Huge News – Outre presents Audrey Kawasaki
Wednesday, October 13th, 2010Hii!!
Omg omg prepare for some serious fan-girl gushing…
Now when it comes to celebrities and famous people in general, I’m not really the gushy type…However – with artists I admire it’s quite the opposite. So it is with some trepidation and much elation that I look forward to the coming exhibition at Outre Gallery – the one and only Audrey Kawasaki showing her latest work, a collection called Tangled – starting Friday Oct. 22nd (next week!)

So this post is my attempt at scoring a dinner with the artist and the awesome Outre crew ![]()
I’m not gonna lie – I want stuff. Not like this blog is filled with ads and sponsored posts anyway
So I hope everyone’s okay with me yabbering on about ART for a bit.
I shall begin with giving props to everyone at Outre – Jonny’s been taking photos for them for a little while now – and they’ve always been our first port of call when choosing something to hang on our walls. All the staff are super friendly and it’s hard to leave the place without wanting to buy almost everything in-store! Not to mention they have the BEST artists. Angelique Houtkamp and Tara McPherson being two other favourites whose opening nights/signings we went to…Jonny took photos – I stood around completely stars-struck and speechless. Pathetic really
So – about Audrey ….Well I can’t remember when I first discovered her work. It must have been either through Outre or via the web somewhere. I became an immediate fan – Everything about her art is perfect to my eyes. Her linework especially is so immaculate and clean – everything flows so neatly and the shapes just sit right. It’s kind of a hard thing to put into words – but the lines capture form and weight so effortlessly. And the hair – oh gosh! If I could draw hair half as well!
I particularly like how in some of her more recent stuff she seems to be loosening up a degree – most noted in the backgrounds which are more textural and abstract. They remind me of the visual static at the edges of dreams – kind of like that hazy soft memory after you’ve woken and can’t quite remember all the details.

See
So delicate and intricate. I love how she renders eyes – sultry and languid and kind of cunning. Awesome.
The other thing we are to write about for this competition, is what we’d suggest Audrey would enjoy in Melbourne. Where do I begin? Melbourne is a fantastic city – I’ve been here 7 years now and there’s always something new to discover. When I first arrived here on a short visit in 2003, it was the first time I’d truly felt at home. And this came to me on the drive into Richmond from the airport! Entirely unusual for someone who’s lived in two countries and both sides of Australia, to come to a foreign city and immediately feel more comfortable than any place before it.
Anyway – Melbs is a haven for the artist – we have more things to entertain the creative mind than you can poke a pencil at. It goes without saying, you can lose yourself for hours in the city’s lane-ways. Almost every seemingly scummy, bin-lined alley has a restaurant, cafe or boutique tucked away if you just look. Some of my favourite hangouts when in the CBD would be around Degraves St of course. It’s the domain of the posing Hipster but it’s a good spot to have a coffee (Degraves Espresso is your best bet in this area) and just people-watch. There’s a whole bunch of cute shops around there selling everything from cupcakes to (tasteful) lingerie. I love Kinki Gerlinki and there’s a fabulous jewelry store (Gazelle) just inside Centre Place right next to Shag
Shag gets touted for it’s vintage goodies but it’s laden with too much 80′s for my tastes….If you’re after pretties, there’s a new shop just on the corner of Swanston St & Flinders Lane in that building called Harry Wagg (I think!) which sells “new” clothes made from vintage fabrics. Very pretty! Oh and you MUST stop at Zomp for their gorgeous shoes…..If you’re into Australian designers, Green With Envy have a stunning selection of dresses which is just opposite Zomp.
From Flinders Lane to Collins/Little Collins St – More laneways – The Block Arcade for chocolate, cafes and shoes. Royal Arcade has one of the best chocolate shops in Melbourne – Koko Black – delicious!
Now you couldn’t come to Melbourne without a trip out to Fitzroy. Gertrude St and Brunswick St have too many treasures to mention. The new Seven Seeds cafe De Clieu at 187 Gertrude opened today! - You can always count on these guys to serve up some of the best coffee in town (I don’t say THE best because we have that many really excellent coffee spots). And Circa Vintage for real vintage.
Industria is on Gertrude as well – Full of industrial (der) goodies for your home – think bowls made from butane gas tanks, those big hospital theater lighting rigs, antique dentists cabinets and much scientific paraphernalia like beakers and test tubes. Awesome! I could spend hours in that shop.
Up Brunswick St you can have a beer at the Little Creatures Dining Hall – and there are so many jewelry stores and independent fashion boutiques. Oh! And the best choc in town (better than Koko Black) – Shocolate. Sumptuous desserts and chocolate yum!
(some pics for distraction)


I could go on – Writing up a huge guide on Melbourne…St Kilda is great too but a little too touristy – There’s an art market there on Sundays along the Esplanade. And numerous cake shops – which I think look better than they taste. It’s fun just to ogle at the cakes. If you want sweets, better head to Il Fornaio where it’s said they do fantastic desserts. I’ve only had breakfast there – which was ace. Also there are fab pastries to be had at Baker D Chirico.
I really hope Audrey enjoys her trip – I’m not sure if I like exactly the same things she likes – I can only go by how I like to spend my time. We’re in the city and inner suburbs every weekend – It’s a beautiful place just to wander in, the architecture being so diverse…from the ultra modern Fed Square to the stunning Manchester Unity Building – or the Gothic bank on Queen/Collins St.
OH! And I mustn’t forget the graffiti – there’s some fantastic street art EVERYWHERE. Hosier Lane is excellent and there’s quite a few spots in Fitzroy too.
Blabber blabber blabber. I love Melbourne! Should wind this up huh. If you’re still reading – please come along to the exhibition at Outre – It runs til the 10th of November. If you’re in Sydney – dates are the 29th Oct to 15th Nov. Don’t miss it! I honestly think Audrey is one of the most talented and accomplished artists alive today. Without a doubt, my favourite (that’s a big call I know – but I’ve thought about this okay
).


Umm…see – gushy.
Shuddup Esz.
Signing off….
*crosses fingers*
(all images belong to Audrey of course)








































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