Aboriginal country music icons, internationally-renowned experimentalists, and the world premiere of a groundbreaking installation by multidisciplinary artist Jonathan Zawada in collaboration with Grammy and ARIA Award–winning musician Flume are set to headline the free program for Volume. This pioneering music series, held at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in July, is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of sound and live performance.
On 10 July, Meers Hall in Naala Badu (north building) and John Kaldor Family Hall in Naala Nura (south building) will come alive with Blak Country, a one-night-only event showcasing the icons and rising stars of Aboriginal Australian country music. Featuring performances by Roger Knox, Kyla-Belle Roberts, Loren Ryan, Frank Yamma, Jarrod Hickling, and Kathryn Kelly, Blak Country coincides with NAIDOC Week, celebrating Aboriginal country music as a powerful medium for connection, truth-telling, and catharsis.
On 17 July, the Art Gallery will host Extasis, an evening dedicated to the forefront of ambient, neo-classical, and electronic music innovation. Curated by composer and artist Lawrence English (Room40), Extasis will feature performances by some of the world’s leading experimental musicians. The lineup includes experimental music legend Jim O’Rourke (US) performing live in Sydney for the first time with Eiko Ishibashi (JP), alongside Hand to Earth (AU), Carl Stone (US/JP), Keiji Haino (JP), Nyokabi Kariũki (KE), Chihei Hatkeyama (JP), Gail Priest (AU), and Madeline Cocolas (AU), transforming the Art Gallery into a space of exploratory sonic artistry.
Throughout the weekends during Volume, the Art Gallery will present Play on, play again, play forever, a special series of 30-minute live performances by musicians from the Asylum Seekers Centre in Newtown. These performances will respond to artworks in the Art Gallery’s collection, extending the Art Gallery’s long-standing partnership with the Asylum Seekers Centre. This series creates access and opportunity for asylum seekers who are passionate about the intersection of music and visual art.
In addition to the live music program, Volume includes the debut of a brand-new installation artwork by long-time collaborators, artist Jonathan Zawada and internationally acclaimed producer, DJ, and musician Flume, titled Every dull moment (EDM). The site-specific work has been created for the Art Gallery’s phenomenal Tank space, which will be brought to life with sonics, heady projections and mesmeric lighting and lasers.
On the Volume opening weekend, the Tank will reverberate with cutting-edge experimental pop and electronic drone for Future tilt – a one-off free afternoon of live music on Saturday 6 July at 1–4pm. Kombumerri artist salllvage will set the tone via his mutated field recordings from 2023’s lastwave EP; Ballina-based electronic experimentalist Lydian Dunbar will present a new set filled with beat-synced ambience; and Sydney’s DeepFaith, following their recent US tour supporting Genesis Owusu, will fuse the past, present and the future into a layered kaleidoscope of sonics and projections.
Daytime visitors to the Art Gallery will also experience Threshold, a new music program devised in collaboration with Longform Editions, the internationally renowned, Sydney-based online ‘gallery for listening’. Throughout Volume, four world-premiere compositions can be heard across Naala Badu and Naala Nura by Austrian experimentalist Fennesz, Murri sound artist amby downs, Berlin-based Australian guitarist Jules Reidy, and recent collaborators Sydney’s Seaworthy and Perth’s Matt Rösner.
Volume will be presented at the Art Gallery of New South Wales from Friday 5 July to Sunday 21 July in both Naala Badu and Naala Nura.
Volume ticketed performances ($75–125) are on sale HERE.
No bookings are required for free events.
Free program
Threshold | Saturday 6 July – Sunday 21 July 2024
Future tilt | Saturday 6 July 2024, 1–4pm
Every dull moment (EDM) | Daily Sunday 7 July – Sunday 21 July 2024. 10am–5pm on 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16 July; 10am–10pm on Wednesday 10 July as part of Art After Hours; and 10am–1pm on 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 July. Please note, there is no live performance associated with this event.
Blak Country | Wednesday 10 July 2024, 5–10pm
Extasis | Wednesday 17 July 2024, 5–10pm
Play on, play again, play forever | Performance dates TBA
Ticketed program
Genesis Owusu with support from RONA. | Friday 5 July 2024 | $75–80
Genesis Owusu with support from dameeeela | Saturday 6 July 2024 | $75–80
Tkay Maidza | Saturday 13 July 2024 | $75–80
Kim Gordon | Thursday 18 July & Friday 19 July 2024 | $110–115
André 3000 New Blue Sun LIVE | Saturday 20 July & Sunday 21 July 2024 | $120–125
