Ben Apfelbaum

SYDNEY MODERN ART PROJECT COMMENCES

This ceremony had both a spiritual and secular theme. The spiritual side was evident when Aboriginal elders Uncle Tony and Uncle Chicka led a group of indigenous children in a Welcome To Country  including one child who is the grandson of Charles Perkins. As a tribute to the chief architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa from the Tokyo based architectural firm SANAA, a Japanese priest was present to bless the project.

In his opening remarks the President of The Art Gallery’s Board of Trustees David Gonski stated the project was an unprecedented funding model between a cultural institution and the New South Wales Government whereby the sum of $100 million was raised from private donations with the Government contributing $244 million for the balance of the  Project’s cost of $344 million.

David Gonski singled out Isaac Wakil, principal trustee of the Isaac and Susan Wakil Foundation which contributed $20 million. Mr Gonski also acknowledged the Gallery’s present and past trustees, director Michael Brand and his predecessor Edmund Capon, the campaign committee led by Mark Nelson, and all staff for their ongoing contribution to the Gallery’s success.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian stated that her government’s strong economic performance, together with her acknowledgment of the generous philanthropists, allowed the government  to make one of the most substantial contributions in the state’s cultural history.

Dr Michael Brand stated that since the current Vernon designed Art Gallery completed in 1885, apart from a small extension to the rear of the Gallery there had been no major expansion for its burgeoning collection, particularly of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island works.

The Project will more than double the exhibition space as well as allowing it to host major international exhibitions.

The turning of  the sods to symbolise the start of construction comprised of a strip of soil at the front of the stage whereby the Premier, her Arts Minister Don Harwin together with the principal drivers of the Project had spades lined up to dig and turn a sod of soil..

The reason why an actual sod of soil could not be plunged into the actual soil for the project was that this ceremony took place above underground oil tanks which would also be converted into Gallery space.

Acknowledging the presence of the current NSW Governor Margaret Beazley and past Governor Marie Bashir David Gonski invited the distinguished to a light lunch while some collected tropical fern pods, which perhaps symbolised the sprouting of one of the most exciting cultural projects ever to have evolved in Sydney.

The Sydney Modern Project is due for completion in 2022.

Featured image : John Kaldor. All pics by ben Apfelbaum

 

 

 

 

 

Published by Ben Apfelbaum

My photography began when my father handed me the proverbial brownie box camera as a child. As cameras developed I went through Fujica and Olympus range finders graduating to my first single lens reflex camera, the Minolta SRT101, the latter being the greatest facilitator to my growth as a photographer. Digital photography has only added to this. I was a regular contributor to Camera Craft magazine (Australian Camera ) for over three years. During Australia’s Bicentennial year (1988) I made it a personal project to document the celebrations. This culminated in the creation of a book of my photos which was published in 1989. The book was called CELEBRATING AUSTRALIA and came with an accompanying calendar. My works have appeared in a number of publications including the coffee book entitled MY AUSTRALIA (1989), publisher Robertsbridge Severn. This book had a preface by the then Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke. I was a co-photographer on a book entitled SYDNEY- DISCOVER THE CITY with text written by Robert Treborland. Major Mitchell Press was the publisher. Also for two years I was the photographer for calendars celebrating Sydney’s multicultural communities. The two calendars were entitled MULTICULTURAL SYDNEY. My work appeared in a group exhibition held at Sydney’s Town Hall pertaining to the diversity of life in South America to raise money for orphanages there. I have over one hundred photos stored in the New South Wales State Library archive. I had a solo exhibition held in 2007 entitled Ben’s Lens at the Sydney Jewish Museum which celebrated the vibrancy of the Sydney Jewish community. Some of these photos are on the Museum’s permanent display. I have exhibited internationally firstly at the Spruill Gallery in Atlanta Georgia, united states, and in an exhibition entitled Kosher and Co at the Jewish Museum in Berlin. Currently I am a regular contributor to J-Wire and this esteemed publication.