Anna-Marÿke - new exhibition

 The Yellow House in Macleay Street, started by the late artist Martin Sharp in the 1960s is still going strong. (I think Whispers was there at the opening night party..our father supplied the yellow paint). The latest exhibition is of some fab photos by  Anna-Marÿke and is well worth seeing. The exhibition was opened by one time Sydney style meister Leo Schofield- pictured here with fellow Southern Highland's resident Glen-Marie Frost. We'll let the gallery blurb speak for itself but do get along there.

"Riding on a painting tradition that stretches back to the ancient Egyptians, and, arguably, reaching its summit with the Dutch and  Spanish Masters in the 17th century, Anna-Marÿke celebrates life in nature through the contemporary medium of analogue photography.
Meticulously setting up still life compositions of flowers and produce gathered primarily from her garden in the Southern Highlands, she also includes found objects, birds, insects, fur and animals that finally culminate in complex tableaux."
 Yellow House 57 — 59 Macleay Street, Potts Point NSW 2011 Tel – 0412 856 731
info@yellowhousesydney.com.au Monday to Saturday 10am — 6pm

A Girl From Oz

Lyndall Hobbs is an ex-Australian TV journalist who moved to London in the 70s and began a relationship with the theatrical impresario Michael White (Rocky Horror Show) who passed away recently and was the subject of Gracie Otto's award winning documentary The Last Impresario.
Lyndall lived with Michael White for 10 years and their house in trendy Egerton Crescent in West London was the "salon" of 70s London where she introduced 'Chalky' White to some emerging Australian talent like Jim Sharman, Barry Humphries and Martin Sharp (and even Whispers).
This is only one chapter in her fabulous life story from her new book "A Girl From Oz". When her affair with White ended she moved to New York and lived for many years with the actor Al Pacino. 
Hobbs now runs a highly successful design business in Los Angeles where some of Hollywood's biggest show business names are her clients.The book is fascinating reading about a person who has lived a rich and rewarding life. Available in all good books stores (the ones that are left) . Buy it for a glimpse of a fascinating era, the 1970s to early 90s.

 

exclusive: Eternity for Martin Sharp

The late Martin Sharp is to get his own museum dedicated to his life and works. Whispers has been told by a relative of Sharp's that his remaining family members are working hard behind the scenes to set up a museum to house his extensive works, re-create his studio and house his collection of toys (he loved vintage Mickey Mouse memorabilia)

They are also hoping to get government assistance much in the same way Wendy Whiteley received a $4M grant from the NSW government to buy the late Brett Whiteley's Surry Hills' studio which is open to the public and is popular with school groups.

A Martin Sharp museum is bound to be a tourist attraction with his worldwide fame and his pop art paintings. During his life Sharp also revived interest in the legendary Arthur Stace, an illiterate former soldier and alcoholic who found religion and wandered Sydney's streets as the first great graffiti artist, penning Eternity in white chalk & beautiful script on footpaths. A new East Sydney theatre has now been named Eternity and Sharp's version of the word featured on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during the famous New Year's Eve celebrations.

The family also scotched the odd rumour that has appeared in some media stories that Martin had left his Bellevue Hill mansion, part of his estimated $11M estate, to Cranbrook School which he attended. The house backs onto Cranbrook's playing fields and although the estate is still in probate, our family source confirmed that his house had been left in trust via friends and family and according to Sharp he wished the house to become an art's centre and possibly the ideal location for a museum dedicated to him. In fact there has been hostility for sometime between Sharp and Cranbrook.
Martin was also obsessed with Tiny Tim, bringing him out for tours of Australia and producing a still unfinished film of his life.
( Whispers interviewed Tiny Tim in his tiny Times Square apartment many moons ago. The flat was almost empty of furniture and had threadbare carpets but when he opened a wardrobe there must have been nearly 100 bottles of French champagne stored there !

Celebrating Martin

 

 They came from all walks of life to celebrate artist Martin Sharp's life. NSW Governor Marie Bashir, rocker Jimmy Barnes, old pals Jenny Kee, Jim Anderson and Richard Nevile, Jill Wran, filmakers, artists, singers amongst the dozens of people who Martin called friends. Later a wake was held in the National Art School at the Roundhouse. Here a few snaps from there. And below, a tribute from Martin's great pal, the late Tiny Tim.

Vale Martin Sharp

Martin Sharp's funeral will be held next Tuesday the 10th December at Christ Church St Laurence at 10.30am followed by a private cremation.



