its voyage to Australia – one was Rio de Janeiro. As Australia and Brazil celebrate 70 years of diplomatic relations, it’s worth remembering this encounter.