Carriageworks Unveils 2018 Program, Announces 1.2 Million Visitors for 2017

Carriageworks today announced 1.2 million visitors will engage with the Carriageworks Program in 2017 whilst unveiling a dynamic program for 2018 spanning contemporary art, dance, performance, music, screen, food and ideas.

In 2018 the Artistic Program will support 690 artists and will present 70 projects, including 10 world premieres, 17 international works and 17 new Australian commissions.

Highlights include three large-scale, site-specific exhibitions by international contemporary artists Katharina Grosse (Germany), Ryoji Ikeda (Japan) and Nick Cave (USA), as well as three world premiere works by Carriageworks Resident Companies: Sydney Chamber Opera, Marrugeku and Force Majeure, and the presentation of leading cultural events including the 21st Biennale of Sydney, the 2018 Sydney Writers' Festival and Sydney Contemporary 2018.

In 2018 Carriageworks will continue to be home to eight artists in supported studios in the Clothing Store in partnership with UrbanGrowth NSW. From January Carriageworks will introduce 10 new food events, including masterclasses, live cooking demonstrations and continue The Night Market series presenting Australia's very best chef's and producers.

Carriageworks Director Lisa Havilah said: "We are excited to be bringing an extraordinary Program of international works, new commissions and large scale works to Sydney. In 2018 we will continue to increase our investment into our Artistic Program and our support of Australian and International Artists. We look forward to welcoming our growing audiences to experience our most ambitious Program to date."

2018 opens with a large-scale, site-specific installation and commission by Carriageworks of renowned German artist Katharina Grosse. Presented from 5 January until 8 April as part of Sydney Festival, Grosse's immersive installation will take a month to create as the artist fills Carriageworks, with 8,000 metres of material woven and suspended from the building's unique industrial architecture. THE HORSE TROTTED ANOTHER COUPLE OF METRES, THEN IT STOPPED will be a work of immense scale and kaleidoscopic colour that represents the world premiere of new work by one of the world's most exciting contemporary artists.

From 3 - 28 July, Carriageworks will unveil a major work by leading Japanese contemporary artist Ryoji Ikeda. Marking the artist's third major installation at Carriageworks, Ikeda will present micro macro - a large scale, immersive sound and light work that sits at the intersection of art and quantum physics.

Rounding out the major contemporary art projects for 2018, Carriageworks will present acclaimed American visual artist Nick Cave when he returns to Carriageworks in November to present UNTIL - the largest scale project that Carriageworks has presented. UNTIL is comprised of thousands of found objects and millions of beads, giving visitors the feeling that they have stepped inside one of Nick Cave's iconic sound-suits. UNTIL will be presented free to the public and will include an expansive public performance program presented throughout its five-month presentation from 23 November 2018 until March 2019.

On 2-3 February, Carriageworks together with Resident Company Contemporary Asian Australian Performance (CAAP) present THE BACKSTORIES, a solo performance from Moya Dodd. Dodd was selected as one of the Matildas at age 19 and represented Australia on the world soccer arena for almost 10 years. Dodd has been described as the most powerful Australian in World Football, is one of the first women on FIFA's Executive Committee and a global advocate for gender equality in football.

Throughout 2018, CAAP will also present four Long House events, a combination of talks, masterclasses, workshops and performances from artists with a shared interest in exploring Asian Australian themes through contemporary performance.

The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras celebrates their 40th Anniversary at Carriageworks from 24 - 25 February, with BLACK NULLA CABARET as part of Koori Gras presented by Resident company, Moogahlin Performing Arts; SISSY BALL a one night only choreographed Vogue-ing ball with a nod to New York's underground Ballroom scene; and a series of thought-provoking talks and forums exploring QUEER THINKING.

The 21st Biennale of Sydney returns to Carriageworks for the fourth time in 2018, presented from 16 March until 11 June, with a program curated by Mami Kataoka including artists Haegue Yang, Semiconductor, Trinh Thi Nguyen, George Tjungurrayi and Chen Shaoxiong with works chosen to offer a panoramic view of how opposing interpretations can come together in a state of equilibrium.

On 15-17 March, the biennial Keir Choreographic Award - a national award dedicated to commissioning short works and promoting experimental cross-artform practices in contemporary dance - will return to Carriageworks for its third edition. Selected artists for the 2018 Prize are Amrita Hepi, Melanie Lane, Bhenji Ra, Nana Bilus, Luke George, Lillian Steiner, Prue Lang and Branch Nebula (Lee Wilson and Mirabelle Wouters). Following the Award presentation, multi-award-winning and internationally respected Brussels-based American choreographer Meg Stuart - also one of the 2018 international KCA Jury - will present a solo work over two-nights on 19 and 20 March.

Carriageworks Resident Company - Sydney Chamber Opera will present the world premiere of a new chamber opera that unfolds as a "slow-motion panic attack" based on a real-life phenomenon of the weeks following the September 11 terrorist attacks. Presented from 28 March until 7 April, THE HOWLING GIRLS is a collaboration between composer Damien Ricketson, director Adena Jacobs and renowned soprano Jane Sheldon. Featuring a chorus of young girls, The Howling Girls is about five teenage girls who presented separately to hospitals in New York with identical symptoms: they couldn't swallow, and believed that some debris from the destruction had lodged in their throats.