 Christ Church St Laurence
 812B George St, Haymarket NSW 2000  (02) 9211 0560

Very Sharp

Martin Sharp & Fairley Kingston

Artist Martin Sharp has a new exhibition at the Damien Minto Gallery in Redfern and as always, it's not too be missed. Sharp has been ill for some time but he still made the opening night along with many old pals from the past.
You can also watch the superb ABC TV documentary on Sharp : The Sharp Edge - The Art of Martin Sharp .here
 And of course you can just look across the harbour and beneath the Harbour Bridge to the wonderful entrance face to Luna Park, painted by Martin.

Damien Minton Gallery, 583 Elizabeth St, Redfern, 2016
 Tel : 9699 7551

Graceland : Tue 6 - Sat 17 August 2013

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Earth to the noted Sydney fashion Designer, much beloved by the Sunday tabloid gossip merchants :
When you post your preferred voting intentions on Facebook ( perfectably reasonable) it's probably best not to say the country should by run by businessmen and as a corporation when your own business went belly-up a few years ago leaving dozens of small creditors out of pocket, some who lost their businesses and had to take out mortgages to pay debts, whilst you re-surfaced in a large mansion and opened new boutiques. Why do these words spring to mind : Boliva, marching, powder.

Lighting Up Sydney

 Don't let a few drops of rain put you off : Vivid Sydney is in full force and the city is looking very exciting. The Shuttle's personal favourite is the tribute to ailing artist Martin Sharp  (below) with scenes from his art works projected onto the Opera House. Circular Quay is a blaze of colour and should not be missed. The festival runs until the 10th June- be there. Or be square. Here are a few snaps from the changing scenery :

Sir Laurence Street Joins the Team in Elizabeth Bay

Sir Laurence & Lady Penny Street

He is one of the Shuttle's favourite legal eagles and one of Australia's most respected jurists. At 87 years of age, Sir Laurence Street has moved into the uber smart nursing home Lulworth House in Elizabeth Bay.

Sir Laurence joins a veritable smorgasbord  of Sydney's most well known faces including entertainer Jeanie Little. promoter Harry M.Miller , Dame Leonie Kramer , former NSW premier Neville Wran and former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam.

Harry Miller * Jeannie Little * Gough Whitlam

Sir Laurence Street & Rachel Finch
       at a party in 2008

Sir Laurence Street was the Chief Justice of the NSW Supreme Court and comes from a distinguished family of lawyers. His father Sir Kenneth Street was also NSW Chief Justice and his mother Jessie Street a tireless worker for Aboriginal and women's rights. It was largely her efforts that led to indigenous Australians finally getting a vote in 1967 (at one stage she was called Red Jessie in the media and a Conservative government refused to re-new her passport whilst she was abroad).

Nevile Wran (right) with
 artist Martin Sharp

Like Miller, Little , Whitlam and Wran, Sir Laurence was a regular on the social circuits in Sydney and Melbourne before ill health saw him hang up the gold embossed velvet Gucci pumps he often wore to parties.
Wife Penny Street is a great pal of Prince Charles and the pair always dined with Charles on his Australian visits.
Meanwhile a claim late last year by a former nurse that Lulworth House residents were "under-nourished" seems to have vanished from the ether.

Martin Sharp Honoured

He was an invited guest to last week's autobiography launch for the late film-maker Albie Thoms but illness prevented him from attending : artist Martin Sharp whose work was featured in Thoms' book.

Earlier in the week Sharp had received a long overdue award at the University of Sydney- an Honorary Doctorate of Visual Arts.
Martin joined a host of names when he received his award from Governor Marie Bashir in her last official act before she retires . They include Cate Blanchett, former NSW Art Gallery head honcho Edmund Capon, fashion designer Peter Weiss and musician and singer Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu.

Martin Sharp & Nevile Wran

Sharp was part of the infamous Oz Magazine trio of Richard Nevile and Richard Walsh who were busted for obscenity in the 1960s in Sydney and again in London. They were found innocent in both trials-defended in Sydney by a young barrister Nevile Wran who later went on to become NSW premier for 10 years.

His colourful works are now hung in galleries worldwide and he designed album covers for some of the 1960s major rock groups including Cream and wrote songs with Eric Clapton whilst living in Chelsea's famous Pheasantry building. Other residents at The Pheasantry included Clapton, Germain Greer and the film director Anthony Haden Guest. In the early 80s he campaigned to preserve Luna Park and redesigned the famous entrance.

During the last 10 years of his life, the unique performer Tiny Tim found a huge fan in Sharp who financed Tim's career and records and made a film of the eccentric singer's life. The movie still hasn't been screened.
Below is Tiny Tim's Tiptoe Through The Tulips:

Day 4 Fashion Week-Jenny Kee

Jenny Kee and pals

inspiration?

If one didn't know the London publicist Lyn Franks, one could be forgiven  for thinking that perhaps Australian/Chinese/Italian designer Jenny Kee was an inspiration for Edina Monsoon of Ab Fab fame. Perhaps Kee was also a fashion  influence for Dame Edna Everage.

