Fast Singapore Airlines flight to London, only 30 mins to shop at Changi Airport yesterday ...

China Southern Airlines' expansion and visa-free short-stays on the Canton Route t/c

Source: Press Release, MG Media Communications, Sydney

China Southern Airlines has announced a major overhaul of its Australian operations with its newest airliners being deployed to every port, including one of its five A380s on the Guangzhou to Sydney route.

Speaking at the Australian Tourism Exchange in Sydney, China Southern Executive Vice President Chen Gang said the A380 service would start on October 27 as part of a major expansion strategy down under.

The superjumbo will replace the present CZ325/326 A330-300 service, which departs Sydney at 9.50am and arrives back in Guangzhou at 5.30pm the same day.

Mr Chen also revealed that Melbourne and Sydney would receive China Southern’s latest A330-300 and -200 aircraft offering flatbed comfort up front and personal TVs throughout, by the end of October. The new A330-223 aircraft was introduced to Brisbane and Perth at the start of April.

“Australia remains our most important overseas market and the test bed for our global strategy,” Mr Chen said.

“The new A380 Sydney service will be only the second international route for our superjumbos and underlines how crucial the region is to China Southern’s network growth.”

A Sydney Airport report estimates that China Southern’s single daily A380 service will generate 5000 jobs and contribute about $390 million to the Australian economy over a full year.

Tourism Australia Managing Director Andrew McEvoy said China Southern was an important aviation partner.

“Ever since the airline first started flights to our country, China Southern has continually looked to expand its Australian operations, through new services, more frequencies and, now, by deploying the largest commercial passenger aircraft in the world,” he added.

“Last year, China Southern carried more than one in five of all Chinese visitors to Australia, and the introduction of the A380 is the most powerful indication yet of the airline's future ambitions and confidence in the Australian market.”

Mr Chen also revealed that Guangzhou, the airline’s bustling hub in southern China, would introduce a 72-hour visa-free stay policy for Australians travelling on its Canton Route in the second half of 2013.

“Our Canton Route via Guangzhou is the new and exciting way for Australians to fly and we are absolutely thrilled that they will soon be able to stop over in this vibrant city with a free transit permit for up to 72 hours to try some authentic Cantonese Yum Cha, enjoy the local culture and shop ‘til they drop,” Mr Chen said.

As part of an ongoing strategy to improve the airline’s inflight service, Mr Chen also announced that a pool of 400 dedicated English-speaking cabin crew were being deployed across the airline’s vast network including on the Sydney A380 and new A330s.

China Southern presently operates 38 weekly flights to the region, with plans to increase to 55 flights by 2015.
For information visit a local travel agent or call 1300 889 628 during AEDST/AEST business hours.

Collector's Room Opens At Gray's Inn, Wollombi

Image: Defiance Gallery, Collector's Room At Gray's Inn

Stellar Chinese, Indian and African antiquities from the 18th and 19th centuries are the grounding objects at the heart of Gray's Inn, Wollombi, between Noyce Brothers' Wines and Panino Cafe. 

Sydney-siders may be familiar with Defiance Gallery, Newtown and its Director, Campbell Roberston-Swann and may also have visited Defiance Sculpture Park At The Gate Gallery, 2480 Wollombi Road, NSW 2325.

Now Defiance has opened The Collector's Room at Gray's Inn and the busy opening night on 21 April saw red dots appearing on a number of highly desirable pieces. Fear not, new acquisitions will await your every visit whether your mission is to add to a collection, buy a piece for decoration or to satisfy your quest for, say, a Buddha figure with a particular significance – protection, meditation, medicine, teaching, contemplation. 

Love the Collector's Room and also enjoy a tasting of Noyce Brothers Wine (exclusive wine Partners to Defiance Gallery and The Gate Gallery) including the desirable The Directors Prize Shiraz 2009, limited release made from  berries selected by Phillip Noyce. Eat great food at Panino Café, also at Gray’s Inn, and your experience is complete. (Panino Cafe T: 02 4998 3355.)

