MAD LOVE Ep. 10: Ben Brown & Kentari Yoshida's Rumble Exhibition

Manly: Known for the beach, open shirts, very relaxed accents and two of the best artists out of Sydney; the man dems themselves, Ben Brown and Kentaro Yoshida.

If you’re reading this and you don’t know Ben Brown’s work by now, well, all I can say is congratulations, you played yourself. He is one of the most prolific artist to come out of Manly (let alone Sydney) in the past two decades. Having done work for Nirvana, Hurley and everyone else in between, his iconic skulls mixed with pop culture imagery and vibrant colours have become a staple of Australian illustration.

Kentaro has been dropping straight fire for the past few years — dude’s work can be seen everywhere, from the beaches up north to the grimy walls of the inner-west and even up in dank-ass Byron Bay. His pieces usually depict skeletons getting up to wild shenanigans, whether it be drinking, smoking or rolling around in Hawaiian shirts.

So when these two heavyweights came together to throw down at Goodspace Gallery for their joint show, titled “Rumble”, it was bound to get messy, with a mixture of blood, sweat, tears and a lot of beer spilled, all for two of the Manly’s finest.

So big ups to both Ben and Ken! They’ll be back with more later in year so keep it hurrr! BAOOOOO!

MAD LOVE Ep. 9: MADLOVEMANIA

When Chris Loutfy emailed me a few weeks ago asking If Chris and I would be interested in hosting Sunday Walls – The Lord Gladstone’s monthly live art event – two questions came to mind. One, can we call it MADLOVEMANIA – the pseudo art/wrestling/music event of the century? And two, can I hit/be hit with a steel chair?

While my steel chair dreams were left unfulfilled, I can honestly say MADLOVEMANIA was a barn-burner of a good time.

With artists James Jirat Patradoon, Chu Tachibana and the Brothers of Destruction (Us! The Yees!) getting in on the action, we treated those walls with all the respect the Iron Sheik would to the American Flag. USA! USA! USA! The music was blasting all day by the certified Gs White Girls Music, Pokari, and Grove Street Sound System. The only thing it could be comparable to was when Pitbull took the stage at Wrestlemania and performed a three song medley. How does he sweat while keeping his suits so white?

So bigs up everyone who came and checked out some art, listened to some music and put up with my screaming over the Gladstone’s PA. I think I challenged everyone to wrestle me for a belt which I may or may not have rested on my shoulder. Hopefully we’ll be back next year!

AND THAT’S THE BOTTOM LINE, CAUSE MAD LOVE SAID SO.

MAD LOVE Ep. 8: Other World's Zine Fair

Denim jackets plastered with ironic badges, woollen caps, untrimmed beards and endless sales prices scrawled in handwriting – these are all essential elements to a zine fair.

Zines are self-made publications by keen artists and writers alike. No censorship, no editor and mostly self-funded, it’s whatever you want it to be. I once bought a zine full of comics and articles about a woman who wouldn’t share her pizza  – just share the pizza! There’s eight slices! Unless you have a web store or don’t mind selling your product on the street like a dirty drug dealer, zine fairs act as a way for people to put themselves and their work out there to the public. And in Sydney, no zine fair is more important than the Other Worlds Zine Fair.

With the discovery of the connection between the MCA Zine Fair and mandatory detention through the sponsorship of Transfield, three friends thought it was essential to start their own zine fair in critical response. As a result, the Other Worlds Zine Fair was born. Embodying the spirit of DIY culture and progressive protest, it has since gotten bigger and bigger every year.

So support your damn locals with that money you’re spending on some glossy, soulless copy of Marie Clare. Actually, is it good? My bad if you’re a fan. Still, give those dollars to someone out there hustling! Shout outs to Other Worlds and every single one of you sweaty vendors, you guys are the real MVPs!

MAD LOVE Ep. 6: Goodspace Gallery's 2nd Birthday

Happy birthday Goodspace Gallery!

Do you remember your 2nd birthday? Unless you were a baby genius (like the Boss Baby) I’m going to presume it’s a hard ‘no.’  It was probably a low key event. There would have been a cake, extended family talking shit about each other and RC Cola bought in those industrial sized two litre bottles.

But what you really wanted was a buck wild art show full of Sydney’s best and creative artists – you wanted Migos booming so loud that it just sounded like bass and mumbling. You wanted The Lord Gladstone’s infamous chicken burger and beers out of those frat boy red cups. Well Sydney’s own Goodspace just turned 2, and that’s exactly what happened.

Goodspace has always been a gallery catering to both established and emerging talent. In its two year run, it’s already had close to ONE HUNDRED shows (you read that right), establishing itself as an artist-friendly (and rent-free) space in a city that can often be pretty rough for individuals wishing to showcase their work. So big ups to Chris Loutfy and all the hard work of the staff at Goodspace and The Lord Gladstone.

Also shout out to 24 Karat Kev for hosting, and DJ Nes for playing like six PartyNextDoor songs! Bao!