Australian artists

No Comments

Aussie Invasion: 7 Acts to See at CMJ While They’re Up From Down Under

The Babe Rainbow (Photo: thebaberainbow.tumblr.com)

The Babe Rainbow (Photo: thebaberainbow.tumblr.com)

Nowadays, you can’t swing a dead wallaby by its tail without hitting an exciting new band from Australia. Are they putting something in the water down under, or is it some sort of universal karmic balancing act for housing all those convicts back in the day? Whatever the story is, for now at least, Oz seems a country worth looking to for notable emerging acts. Case in point, CMJ’s recently revealed lineup, littered with the languid sounds of beach-dwelling crooners, rockers and rappers alike from the real Deep South. To bring you up to speed, we’ve compiled seven acts from the lineup worthy of the nation that brought you such cultural gems as Mad Max and Waltzing Matilda.
More →

No Comments

Abdul Abdullah Spent Two Hours With Airport Security to Bring You This Show

Abdul Abdullah at CHASM in Bushwick (Photo: Nicole Disser)

Abdul Abdullah at CHASM in Bushwick (Photo: Nicole Disser)

Looking at Abdul Abdullah‘s work alone might not give you every hint necessary to guess immediately where the 29-year-old artist is from. And seeing him in the flesh, t-shirt and jeans, ordering a beer at bar in Greenpoint, gives you even fewer clues to go on. That’s because in the post-9/11 world, Muslims in countries across the world have had to deal with widespread prejudice, demonization, and deeply confused depictions of their religion and culture, experiences that Abdullah confronts head-on in his paintings and photographs. Turns out Abdullah’s from Australia, but his new solo show, Coming to Terms, is a reminder that the problem of Islamophobia is unfortunately still as potent as ever almost everywhere.

More →