Arts
Strings attached for octets
Mark CoughlanWhat would festival directors do without the Mendelssohn octet?
Flair is not enough
Suzannah ConwayThe Queensland Symphony Orchestra has a terrific opening program for this season, but the performances lack passion.
Awkward silences add meaning
CHRIS BOYDDo you ever wonder how many times your life is gonna end ... totally change and then, like, start all over again?
Spellbinding virtuosity
MURRAY BLACKMaxim Vengerov’s performance with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra exceeded all expectations.
Scorsese’s spiritual quest
PHILIPPA HAWKERThe longer he pondered how to tackle Silence, the better the director understood that less is more.
Baftas: Royalty hits red carpet
British royalty has joined Hollywood royalty as the awards are handed out at the Baftas in London.
Winners list at SAG
The the 23rd Screen Actors Guild Awards were filled with surprise winners against a backdrop of political comment.
Saga of missionary misery
DAVID STRATTONMartin Scorsese’s love/hate relationship with the church has been given another outing in his new film, Silence.
Older and a bit less fun
Stephen RomeiThe Trainspotting cast is reunited for the much-anticipated sequel. Sadly, it won’t be remembered as their best work.
Such is motherhood
GRANTLEE KIEZANed Kelly’s heartbroken mother had some important advice for her son when she visited him before he was hanged.
Something wicked
GRAEME BLUNDELLThe adaptation of Big Little Lies transports its malevolence and mystery from Sydney to California.
Approaching the long goodbye
Peter CravenMargaret Drabble’s new novel is a wisdom book that should be in every school and library.
Saga of missionary misery
DAVID STRATTONMartin Scorsese’s love/hate relationship with the church has been given another outing in his new film, Silence.
Older and a bit less fun
Stephen RomeiThe Trainspotting cast is reunited for the much-anticipated sequel. Sadly, it won’t be remembered as their best work.
Comedy of errors
Justin BurkeHow has a one-act play that began life in a small London theatre found its way to Australia and Broadway?
Moved by tragedy
Sharon VerghisChoreographer and dancer Crystal Pite has embraced the unsettling darkness of one man’s personal loss.
Between friends
CHRISTOPHER ALLENThe Margaret Olley exhibition shows how sociability and learning together can enrich an artist’s experience.
Tangka with a twist
Bronwyn WatsonNepal-born artist Tsherin Sherpa has combined a Buddhist tradition with abstract concepts in a striking work.
Australian story
CAMERON PEGGIt doesn’t take long for playwright Michelle Law to land a punch on Pauline Hanson in her play.
Warhol’s work in progress
MATTHEW WESTWOODBefore he became a pop art icon, the artist honed his skills in advertising.
‘Revolutionaries’ salute the past
EAMONN KELLYFive decades after its birth during the Cultural Revolution, this dance work continues to inflame passions.
OUR TEAM
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Ashleigh Wilson
Arts Editor
Sydney Bureau, Australia
Ashleigh Wilson has been arts editor since 2011. He has been at the paper for more than 15 years in various roles around the country, including several years as Darwin correspondent. In 2006, he and Nicolas Rothwell won a Walkley award for coverage of indigenous affairs. In 2013, he signed a contract with Text Publishing to write a biography of the late Australian artist Brett Whiteley. Wilsona@theaustralian.com.au Twitter: @ashleighbwilson -
Tim Douglas
Review Editor
Sydney Bureau, Australia
Tim Douglas is editor of Review. He was The Australian's Deputy Arts Editor from 2011 to 2013, and has worked as a reporter, features writer and editor on newspapers including The Scotsman, The Edinburgh Evening News, Scots national arts magazine The List, and the Illawarra Mercury. douglast@theaustralian.com.au Twitter: @TimDouglas_Aus -
Matthew Westwood
National Arts Correspendent
Sydney Bureau, Australia
Matthew Westwood, the newspaper's chief arts correspondent, was arts editor from 2008 to 2011. He has been writing about the performing arts, particularly classical music and opera, for two decades. He writes a column in the arts pages every Tuesday. westwoodm@theaustralian.com.au Twitter @matthewwestwood -
Stephen Romei
Literary Editor
Sydney Bureau, Australia
Stephen Romei is The Australian's literary editor. He blogs at A Pair of Ragged Claws and can also be found on Twitter and Facebook. When pressed, he nominates Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment as his favourite book, though sometimes it's Moby Dick. romeis@theaustralian.com.au Twitter @PairRaggedClaws -
Michaela Boland
Journalist
Sydney Bureau, Australia
Michaela Boland has been The Australian's national arts writer since 2009. For the decade before that she was the Australia reporter and theatre critic for Variety, and film and television contributor to the Australian Financial Review. With Michael Bodey she co-wrote Aussiewood, How Australia's leading actors and directors conquered Hollywood. The pair record a weekly showbiz podcast Creative Tension. bolandm@theaustralian.com.au Twitter @michaelamarea -
Justin Burke
Arts Journalist
Sydney Bureau, Australia
Justin Burke is a journalist and TV critic at The Australian. He is a graduate of the UTS, Sydney (Bachelor of Business) and the University of Sydney (Master of US Studies). He joined The Australian in 2012. burkej@theaustralian.com.au Twitter: @justinburke
Our Objective
The Australian’s arts section is the nation’s most authoritative source of cultural coverage. It’s where you can find the latest news stories, in-depth features and reviews canvassing the latest performances, events, exhibitions, personalities, trends and artistic developments taking place in Australia and beyond. Our team of writers, reviewers and columnists are leaders in their fields and their expertise unrivalled.
