Sullivan+Strumpf Sydney is proud to present As I stepped out into the bright sun light, a new solo exhibition by Richard Lewer that draws on the artist’s personal experiences of loss and responds to the pain and destruction caused by Australia’s bushfire disaster – opening 13 – 28 March 2020.

Comprising of paintings, drawings and ceramics, the exhibition is inspired by the Melbourne artist’s ongoing social realist practice of responding and reacting to the world he inhabits.

A new series of drawings documents Lewer’s reaction to social commentary about climate change and his visit to communities devastated by bushfire in East Gippsland, Victoria in the aftermath of the fires. The distinctive landscape drawings document his sobering and empathetic observations of charred landscapes and people in the bush confronting disaster and loss. Meanwhile, people in urban settings are depicted wearing face masks, beset by smoke pollution and ash, soon to be plagued by the outbreak of COVID-19.

The artist collected references from newspapers and TV news reports about the devastation of the bushfires and smoke haze, before driving to one of the badly affected areas to meet the people affected people and witness the destruction first-hand.

The exhibition features a deeply personal work, titled Burial in Hamilton, 2019, through which Lewer responds to the loss of his mother. This painting, created using oil on epoxy coated copper, brass, steel, references burial vault photos to express grief.

A series of crucifixes, titled There is light and dark in us all, 2018, are the result of the artist’s therapeutic practice of making one cross a day and reflect on the personal significance of the cross, stemming from the artist’s strict Catholic upbringing,

As I stepped out into the bright sunlight explores the extremes of the human condition and the patterns of behaviour displayed by people experiencing loss. Often in these pivotal moments when something is suddenly lost, we gain a profound appreciation for more contented times.

Lewer has exhibited extensively in Australia and overseas and his work is included in many important state museums and university collections in Australia and New Zealand. Recent exhibitions include us. universal stories, Museum of Art and Culture Lake Macquarie, (2019); Weapons for the Soldier, Hazelhurst Regional Gallery and Arts Centre, Sydney (2018); State of the Union, Ian Potter Museum of Art, Melbourne (2018).

Where: 799 Elizabeth St
Zetland

When: Every day, 10am to 5pm
Now until Saturday 28 March
Except Sunday 22 March and
Monday 23 March

Cost: Free but can book tickets through website

We’re bringing the best of our City of Sydney Library to Redfern Community Centre. Over 11 days, enjoy a spectacular series of free talks, workshops and fun activities for the whole family.

Get hands-on with workshops in basket weaving, ceramics, virtual reality and Wikipedia editing. There’s also a Koori cooking demonstration with lunch provided, live music performances and a film screening of The Australian Dream.

Bring the little ones to experience all the magic of storytime and rhymetime, with special guests including Aunty Kathy Dodd Farrawell and Luke Carroll.

You’re welcome to drop by at any time to explore our collections and activities.

Bookings are recommended for some talks and workshops as space is limited.

See the full program below:

Gangari storytime with Aunty Kathy
Maker and creator workshops
Storytime with Luke Carroll
Basket weaving with Renee Cawthorne
Lawn Library music
Ceramics workshop with Pine Street Creative Arts Centre
Lunch and cooking demonstration with Goanna Hut
Rhymetime
Drawing mindfulness workshop with Pine Street Creative Arts Centre
Storytime with Angeline Penrith
Language storytime with Donna McLaren
Cancelled: Virtual reality with IDX
Cancelled: Virtual reality and digital workshop with IDX
FBi Radio's Race Matters Live
First Nations Wikipedia edit-a-thon
Film screening: The Australian Dream

Where: Redfern Community Centre
29-53 Hugo Street, Redfern

When: Every day, 10am to 5pm
Now until Sunday 22 March
Friday 20 March from 10am to 7:30pm

Cost: Free

We have a weekly class where acting instructor Suzy Dougherty and her team will teach you how to develop your acting skills.

The instructor has over 20 years of acting experience including shows on the BBC.

Several students from this class have ended up with job opportunities in advertisements, promotions and TV shows.

Where: 19 Greenknowe Ave
Elizabeth Bay

When: Tuesdays, 10am to 8:30am
Until Tuesday 15 December

Cost: Free

Collector Space: See inside the city's private collections.

Exhibition: Collectors’ Space: Finders, Lovers, Keepers.

15 to 28 March, Shapiro Annex Gallery, 46 Balfour Street, Chippendale

Art Month Collectors’ Space will again unveil artworks from some of Sydney’s most exciting private collections. Glimpse prized works from the personal collections of established creative duos and tastemakers shaping the scene today. Curated by Rowena Talacko, the exhibition showcases works from some of Sydney’s most respected collections: Nicki Townsend and Andy Martyr; Patricia and Robert Postema; Stephen Cassidy and Richard Perram OAM; and Lindsay Clement-Meehan.

Event: Inside the Collectors’ Space

Saturday 28 March, 2pm-4pm, Shapiro Annex, 46 Balfour Street, Chippendale

Join Curator Rowena Talacko in conversation with the dynamic creatives behind the Collectors’ Space this year. Learn how they started their art collections, the stories behind the works, and gain valuable insight into starting – or expanding – an art collection of your own.

Where: 46 Balfour St
Chippendale

When: Every day, 10am to 6pm
Now until Saturday 28 March

Cost: Free but can book tickets through website

See the world through a new lens.

Internationally-acclaimed exhibition, Wildlife Photographer of the Year, returns to the museum better than ever in 2020. On loan from the Natural History Museum in London, these extraordinary images celebrate the diversity of the natural world, from intimate animal portraits to astonishing wild landscapes.

For the first time in Australia, the photographs will be presented on 100 exquisite light panels, offering a more powerful and illuminating peek into the animal kingdom.

Image: Ralf Schneider 'Sleeping like a Weddell'

Where: Australian National Maritime Museum
2 Murray Street, Sydney

When: Every day, 9:30am to 5pm
Now until Sunday 11 October

Cost: Adult: $20
Concession: $15
Child: $12
Family: $50
Tickets can be book through the website