Polite Society’s Social Diary - March
Politics, painting and saris make this a cracking month for culture
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For a show that The Australian’s Nikki Gemmell described as ‘seismic’, curators Sophie Gerhard and Katharina Prugger trawled the NGV’s archive to select works for Mother, which explores motherhood in all its glory and grief. Surprisingly, this is one of the first institution-led exhibitions on the subject, despite the rash of recent books on the subject, and in preview it looks captivating: Karla Dicken’s The Weight of Grief, a tiny rattan model of a baby on a scale, is heartbreaking, while works from Correggio to Tracey Emin mine every other emotion. March 27-July 12, NGV Melbourne
Meanwhile, further along St Kilda Road, the primary response to Nick White’s Talent Night will (hopefully) be laughter, as the comedian whose social media personalities have earned millions of likes performs his show at the Arts Centre’s Show Room. He’s just one of the many funny people performing at the 40th Melbourne International Comedy Festival, including local stars like Celia Pacquola and Dave Hughes, and internationals such as Ireland’s David O’Doherty. March 25-April 19
Up north, women take centre stage at the annual All About Women festival at the Opera House, an event that’s guaranteed to get feminist’s pulses racing. There are so many great talks that it’s hard to select the highlights – but we will: Inside the Epstein Files, with journalists Emily Maitlis (of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor fame) and Amy Wallace, who collaborated with Virginia Guiffre on her memoir; and the All Fours Event, moderated by fabulous US journalist Marisa Meltzer, discussing the cultural effect of Miranda July’s controversial novel. March 8, Sydney Opera House
Coined by Beloved author Toni Morrison, Rememory is certainly an intriguing theme for the 25th Biennale of Sydney, focusing on the intersection of history and memory, and the mutability of both. Significant installations include Nikesha Breeze’s Living Histories at the White Bay Power Station and the 80 square metre Ngurrara Canvas II, but while the biennale’s theme is serious, there are plenty of lighter moments too – such as Sydney artist Dennis Golding’s beaded jewellery-making workshop (with beads printed from the bricks of a Redfern mural) and a First Nations-led bingo night at Redfern Town Hall. March 14-June14, various venues
Given ongoing events in the Middle East, the MCA’s new filmic installation seems particularly relevant. Drama 1882 is a 45-minute opera in eight scenes that tells a story of the 1882 Urabi uprising in Egypt, which ended with British invasion and rule for the next 70 years. Directed, choreographed and composed by Egyptian artist Wael Shawky, the piece received rave reviews for its “lush colouration and graphic simplicity” when it was staged at the 2024 Venice Biennale – worth seeing. March 4-June 29, MCA Sydney
And if you can’t get enough of conflict and betrayal, and a man who would be king right now, book tickets to Bell Shakespeare’s staging of Julius Caesar this month. It’s a refresher on what can happen when ambition overreaches and leaders manipulate public opinion for their own ends. March 7-April 5, Sydney Opera House
John Perceval was a contemporary of Arthur Boyd and Albert Tucker, and a member of the Angry Penguins group of avante-garde, modernist Australian artists of the 1940s. Despite being a big deal in the 20th century, his work hasn’t attracted much attention recently – but that’s about to change, with a retrospective, John Perceval: All That We Are, opening at Heide Museum of Modern Art this month. More than 100 works are on display, running from his 1940s night paintings through to seascapes, landscapes and pottery angels. March 21-July 12, Heide, Melbourne
One of the world’s most-worn garments, the sari gets its own exhibition this month, with The Offbeat Sari showcasing 54 ground-breaking saris from India’s leading and emerging designers. The show was developed at London’s Design Museum by celebrated curator Priya Khanchandani and explores how the 5,000-year-old sari has become an expression of identity, creativity and resistance in modern India. Plus, they’re really beautiful. There’s a chai and chat event with Khanchandani on the opening day, too. March 22-August 20, Bunjil Place Gallery, Melbourne
