even books

Despite what the name might suggest, this is not an exhibition about donuts.

What it is, is a typically Even Books experiment in theming, collaboration and merging of disciplines that includes works from many of Sydney’s most exciting visual artists and writers.

Yes, you read that correctly – we’ve got writers involved and we’re blowing their work up big and bold and hanging it on the gallery wall next to ‘real’ art because, wel…l, why not?

To break the concept down: we asked a group of talented writers to write pieces related to the theme of TWINS/DOPPELGANGERS, and a group of equally talented artists to craft a visual response to the same theme. We then orchestrated a swap, and each creative then responded to someone else’s written or visual piece (writers to visual, artists to text), in a ku-razy loop. These pieces will be exhibited in their pairs, creating a multi-disciplinary exhibition that toys with notions of ‘same’, ‘other’, ‘mine’ and ‘yours’.

So, who are these talented twin-makers?

ARTISTS: Karl Maier (Rinzen), Cybele Malinowski, Kevin Tran, Rachel Feery, Zoe McMahon, Jacob Burge, Bryn Desmond-Jones and Sui Zhen

WRITERS: Amanda Maxwell, Lee Tran Lam, Eddie Sharp, Nadia Saccardo, Caleb Lewis (I love that he has a Wikipedia entry!), Alice Williams, Tessa Lunney and Tom Lee

On opening night (NOV 10) there will be a one-off concept event similarly themed to TWINS/DOPPELGANGERS. You can expect: mirrors, dressed-up doubles, being tied to a stranger, screenings of films and more.

We cannot promise a cameo by Arnie and Danny Devito. But we can hope.

There will also be a limited edition publication available, designed by Blood & Thunder Publishing and with an opening essay by Dimitris Vardoulakis, author of The Doppelganger: Literature’s Philosophy.

MONOZY-OMG! That all makes me DIZZY-GOTIC!

WHERE: Firstdraft Gallery, 116 Chalmers St, Surry Hills
WHEN: Launch party Nov 10, 6-8pm
Exhibition runs until Nov 28 (when there will also be artists’ talks)

Can you resist these pleading puppy eyes? “Reeeeead meeeeeeeee!”

No, you can’t resist. Of course not. You are not cold and heartless. You can read.

The zine was created to tie-in with the First Ever Sydney Readers’ Festival, which ran from May 21-23. Smashing success it was too!

Inside:
— reader profiles. what do people read? why? what most commonly gets dropped on their books? (hint: it starts with C and ends with BS)
— commissioned pieces by Perth writer Cry Bloxsome, Sydney zinester and FBi host Lee Tran Lam, ex-Chaser but eternal cue-reader Chris Taylor, Hungry Beaster Elmo Keep, Bryn of comic book afficionadoes Beef Knuckles (comic pictured below), Sydney writer and producer Sophie Mallam and Philadelphia-based academic Astrid Lorange.
— diagrams
— top 10 places to read in Sydney by Even Books
— an unexpected but lovely map of childhood favourites by Vanessa Berry

Get your collector’s item now, they’re hotter than hot chips in hell.

++ even books, brought to you via puppy eyes ++