If art is in your blood, then it certainly has to be in your wedding.
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So it makes perfect sense for one of Newcastle's premier art couples, Zana Kobayashi and Patrick Mavety, to be getting married in an art gallery with a tailor-made exhibition as a backdrop.
The wedding is Saturday at Newcastle Art Space, with the reception inside the building amidst a purposely-designed matching exhibition, Alpha + Omega, by Newcastle Jen Denzin.
Kobayashi, the audience lead at Newcastle Art Gallery, is a friend and fan of Denzin, well-known for extravagantly creative art installations. So when the two creative minds came together, the result was Denzin making an exhibition, Alpha + Omega, that would also serve as the backdrop for Kobayashi's wedding in Newcastle Art Space.
Patrick Mavety is a Newcastle visual artist. He maintains a studio at Onwards Gallery and Studios, and just finished his latest show, Deciduous Dream, at Straitjacket Gallery in Broadmeadow.
The dazzling Alpha + Omega show is full of gold and colour. It includes a cosmic egg illustration, crashed meteors hanging from the ceiling, disco cucumbers and bones encrusted with jewels on a catacomb wall.
Denzin's approach to developing her concepts involves a mix of ancient philosophy, life, death, eternity, the sacred, the profane and pop culture.
"I love Jen's work so much. I think she's amazing. I just want to support her," Kobayashi said.
"The crazier her ideas got, the calmer I got, because I was 'who could have a terrible time in this?' It will be so fun and fabulous, people will have a blast.
"She kept apologising. 'Sorry, sorry. I'm going to have diamante-encrusted bones in a catacomb, sorry, is that alright?' I want everything that you want."
Kobayashi has some impressive creative cred of her own, as organiser of the notorious Bender events at The Lock-Up creative space and the driving force behind the popular Friday night art parties at Newcastle Art Gallery.
Zana and Patrick's wedding party will include entertainment by three DJs and Zana's close friends and musicians Grace Turner, Kira Piru and Zachary Watt.
Denzin's exhibition includes materials such as tinsel, CD cases, and cable ties made into reimagined celestial themed environments.
A major feature is a colourful wall-sized cosmic egg, a vision of eternity and the origin of things.
And on other side of the room, the catacombs, featuring rhinestone-coated bones, a representation of divinity.
There's a special "kimono room", featuring a wedding kimono given to Zana's father Hideaki, by his Japanese friends. How the room plays out on the night remains a surprise, but expect black lights and rock 'n' roll, Zana says.
Denzin's approach to developing her concepts involves a mix of ancient philosophy, life, death, eternity, the sacred, the profane and pop culture.
Denzin takes inspiration from Saint Hildegard, an 11th century writer, composer, philosopher. Hildegard has also become a figure of reverence within the New Age Movement, because of her holistic and natural view of healing, as well as her status as a mystic.
Denzin is also influenced by the late Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen, artist Corita Kent.
Alpha + Omega is open to the public from Thursday, May 2, and culminates in a launch party on Friday, May 10, at 6pm, with a disco theme.
Jim Kellar
Jim Kellar writes about culture, art, food, drinks and music. He's been a journalist at the Newcastle Herald since 1997. jkellar@newcastleherald.com.au
Jim Kellar writes about culture, art, food, drinks and music. He's been a journalist at the Newcastle Herald since 1997. jkellar@newcastleherald.com.au
