the influence

the influence   December 2, 2023

Imara Savage on the artworks of Ana Mendieta

Director Imara Savage finds herself constantly drawn to the ‘body–earth’ artworks of Cuban–American artist Ana Mendieta.

the influence   November 25, 2023

Conductor Benjamin Northey on Thus Spake Zarathustra

Benjamin Northey – now celebrating two decades with Melbourne Symphony Orchestra – says Richard Strauss’s Thus Spake Zarathustra is an exemplar of musical storytelling.

the influence   November 18, 2023

Tra Mi Dinh on Ann Veronica Janssens’ installation Blue, Red and Yellow

For dancer and choreographer Tra Mi Dinh, Ann Veronica Janssens’ installation Blue, Red and Yellow is a sensory inspiration.

the influence   November 11, 2023

Jessie French on Newton and Helen Mayer Harrison

The work of groundbreaking eco artists Newton and Helen Mayer Harrison has informed Jessie French’s exploration of a world without petrochemicals.

the influence   November 4, 2023

Stephen Nicolazzo on Madonna’s Girlie Show

For Stephen Nicolazzo, founder of Little Ones Theatre and now artistic director of Brink Productions, Madonna is the reason he makes theatre.

the influence   October 28, 2023

Stanislava Pinchuk on architect Bogdan Bogdanović

The surrealist anti-fascist monuments of Serbian architect Bogdan Bogdanović are a ‘North Star’ for artist Stanislava Pinchuk.

the influence   October 21, 2023

Director Nigel Jamieson on Kathakali classical dance

When he travelled in India as a young man, director Nigel Jamieson encountered Kathakali classical dance and drama – an experience that has informed his entire career.

the influence   October 14, 2023

Anna Cordingley on Gordon Matta-Clark’s Conical Intersect

For theatre designer Anna Cordingley, Gordon Matta-Clark’s radical deconstruction of two Paris houses, Conical Intersect, is a continuing inspiration.

the influence   October 7, 2023

Anandavalli

The biggest influence on Sri Lankan–Australian Anandavalli’s international dance career was the implacable determination of her mother, Lingambikai.

the influence   September 30, 2023

Artist Josipa Draisma on Me and Daphne

When multidisciplinary artist Josipa Draisma was researching the history of migrant women working in Australian factories, she came across Martha Ansara’s 1977 film Me and Daphne – and found her grandmother.

the influence   September 23, 2023

Nicholas Jose on Liu Xiaodong’s Smoker

When Nicholas Jose saw Liu Xiaodong’s painting Smoker, in a Beijing exhibition that expressed the political unrest leading up to Tiananmen Square, it marked a turning point in the writer’s life.