Experience CMAG After Dark on Fridays March 1 & 8, 4–9pm, coinciding with Enlighten's Illuminations and City Renewal Authority's Before Us | A Night Walk Through Time in Civic Square.
Pop into CMAG after work and dive into our latest exhibition, Materiality...but not as we know it and join artist Lucy Irvine in hands-on Civic Systems workshops, creating a collaborative sculpture connecting Civic Square to the Materiality exhibition.
Enjoy live music by some of Canberra's best musicians while you grab a drink at the bar and enjoy CMAG in a whole new light before you continue on your Enlighten journey for the night.
About the artists:
Lucy Irvine
Lucy Irvine completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) at Leeds Beckett (formerly Leeds Metropolitan) University in England, 2002. The following year she migrated to Australia and in 2010 completed a Master of Fine Art at the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne. She moved to Canberra in 2016 to undertake her PhD at the Australian National University’s School of Art and Design. In 2019, she became a lecturer at SoAD and is currently Head of Textiles.
Irvine’s practice draws from and contributes to textile, sculpture, public art, architecture and design discourse. She makes large-scale woven sculptures, transforming utilitarian materials such as expansion joint foam, paper fasteners, nylon cord, and cable ties into complex dynamic forms. Currently, her work more often intervenes in public space than white cube galleries. As the 2022 Design Canberra designer-in-residence, her installation Given Conditions scaled the 3 storey municipal building that houses CMAG and enveloped Canberra’s iconic Brutalist bus shelters. She also works collaboratively with the public, inviting them to knit, weave and sew new ways of thinking about space and place.
In recent years she has made permanent public artworks for Sydney, Melbourne and Tamworth, taking the embodied knowledge of textiles into urban space. Her solo show, Made of holes, exhibited at the Rosny Barn in Hobart was part of Dark Mofo in 2016. She has been included in the Tamworth Textile Triennial, Australia’s premier survey of textiles practice, twice in 2011 and 2023; and in the inaugural Melbourne Now at the National Gallery of Victoria, 2013. Her works are held in national and international collections including the Central Museum of Textiles in Lodz, Poland; the National Gallery of Victoria; Ararat Regional Art Gallery; and Woollahra City Council, Sydney.
Gia Ransome - 1 March 2024
Ranging from hypnotically melancholic to blues driven dive-bar riffs, Gia Ransome’s music is a uniquely powerful entity. Most commonly compared to artists like Lana Del Rey or Alexandra Savior, and drawing influence from indie, rock, psychedelia, and alternative/folk music, her sound is enticingly dark, dramatic and enchanting.
Debuting in March with her single, ‘Boots’, she has wasted no time in 2023, following it up with her psychedelic sophomore single, ‘Crush’, a seven date tour of the Australian east coast, an acoustic EP, 'Winter', and to close the year another energetic indie/rock single, 'Morning Light' on the 1st of December.
In 2024 the momentum continues for Gia, with new music releases, collaborations, and plans to take her music to international audiences with a move to the UK.
Ben Drysdale – 8 March 2024
Ben Drysdale is an award-winning singer songwriter from Canberra, Australia. He colours his raw and heartfelt lyrics with musical shades of indie folk, pop, soul, blues, funk and reggae tailoring the energy of a set to the venue: whether engaging a thoughtful listening crowd or filling a dance floor. His songs span from vulnerable and visceral ballads exploring the darkness of the human condition to upbeat foot stompers full of energy and hope.
Drysdale has played shows in the US, Ireland and Canada and featured on bills with some of Australia’s greatest including Paul Kelly, The Waifs and Busby Marou as well as international stars such as Chris Isaak.
After playing around Canberra and the East coast of Australia since 2004 both solo, and fronting a number of bands including Smitten, Beth n Ben, and 8-piece funk and soul outfit East Row Rabble, Drysdale is embarking on a new Indie folk project.
Another 5 track EP under the moniker Back Alley Scholar, and a 8-track solo album are as yet unreleased and will be coming out in the near future.