The Sydney Writer's Festival will be presented at Carriageworks for the first time from 30 April until 6 May as the literary event makes Carriageworks home for the coming two years. The 2018 Festival will bring together writers from across Australia and around the world. Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Australia returns to Carriageworks May 14 - 19 for the sixth consecutive year, bringing with it innovative designer brands and emerging talent, exclusive runway shows and industry style sessions.

OPEN FRAME on 28 - 29 June will feature a line-up of international and Australian experimental artists that operate at the edge of contemporary sound practice. Presented by Carriageworks and ROOM 40 and curated by composer and artist Lawrence English, the 2018 event will feature a new commission from Eliane Radigue (FR) and a performance from Charlemagne Palestine (USA).

From 29 June to 5 August, Carriageworks and Resident film Production Company, Felix Media, will present a major new commission: a moving image work for the New Normal, Carriageworks' National Disability Strategy, by Amy Amos Gebhardt and Dan Daw which examines the language of connection between spaces and the place of humanity in the natural world.

To celebrate NAIDOC week, on 5 July, Carriageworks and Koori Radio will present KLUB KOORI. The program will bring together leading Indigenous musicians presented alongside emerging talent.

A co-commission from Carriageworks and Centre Cultural Tjibaou in Nouméa, New Caledonia, LE DERNIER APPEL (THE LAST CALL) is a multi-lingual, trans Indigenous dance theatre work directed by Serge Aimé Coulibaly for Marrugeku. As New Caledonia moves towards a choice about independence from France, LE DERNIER APPEL explores cultural, political and personal de-colonisation from the perspective of First Nations and immigrant dancers from across Australia and New Caledonia. The work will be performed from 15 - 18 August.

Carriageworks and Resident Company, Sydney Chamber Opera will co-present RESONANT BODIES. This international festival of new vocal music brings together adventurous vocal artists over two days from 31 August until 1 September. First held in New York City in 2013, the Australian iteration brings together Swedish-Ethiopian composer-improviser Sofia Jernberg, Indonesian experimental vocalist Rully Shabara and luminous New York soprano Ariadne Grief joining SCO favourite Mitchell Riley, with new music royalty Deborah Kayser and local rising star Sonya Holowell for a unique demonstration of the breadth and range of the contemporary voice.

Building on the success of previous editions, Australasia's international art fair Sydney Contemporary will return to Carriageworks for its fourth edition on 13-16 September featuring leading Australian and international exhibitors complemented by a curated program of talks, performances and events. Curated by Hetti Perkins and Jonathan Jones, the BLACK ARTS MARKET returns on 6 - 7 October to present the strength and diversity of south-east Australian Indigenous arts practice. The market attracted over 10,000 visitors in 2016, and will provide a unique opportunity to engage with artists and acquire new works.

Sydney Dance Company and Carriageworks will present the fifth edition of NEW BREED, commissioning Australia's most innovative choreographers to create new work with members of the Sydney Dance Company. New Breed will be presented from 29 November until 8 December and is made possible by The Balnaves Foundation.

On 4 December Ensemble Offspring will present LONE HEMISPHERES, a program of striking, interdisciplinary music across all forms from seminal chamber music to free improvisation. Based in Sydney, Ensemble Offspring is led by acclaimed percussionist Claire Edwardes and has premiered over 200 works in its 20-year history.

Throughout the year the Carriageworks Farmers Markets, with creative direction from acclaimed chef Mike McEnearney will continue to present the very best seasonal and artisan produce and, in 2018, will introduce a program of cooking masterclasses and events in collaboration with Australian and international guest chefs in partnership with Smeg Australia. Carriageworks' popular, seasonal Night Markets will be presented throughout 2018 and a special food series will be hosted together with renowned Copenhagen-based restaurant Noma's initiative MAD will be presented in April and July. Sydney MAD Mondays will bring together voices from across the food industry for discussions on the role the food industry plays in caring for our environment.

Carriageworks continues its commitment to new work with three major new works in development: A new performance and VR work from Erth directed by internationally renowned Italian director Chiara Guidi; The Conch from New Zealand will develop a new interpretation of García Lorca's play THE HOUSE OF BERNADA ALBA where acclaimed New Zealand Samoan poet Tusiata Avia will transpose Lorca's indictment of pre-civil-war Spanish society into the tropical context of 1910 Samoa; and internationally renowned Australian composer Liza Lim will partner with Sydney Chamber Opera to create a new work.

Carriageworks will support artist's development with masterclasses from Resident companies Erth, Force Majeure, Marrugeku, Moogahlin Performing Arts and Sydney Chamber Opera as well as youth creative development from NIDA, ATYP, and for the local community from contemporary artists completing a 2-year residency at The Clothing Store.

Tickets will go on sale on Tuesday 28th November at 9am from www.carriageworks.com.au.

Carriageworks is the largest and most significant contemporary multi-arts centre of its kind in Australia. Engaging artists and audiences with contemporary ideas and issues, Carriageworks presents large-scale immersive programs that are artist led and emerge from Carriageworks' commitment to reflecting social and cultural diversity.

Carriageworks is a cultural facility of the NSW Government and is supported by Create NSW and the Australian Government through the Australia Council of the Arts. The Artistic Program is ambitious, risk taking and unrelenting in its support of artists.

Carriageworks is home to Resident Companies: Contemporary Asian Australian Performance (CAAP), Erth, Felix Media, Force Majeure, Moogahlin Performing Arts, Marrugeku, Performance Space and Sydney Chamber Opera.

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