Gallery Crawl

At least three good reasons to go to the 798 art district this Saturday.

First, Tibetan Chinese Artist, Gonkar Gyatso, fresh from the Venice Biennale, will be appearing at the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art at 12 noon, in conversation with Australian Ambassador Dr Geoff Raby. Gonkar’s works deal with the impact of modern life on Tibetan culture and religion and he is a thoughtful and eloquent speaker. Gonkar is also showing some of his work in the “Trading Meaning” exhibition at the DAC Gallery at 798, alongside fellow international artists, Australian Tony Scott and Britisher Adam Bridgland. The show opens tomorrow at 2.30pm, providing us a vinous chaser to the conversation at Ullens.

Then at 3pm, Amelie Gallery opens its “195 Years of Obsession” exhibition. This show features the work of 7 artists, who have devoted a total of 195 years to the practice of painting. Not content with just showing works by the chosen artists, the exhibition also includes an interesting interactive element. The artists each have developed their own method for teaching painting and are inviting 400 participants over the life of the exhibition to give their method a try. So for a chance to paint your own masterpiece get along tomorrow and choose the teacher to follow.

Finally, Lukas Birk and Sean Folley open their show, “Kafkanistan” at the nearby Anni Art at 4pm. The two published a book last year about the Kafka-esque aspects of tourism to Afghanistan and this multi-media exhibition builds on that work. The show includes objects, stories, video and a photo corner where you can dress up in your choice of “Afghan” robes to secure a “souvenir” of your visit. Thought-provoking and fun, the perfect summer weekend combination.

So, there you go, three perfectly spaced events, art with drinks on the side, the perfect gallery crawl.