Adam

This is Adam.

Adam with his big banana.

 Last year Adam won the Qantas contemporary art prize including flights and a few expenses, and guess what, i got to come too. There are some serious perks to being married to an amazing artist. So here we are in a small flat in a big city- Belo Horizonte- in Brazil. 

Advertisement for artist talk Adam is doing this Thurs. 

 Proud to spruik him, Adam has been making all kinds of incredible art since arriving in Brazil about six weeks ago. Banana Hands (pictured above) is a fine example of the witty, carefully constructed artworks that Adam has been making.
  This Thursday night he will be giving an artist talk and showing some work at a small gallery in the city centre. I know it will be a great night.

Adam is currently undertaking an artist residency at a place called JACA- you can see their site HERE.

 It is just outside Belo Horizonte in a town called Jardim Canada where the soil is mahogony red, bananas grow by the side of the road and the industrial feel of the town strangely reminded me of Fyshwick- a suburb back home in Canberra.

Speaking of Canberra, the CCAS website features several photos and an update from Adam here in Belo Horizonte. What a guy.

In Brazil

So here I am in Brazil- it has been two weeks today!

Enjoying a 'coco'- everyone loves them and you can buy them from the corner shop.

I am excited about the prospect of making some art here, but even more keen to let myself take a breather and really soak everything in. I sat in a park under a palm tree yesterday and wrote down some words- this is what i scribbled:

'I have felt so congested here. BOMBARDED. Frozen. I think I've been in shock. They call that culture shock huh. I notice everything and can't process it all at once- and then notice nothing. Everything is different and therefore so noticeable. The stones in the footpaths, the shape of the spoons, the shoes on their feet, the way my hair dries differently, nightclub sounds at night, and into the morning, that bar that digs into my bum when sitting on that couch, the numerous flowers, tree trunks, decorative security measures, tones of voice, exclamations, my food digesting, feet sweating and those people over there- juggling in the park. I have been here two weeks now. Today is slightly different. I think I am finally starting to soak it all in. And I like it. I don't stare, gasp or cry QUITE so much. There must be a healthy medium where the brain edits out the unnecessary information so we can focus on what is a priority- and leave space for the possibility of new creations. I think I am noticeing less- and in so doing noticing more.....'

I have some small ideas for what I will make while I am here, but in the mean time am keen for adventure and fresh observations.