SALA Festival Program Available Now

Australia's biggest community-based visual arts festival gets even bigger with 660 free exhibitions for 20th anniversary year

The South Australian Living Artists (SALA) Festival will celebrate its milestone 20th year with its biggest program to date, featuring a record-breaking 6282 artists in 660 free exhibitions across Adelaide and regions throughout August.

Encompassing all forms of visual art from painting, sculpture and jewellery to video, multimedia and more, the 20th SALA Festival will get the state's Art Started as more than 560 venues from pubs and cafes to wineries, bookshops and even cemeteries are turned into pop-up art galleries for 31 days.

Some of Australia's most exciting and dynamic artists, both established and emerging, are represented in this year's program including: Chris Orchard, Catherine Truman, Trent Parke and Narelle Autio, Gerry Wedd, Sera Waters, Chris De Rosa, Julia McInerney, Michelle Nikou, Sally Smart, Robert Hannaford, David Dridan and more.

Highlights of this year's festival include:

• SALA PARLOUR: Pull up an armchair, pop your feet on a pouffe and relax in the festival's newest public art venue, the SALA Parlour - a funky converted shipping container on the lawns of the SA Museum. With a range of pop-up exhibitions, live demonstrations, come-n-try sessions and fun family activities, this colourful festival hub will help you reconnect with your creative side. Open every day in August (excluding Mondays). Generously supported by Office for the Ageing.
  
• CELEBRITY PORTRAITS: Famous Adelaide faces including former Port Power star Gavin Wanganeen, pie king Vili Milisits and Lady Mayoress Genevieve Theseira-Haese will have their portraits painted live in front of the public as part of the Royal South Australian Society of Art Third Biennial Portrait Prize Exhibition. Exhibition runs July 30 to August 27, with celebrity portrait sessions on August 1, 3, 6, 8, 9, 10, 13, 15, 17 and 20.
  
• ART AT THE AIRPORT: Adelaide Airport will take off with art as eight contemporary artists including Alice Blanch, Dana Kinter, Stephen Trebilcock and Peter MacDonald explore Australia's landscapes and wildlife in sculptures, paintings and photographs as part of the "island home" exhibition, spread all over the terminal. (July 28 to September 19)
  
• THE GOVERNOR'S GARDEN: Government House will become a SALA venue once again, with His Excellency the Governor Hieu Van Le inviting 11 sculptors including Wesley Harrop, Quentin Gore, Nicholas Uhlmann and Ronda Wallis to exhibit their work in the gardens, with a special open day on Sunday August 13.
  
• IMMERSIVE ART DINNERS: Eat your art out at a series of immersive art dinner experiences at city supper club The Propaganda Club (curated by smash hit sold-out stars of the Adelaide Fringe, Post Dining) and restaurant The Henry Austin. Dine on, in and around art - and maybe even take some home - at these unique culinary events that mix food, performance and art. (Various dates and times throughout August, $99 to $110pp, bookings essential)
  
• ART TOURS: Walk, cycle or drive your way through SALA and the RAA's more than 25 art tours across the city, suburbs and regions, including the ever popular Bring the Baby Art Tour (August 4) and Dog Friendly Art Tour (August 20), and new 18+ pub crawl Sketchy Art Tour where participants can "draw under the influence" as they bar hop (August 25).
  
• FEMINIST ART: In 1977 Adelaide was host to "The Women's Show", one of the largest Australia-wide exhibitions of women's art. During SALA the Feminism Renewal Art Network (FRAN) will commemorate this 40 year milestone with FRAN Fest, a statewide program of exhibitions, talks and more highlighting the work of South Australian women artists. (Starts August 25)
  
• ART AFTER DARK: SALA gets going when the sun goes down, bringing Adelaide's West End to life for one jam-packed night of exhibition openings, film screenings and "PechaKucha" - a fun event for creative people to share ideas. (Thursday August 10, 5pm to 9pm).
  
• SALA FORUM DAY: A host of top practicing artists will lead a full day of discussion and debate at ACE Open in the Lion Arts Centre about the value of visual arts, now and in the future. (Saturday August 19, 11am to 4pm)
  
• SALA GALA DADA DANCE: Expect avant-garde fashion, postmodern beats and more than a touch of the absurd at this Dada inspired ball in the newly revamped Old Regent former cinema complex. Celebrate SALA's final weekend with a night of dancing, canapes and cocktails by the Propaganda Club, and art that breaks all the rules. (Saturday August 26)

This year's festival also sees seven official artist residencies with Jane Skeer, Steph Fuller and Sonali Patel working in and around the Adelaide Festival Centre, Flinders Medical Centre and SAHMRI to create artworks inspired by their surroundings, as well as Henry Stentiford, Jade Harland, Jamahl Pollard and Richard Parker based at Country Health SA outlets in Glenside, Berri and Whyalla.

And don't miss the SALA Art Cars hitting Adelaide's streets during this year's festival, generously provided by North Point Toyota and wrapped in colourful artwork by Dan Withey and Dana Kinter.

SALA Festival Director Penny Griggs said with a record number of exhibitions and artists the 2017 program cemenTed August as "visual art month" in South Australia, with art and cultural events to cater to all tastes.

"Local artists of all levels share their work with us throughout August. You're invited to be part of the SALA community and explore the 660 exhibitions and events on offer throughout the state this year," she said.

The 2017 SALA Festival will be officially opened on Friday, July 28 at an invitation-only gala at the Art Gallery of South Australia. SALA Featured Artist and recipient of the 2017 SALA Wakefield Monograph Chris Orchard will be keynote speaker at the event, and will announce the recipient of the 2018 title.

More information about all SALA exhibitions and events can be found online at www.salafestival.com or by calling 8233 0676. All SALA events are free unless otherwise noted.

View the 2017 SALA Festival Program at www.salafestival.com/program

To post a comment, you must register and login.