Excellent Exhibitions in Sydney

Sydney seems to be the place to go at the moment for excellent, highly educational exhibitions. I spent a week there recently. Here are my picks of exhibitions worth visiting:

"The First Emperor: China's Entombed Warriors", Art Gallery of NSW, December 2, 2010 - March 13, 2011

Lots of wonderful and intriguing artefacts from the time of the First Emperor of China, Qin Shihuang, who died in 210BC.

There is plenty of pottery and gold jewellery to ooh and aah over, but by far the most popular aspect of the exhibition is the examples of the ten types of terracotta army statues - eight different kinds of warriors and two kinds of horses. They stand under spotlights in an almost completely darkened room, giving them a mysterious and quite creepy aura.

What surprised me was how big they were - pretty much life-size when you get up close. It's amazing to think that of the 1900 warriors they have uncovered so far, no two are identical. Were the modelled on real-life soldiers? And, as the popular myth suggests, were these soldiers then encased alive in the clay?

At the end of the exhibition, you get some freebies to take home with you:

terracotta warrior paper doll, which you can dress up in different outfits, and his horse:

and your very own General's breastplate, to pop out and wear if the fancy takes you:

Additional comments:

• could be used to supplement teaching in ancient history or Chinese
• great exhibition if you think you may never make it to China and/or the tomb warriors
• the exhibition seems a little short for what you pay for, so take your time when browsing
• book your tickets online before you go. We went on a public holiday and had to queue for tickets for an hour, and then had to queue again to get into the exhibition.

 "Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer's Life, 1990-2005", Museum of Contemporary Art, 140 George St, The Rocks, November 19, 2010 - March 27, 2011

Celebrating the life and works of photographer Annie Leibovitz.

The exhibition includes Leibovitz's fascinating portraits of celebrities, such as Nicole Kidman (my personal favourite - the one featured on the poster), Brad Pitt, the Trumps and Demi Moore (including the controversial Vanity Fair cover of Moore when pregnant), as well as landscapes from some of her travel assignments. You can see some of her pictures on the MCA's website (click on the link above).

The exhibition also documents Leibovitz's close relationship with the writer Susan Sontag, and her family, including the 3 children that she had when in her 50s.

Additional comments:

• the educational applications are not immediately apparent, though I felt strongly when I was there that older students in particular would benefit, even just to see what good photography looks like
• probably not recommended for young children, although I did see some there. There is some nudity and sexual references. The teenage boys seemed very interested in the shot of Melania Trump wearing a gold bikini while standing in a jet!

 "An Edwardian Summer", Museum of Sydney, Cnr Phillip and Bridge Streets, December 11, 2010 - April 26, 2011

Immerse yourself in the Edwardian era in Australia, thanks to the photographs of Sydney lawyer and socialite Arthur Wigram Allen.

His photos are a wonderful glimpse into the era, including the development of the motorcar and the fun of going on picnics to the bush, the ridiculous rules on swimsuits for bathing at beaches, and more sombre events, such as the death of Queen Victoria and the troops leaving for World War I.


You can even try on some Edwardian hats for size!