THE COLLECTOR'S ROOM. Access through *The Noyce Brothers Cellar Door or through Panino's Restaurant at 2884 Wollombi Rd, Wollombi NSW 2325. Opening hours Wednesday - Monday 10.30am - 2.30pm

DEFIANCE SCULPTURE PARK AT THE GATE GALLERY, 2480 Wollombi Road, Wollombi, NSW 2325

The Gate Gallery Directors - Willem van Zanten & Caroline M. van Zanten-Klop

10am - 3pm Fri - Mon or by appointment T+61 (0)-2-4998 3370 

www.thegategallery.com.au

DEFIANCE GALLERY, 47 Enmore Road, Newtown, NSW 2042

Director - Campbell Robertson-Swann   Manager - Lauren Harvey11am - 5pm Wed - Sat   T+61 (0)2-9557 8483 

www.defiancegallery.com

*NOYCE BROTHERS CELLAR DOOR, 2884 Wollombi Road, Wollombi NSW 2325 
T+61 (0) 2 4998 3483

Cellar Door open 10.30am–3pm, Monday, Wednesday & Thursday; 10.30am–4.30pm Friday & Saturday; 10.30am–4pm Sunday; closed Tuesday.

www.noycebros.com.au

•Private tastings and tastings outside these hours can also be arranged.

Thanks to Defiance Gallery, The Gate Gallery, Noyce Brothers – and Panino Café for delicious food on a delightful opening night. AP/BCT.

Blue Cockatoo Traveller: Inflatable Stonehenge travels to Hong Kong for Mob...

Blue Cockatoo Traveller: Inflatable Stonehenge travels to Hong Kong for Mob...: Jeremy Deller,  Sacrilege,  Greenwich, 2012  Courtesy of Art Concept, Paris and The Modern Institute/Toby Webster Ltd, Glasgow.  Photo:...

Inflatable Stonehenge travels to Hong Kong for Mobile M+: Inflation

Jeremy Deller, Sacrilege, Greenwich, 2012 

Courtesy of Art Concept, Paris and The Modern Institute/Toby Webster Ltd, Glasgow.  Photo: Jeremy Deller

West Kowloon Cultural District Authority 

Full size inflatable Stonehenge arrives in West Kowloon for Mobile M+: Inflation! 

23 April 2013, Hong Kong: M+ announced today that Sacrilege, a full size inflatable replica of one of the world’s most famous monuments, Stonehenge, will be unveiled in Hong Kong as part of Mobile M+: Inflation!, opening 25th April 2013 (Press Preview 10.30am 24th April 2013). The interactive work, which visitors can bounce on, was created by Turner Prize-winning British artist Jeremy Deller. A co-commission between Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art and the Mayor of London, Sacrilege first appeared in Glasgow before touring major cities across Britain as part of London 2012 Festival. 

 Sacrilege will be placed alongside five other giant inflatable sculptures by local and international artists, including two new commissions created especially for the exhibition by Hong Kong based artist Tam Wai Ping and Chinese artist Cao Fei. The six works will be accompanied by a performance piece by Tomás Saraceno (Argentina) which will be staged on 4 and 25 May and 8 June 2013. 

 Alongside the five other works, Sacrilege will take advantage of the promenade on West Kowloon, the future site of the West Kowloon Cultural District, with an iconic view out over Victoria Harbour. The installation, with inflatable moss covered slabs at over 7m high, and a 35m wide fake green grass base will offer a stark contrast to Hong Kong’s heavily urbanized environment. It’s placement on the site of The Park, creates a fantasy landscape within the city upon the evolving site of West Kowloon. 

By re-presenting one of the world’s most famous existing prehistoric monuments and sites of cultural 

significance as an inflatable sculpture Deller allows audiences to reacquaint themselves with history in a high-spirited and entertaining manner, whilst exploring cultural heritage. 

Monumental artworks of this scale have never been presented alongside one another in Hong Kong, making “Mobile M+: Inflation!” one of the largest contemporary art exhibitions ever mounted in the city to date. The exhibition will be presented on the site of the Park at West Kowloon Cultural District - a fourteen hectare site devoted to arts programming next to M+, Hong Kong’s future museum for visual culture. 

 Inflation! is a part of Mobile M+, a series of pre-opening ‘nomadic’ exhibitions curated by M+ that aim to engage the public ahead of the opening of the museum, scheduled for completion in late 2017. By initiating and realising projects that would not be possible in a single museum building, Mobile M+ seeks to turn the perceived disadvantage of being “rootless” into a strategic advantage by organizing events that embrace a multi-

The exhibition will be accompanied by a series of on-site events ranging from artist talks, workshops, guided tours to performances. 

