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Come on a surfing safari
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to catch the ultimate wave, to move to the beat of a lifestyle devoted to sun and surf, to leave behind the hurly burly of city life and move with the shifting currents of the ocean?
Well, surf's up dude! Audiences in regional centres along the east coast of Australia can celebrate this national obsession with the coast and the surfing lifestyle by catching a wave to a new touring exhibition by the Gold Coast City Art Gallery.
6ft +clean:surf +art is the first exhibition in Australia to concentrate solely on the lifestyle attributed to surfing. It's an exploration of the culture of surfing through the work of some of Australia's most recognised contemporary artists, including Tracy Moffat, Anne Zahalka, Joe Furlonger, Mark Kimber and Scott Redford.
The exhibition contains around 37 works of art, including paintings, prints, photographs, videos and sculptures and examines themes such as gender, identity, the surfing road trip and the materiality of the board.
With an estimated 2.3 million surfers in Australia, the surfing sub-culture is at the forefront of how Australians embrace the beach, the environment, music and fashion -even the act of surfing can be seen as an art form. It's part of who we are and where we live-an integral part of Australian culture.
The Gold Coast City Art Gallery is taking 6ft +clean: surf +art to regional galleries in Noosa, Coffs Harbour, Manly, Mornington Peninsula, Rockhampton and Townsville throughout 2003.
The exhibition is going on its surfing safari with the help of Visions Australia, the Australian Government grants program supporting touring exhibitions of Australian cultural material.
Visions of Australia is in its eleventh year and continues to give more and more Australians the chance to enjoy our rich and diverse culture. The program encourages and supports cultural and community organisations to develop and tour exhibitions across Australia.
Since it began in 1993, Visions has provided a total of 441 grants for development and touring. Visions of Australia program guidelines and application forms are available on the Department's website www.dcita.gov.au or by calling 1800 819 461.