In between reminding us in the pages of Woman's Day every five years or so that she once had an affair with John Lennon ("I turned him on to Asian girls") Kee has revived her original fashion label Flamingo Park which she started many moons ago in the Strand Arcade after returning from a few years in London. The high point at Flamingo Park was presenting a riot coloured jumper bearing an embroidered  Koala Bear to Princess Diana which Diana wore to the Windsor Polo when she was pregnant with Prince William.

watch out for spiders

The last time we encountered Jenny was at the launch of her book Jenny Kee-A Big Life at the Powerhouse Museum some years ago. The guests had to 'ommmm' for 2 minutes before speeches to raise the vibrations in the room.

The book is a pretty good read detailing Jenny's adventures over the years from an extremely beautiful teenage Kee hitching a ride with an amphetamine crazed trucker from Alice Springs to Darwin, her Oz Magazine days in London with Richard Neville and Martin Sharp, a snub from Lennon and Yoko Ono when they once came across Kee at her stall in the Chelsea Antique Market on Kings Road and an adventure involving the game-keeper's son at the grand Beaulieu estate in Hampshire where she glowered at her host Lord Montague who perceived Jenny had designs on the young chap.

This many colours combined gives the Shuttle a migraine-literally so are best viewed through sunnies but ordinary folk should be safe gazing on these kaleidoscope designs. Our favourite is the kaftan draped in gum leaves (above). The only thing missing from the outfit is one of those large Hunstman spiders that inhabit eucalyptus trees en masse. Dame Edna would have included one!.

drop your gear for Spencer

Nude artist Spencer Tunick is coming to the 2010 Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras in March and is calling on all gays and lesbians to be prepared to take off their clothes for one of his mass nude snaps, on the Golden Gay Mile of Oxford Street.

The work will be called The Base and all body shapes, sexualities and preference are welcome. Will the legendary Dykes On Bikes participate ?. The once topless ladies on Harley's who lead the opening of the parade went all coy about 4 years ago when their topless snaps started appearing world-wide and on various porn websites.

There's a sort of schizophrenic attitude here.

Once a year normally reserved people let their hair down, fling open the wardrobe door and burst out in gleeful abandonment, screeching slogans about gay rights before heading off to the mass party of thousands that usually ends up in a drugged seething mass grope in the underground facilities.Come Monday they retreat back to their day jobs as chartered accountants, school teachers etc. Or in my case with the 6' horrendous drag queen in a vintage YSL ball gown who slapped me on the back half-way up Oxford Street with a maniacal look in his eyes-the bench at Downing Street Courts where he presides as a very sober magistrate,

The Shuttle experienced this mini Sodom & Gomorrah (without participating) at the last G & L Mardi Gras we attended when we accompanied 'movie star" Rupert Everett who was the special guest in 2007. Unless one swallows huge quantities of drugs (and most do) it's the most tiresome night of the year. Hours spent in the VIP room peering down on the seething mass of people circling the cavernous dance floor swaying in time to whatever DJ Boy George says goes. And just to catch a glimpse of the star act like Kylie Minouge lip syncing at 4am. Maybe we are just past it. Getting bitter as we age.

Apparently getting your gear of with a few hundred others is liberating. But is art ?. Whatever turns you on.

If the idea turns you on-sign up here : www.mardigras.org.au/tunick

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Only 2 weeks after his successful exhibition at the National Trust, artist Martin Sharp and the art world is in shock with the brutal murder yesterday of Sharp's curator, the respected art figure Antony Waterlow OAM whose body was found along with his slain daughter, the popular food writer and publicist Chloe Waterlow in her Randwick house. Chloe's young daughter is clinging to life after her throat was slashed and her 2 young sons who escaped unscathed are being cared for by family members as husband Ben Heuston rushes back from London.

Sharp attended a party at the University of NSW Roundhouse onSaturday night with Waterlow . Police have one suspect- a family member who was seen near the home shortly after the murders.
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The awful tragedy that has struck the Waterlow family is having far reaching effects in many areas. Australia's most renowned painter Margaret Olley has spoken affectionately of the gentle Waterlow who she housed when he first arrived from the UK 40 years ago.

Police have only one suspect-a family member who suffers from schizophrenia. Over 15 years ago the state government in a rash move closed the many excellent hospitals that dealt with mental illness on the claim that patients should be housed in the community.

The battles that have ensured since over the valuable land where these hospitals were located-some by the harbour, have been long and bitter. Sadly, the then government minister who oversaw this action has gone on record proclaiming his mistake after both his sons committed suicide while they were suffering from depression.