Lars Nittve said, “I am delighted that the M+ team have been able to secure this incredibly important piece of contemporary art for Hong Kong residents to enjoy. The work was enormously popular when it toured the UK last year, and I can’t wait to see the Hong Kong public’s response. Sacrilege will offer residents a unique experience of interactive public sculpture - hopefully stimulating debate about the kind of works which might be on show in The Park once it opens in 2014. Sacrilege challenges ideas about how art should be displayed and experienced, aligning with M+’s commitment to presenting art in a new dynamic way. Works of art can no longer be classified into fixed genre; which is why M+ will be a museum for visual culture in all its forms. This piece also reflects our commitment to bringing groundbreaking artworks to Hong Kong, as well as supporting local artists.” 

Mobile M+: INFLATION! 

Tues – Thurs: 12pm to 7pm 

Press Preview: Wednesday 24th April, 10.30am 

Fri – Sun: 11am to 8pm 

Closed Mondays 

During Art Basel Hong Kong: 10am – 8pm 

Free of charge 

Venue: West Kowloon Cultural District Promenade 

Sutton PR Asia 

Email: tamsin@suttonprasia.com / phoebe@suttonprasia.com 

M+ 

A centrepiece of Hong Kong's future West Kowloon Cultural District, M+ is the new museum for visual culture, encompassing 20th and 21st century art, design, architecture and the moving image from Hong Kong, China, Asia and beyond. From its vantage point in one of the world's most dynamic regions, M+ seeks, through its exhibitions, programming and permanent collection, to document the past, inform the present and contribute to the future of visual culture within an ever more interconnected global landscape. With the ultimate aim of exploring new ways of seeing, the museum will take a multidisciplinary approach that both challenges and respects existing boundaries while creating a meeting point for a diversity of perspectives, narratives and audiences. M+ has already embarked on a number of public programs and exhibitions, and has begun to assemble its permanent collection, in the run-up to the planned 2017 opening of its 62,000 square-meter (670,000 square-feet) building overlooking Victoria Harbour. M+ will be responsible for integrating and curating art within the park design. 

British artist Jim Lambie takes over Pearl Lam Galleries Hong Kong

Image: Pearl Lam Galleries

Image: Pearl Lam Galleries

HONG KONG, 16 April 2013 

Internationally acclaimed Scottish artist Jim Lambie takes over Pearl Lam Galleries Hong Kong with a major exhibition, The Flowers of Romance opens to the public tomorrow. The exhibition showcases site-specific installations, which give an overview of Lambie’s creative output over the last decade, displaying a mixture of dynamic new works alongside iconic masterpieces from his oeuvre. Lambie’s work is a charged synthesis of colour, line and space, which he employs to challenge viewers’ perceptions. The Flowers of Romance, titled after an early British punk band from the 1970s and studio album by Public Image Ltd released in 1981, represents a unique opportunity to see a number of key works from Lambie’s career which reference popular culture and music. 

....

Pearl Lam Galleries is dedicated to encouraging cultural exchange between the East and West, bringing important Western artists to a new audience in Asia as part of its exciting programme. Jim Lambie’s installation works directly engage with the exhibition space whilst demanding the participation of the audience. As the phenomenon of interactive installation art grows in Hong Kong, Pearl Lam Galleries is once more at the forefront of breaking new boundaries in the Hong Kong art scene.  

“We are delighted to have Jim Lambie’s first solo exhibition in Hong Kong. He is a dynamic and inspiring artist whose energy is pure creativity. I look forward to exposing this artist to the recognition he deserves in Hong Kong and hope that his vision will inspire our visitors as it has done me over the last decade.” Althea Viafora-Kress, International Gallery Director of Pearl Lam Galleries, April 2013

Extract from press release: Erica Siu and Veronica Chu / Sutton PR Asia 

http://www.pearllam.com/

Blue Cockatoo Traveller: Ragley Hall Artist In Residence

Blue Cockatoo Traveller: Ragley Hall Artist In Residence: Dawn Harris, Artist in Residence, Ragley Hall, UK Ragley Hall has announced that Dawn Harris will be its ‘Artist in Resi...