PHOTO BIENNIALE AT AT GALLERY OF BALLARAT

■ The Gallery is presenting two exhibitions as part of the core program of the highly anticipated Ballarat International Foto Bienniale (BIFB) 2023.

Featuring an extensive collection of images that have been captured by a diverse range of brilliant photographers, BIFB gives visitors a chance to immeerse themselves in emotive poytrayals of life through the lens of Goldfield s photographers Ian Kemp, Karenne Ann and Heather Horrocjs. The exhibition will be shown alongside BIFB feature exhibitions, Platon, Yvonne Todd and Instant Warhol, making the Art Gallery of Ballarat a key venue for Abifb 2023. Exhibition opens August 26 and closes October 23.

Art Gallery of Ballarat

40 Lydiard St, Ballarat

Town Hall

The Memory Palace – Cyrus Tang

The Memory Palace of Cyrus Tang us a major exhibition at the Town Hall Gallery featuring highlights from Cyrus Tang’s multi-disciplinary art practice.

Over the past 20 yearsTang has examined sentiments of nostalgia within memory and fantasy.

Fascinated by the paradox of reconstrctucting ephemeral mental iomages and sensations in permanent materials, Cyrus has explored ruins and decay of houses and cities and of human bodiesm while referencing current environmental and man-made catastrophies.

Working fluidly across sculpture, photography, video and installatio, the artist has a distinctive style that embraces the materiality of her media.

While her photographs and video works are presented in post-production digital format, the visual effects Tang employs are analogue, often the results of ;abour-intensive procedures in the studio or the field.

Tang’s work documents her chosen media going through a transformation, a convergence of past and pres4ent. The result is hauntiungly erautiful works that ofte memoralise collective experiences.

Exhibition closes October 21.

Town Hall Gallery

360 Burwood Rd, Hawthorn

The Arts

from artists, and resulting from the University of Melbourne Art+Ecology Residency at Dookie, the sxhibition ruminates on our conversations with and impact on the land.

Works explore the shaping of the landscape for a myriad of purposes, First Nations custodianship of the land and connection to Country, the importance of National Parks and conservation projects, and human environmental impactss. Exhibition closes September 17.

Benalla Art Gallery

Botanical Gardens

Bridge S, Benalla - Peter Kemp

Highland event

Dylan signs on for Bump

36 Artists

Thin Skin

An exhibition of paintings by 36 Australian and international artists who explore the liminal space between figuration and abstraction, Thin Skin has been guest-curated by Australian London-based writer, curator and former editor of Frieze magazine, Jeifer Higgie.

As the term ‘thin skin’ is joyfully ambiguous, it refers not only to the delicate membrane that seoerates body, mind and environment, but other borders: thresholds between reason and unreason, wisdom and foolishness, life and death, the conscious and unconscious, laughter and weeping.

To have ‘thin skin’ is to be hypersenstive to the world around you.

Exhibition closes September 23.

Monash Eniversity of Art

Building F, Caulfield Campus

Princes Hwy, Caulfield

At Benalla

Always and Altered

Inspired by Benalla Art Gallery’s idyllic position between the Benalla’s Botanical Gardens and Lake Benalla, Always and Altered ponders the local and universal relationship with the land.

Featurong works from the Benalla Art Gallery Collection,Victorian Wetlands digital archive, loaned directly

■ Ballarat’s historical destination, Kryal Castle, is inviting guests to this month step into Scotland at its first ever Highland Spectacular.

Across the weekend of August 19-20, visitors to the castle will be welcomed to the world of pipe bands, highland dancing, clan tents, historical performances all of which will be paired with an array of Scottish food and drink.

Guests will savour the heartiness of Scottish broth, roast meat platters and plentiful vegetable medleys. A true Scottish feast isn’t complete without relishing in timeless delicacies as attendees are invited to indulge in a tasting platter of haggis, tatties and neeps, discovering the true essence of Scottish cuisine. All finished off with a decedent clootie dumpling and assortment of fine cheeses.

The weekend long festival will be matched with two exclusive four course feasts of Scottish delicacies partnered with whisky from Kinglake Distillery and entertainment courtesy of Melbourne based highland dancing and Scottish Ballad duo, Auld Alliance

Across the weekend guests will be awed by athletes who will be showcasing their incredible feats of power and the majestic nature of highland horses and cows. Those looking to learn more about their own heritage can head to a clan tent and discover the Scottish secrets of their ancestry.

■ Paralympian Dylan Alcott has signed onto star in Series 4 of the telemovie 'Bump'. Series 4 will be seen on Stan next year, along with the regular cast who made the series so popular in Australia, US, UK, Canada and Germany. Good luck Dylan.

Byron has aspirations

■ Byron Kirk is 10 years of age and has already been chosen to represent Australia in 2023 Young Bull Riders World Finals to be held in Texas, USA, in October.

Byron lives on a family property in Mount Isa where he trains every afternoon, competes in competitions of weekends and dreams of the day he is old enough to compete like the big boy cowboys.

Jonas Bros. coming to town

■ This column is giving you plenty of warning: the Jonas Brothers are coming to Melbourne for a two-night stand, March 8 and 9 appearing at Rod Laver Arena

The Brothers are scheduled to perform in 90 shows across 20 countries. Save the local date, squirrel away your cash, it's sure to be a ripper.

Was it Nathan’s fault?

■ While Tony Jones was away covering Wimbledon for Nine, The Sunday Footy Show was in the hands of ex-footballer Nathan Brown. Upon returning to Australia, Jones discovered his beloved footy chat show had been booted from regional TV.

Jones was said to have gone berserk, blaming Brown. Worst of all, the Footy Show had been replaced with re runs of Skippy, and in some cases, 'My Favourite Martian'. This issue is far from over.