Sharmonie Cockayne

Richard Kern has never been one to conform. The filmmaker, photographer, and provocateur's work has been exhibited at MoMA and the Whitney, featured in Purple and The Face, and compiled into twenty-eight books. His photographs have served as a mirror, exposing the underbelly of desire and the contradictions that come with it. But over time, the reception of his work has evolved. What once provoked outrage has been absorbed into the cultural mainstream. The shock has faded, the controversy repackaged.

Australian composer and performer Lisa Lerkenfeldt investigates electroacoustic music through piano, tape loops and digital processing. Her work combines traditional instrumentation with experimental techniques, emphasising sound’s physicality and cyclical structures. At her residencies in Paris and Melbourne, the latter At The Above, she integrates historical and contemporary influences, working with restored pianos, analogue hardware, and modern technology.

“Jack of all trades, master of none,” warns the adage. Yet for Melbourne-based artist Scotty So, the caution hardly applies, for versatility is the very foundation of his mastery. From performance to sculpture, video to photography, So’s practice encompasses a variety of mediums, each serving as a lens to examine themes of authenticity, legacy, and the passage of time. In an art world that often prizes specialisation, So prefers the infinite, at times unexpected, possibilities of range.