Kate Beynon Auspicious charms 2008 (detail); Kate Beynon Dragon vision 2008 (detail). Both works courtesy of the artist and Sutton Gallery, Melbourne

» FEMALE characters in Kate Beynon's recent paintings draw power from — and articulate — hybrid identities.

These female characters are surrounded and supported by owls, dragons, bats, orchids, flags and emblems — charms and talismans that draw out aspects of the figures' identities and have the power to influence their futures.

Beynon's paintings carefully incorporate Swarovski crystals grouped into clusters revealing her ongoing interest into how symbols can relate to people.

In the exhibition of her work, Auspicious Charms for Transcultural Living at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the central figure has a tattoo on her arm of a Taoist talisman depicting a shaman dancing over a fire wheel — a symbol which offers protection and cure from diseases.

The exhibition is on display until October 26.

Beynon's practice includes installation, wall-based sculptures, digital animation, drawing and printmaking.

Beynon was born in Hong Kong to a Malaysian-born Chinese mother and Welsh father before her family immigrated to Australia when she was four.

While Beynon's personal history is just one influence on her practice, it can be seen as both a starting point and a metaphor for her exploration of the complexities of identity and culture.

Art Gallery of New South Wales, The Domain. 10am-5pm daily, Art After Hours every Wednesday until 9pm. Free admission.

Works by Laurent Cambon

» RECENT work by Laurent Cambon will be on display at Balmain's Breathing Colours Gallery until August 24.

Cambon's current work is a whimsical take on the geological maps his father consulted and with which he was fascinated from an early age.

Taking inspiration from this graphical representation of the land, he has created his own visual language. Colored contour lines, crosses and dots combine to create these vibrant energetic paintings.

Born in Limerick to French parents, Cambon spent his youth traveling between North America and France. He settled in Paris and trained as a chef de cuisine. It was here in Paris that his passion for art flourished.

A desire to travel led him on a round the world tour which culminated in 1996 with his first solo exhibition at Wadi Gallery in Bondi. The success of this exhibition led to many more solo and group shows throughout Sydney.

Cambon is represented by Loumax gallery in the Blue Mountains where he currently hangs his hat.

Breathing Colours Gallery, 446 Darling St, Balmain, phone (02) 9555 8543. Until August 24. Gallery hours Wednesday-Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday 11am-4pm.

Francis J Mortimer Untitled (seascape) 1906-11 gelatin silver photograph, 40.8 x 37cm Gift of Molly Roberson (nee Mortimer) 1996; Francis J Mortimer Big wave hunting (taken at Isles of Scilly) gelatin silver photograph, gold tone, 11 x 16.5cm Gift of Molly Roberson (nee Mortimer) 1996; Francis J Mortimer Untitled (nude woman on leopard skin) c.1917 gelatin silver photograph, 7 x 4.5cm Gift of Molly Roberson (nee Mortimer) 1996

» ENGLISH pictorialist Francis J Mortimer felt that images of the imagination could be realised and those of the natural world enhanced through image manipulation, a method proponents of "purist" negative-perfect photography dismissed as print-making mimicry.

An acclaimed pictorialist photographer, Mortimer was a pioneer of the bromoil process. Famed for his dramatic seascapes, he strove as both artist and editor for photography's recognition as an art form.

The current exhibition includes Dutch scenes, patriotic British WWI home-front images and examples of Mortimer's refined techniques.

The Francis J Mortimer exhibition at the Art Gllery of New South Wales should not only prove thought-provoking but also provide greater insight into photography as art.

Art Gallery of New South Wales, until October 26. 10am-5pm daily. Art After Hours every Wednesday until 9pm. Admission free.

Rosemary Laing, weather #12, 2006, C-type photograph, 110 x 182 cm Courtesy Galerie Lelong, New York; Galerie Conrads, Dusseldorf; and Tolarno Galleries, Melbourne

» AUSTRALIA'S largest international contemporary art festival, the 2008 Biennale of Sydney, comes to a close in September.

Providing an insight into the diversity and depth of contemporary art from all over the world through free exhibitions and talks, and free ferry service to Cockatoo Island, the Biennale closes on September 7.

Tamy Ben-Tor, The Dance of the Albino Rat, 2006, Performance at Stux Gallery, New York. Courtesy of the artist and Zach Feuer Gallery Photo: Zach Feuer Gallery

For those interested in contemporary art, this is a multi-venue festival that should not be missed with more than 180 artists exhibiting their work and Biennale events most days.

This year's Biennale Sydney venues are the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Museum of Contemporary Art, Artspace, Sydney Opera House, Royal Botanic Gardens, Cockatoo Island (take the ferry from West Circular Quay) and, on the Net, revolutionsonline.

With the number of events — and their locations — included in this festival, it's best to refer to the Biennale of Sydney website for an overview of the program and details of each event.

» THIS sculpture of pears guards the approach to the National Gallery of Australia which lies at the base of the triangle formed by Commonwealth Ave, Kings Ave and Lake Burley Griffin with the Australian Parliament at its apex. The pears are the work of George Baldesin (1929-1978) who was born in Italy and lived in Australia from 1949 after having lived and worked in England, Italy, Brazil and France. The National Gallery of Australia building was opened in 1982 and houses permanent and visiting exhibitions covering a wide spectrum of Australian and other countries' art.

» THE art galleries and museums in Canberra are close enough to Sydney for a day's visit.

Be sure to visit the National Gallery of Australia (check out the current exhibitions) and the National Museum of Australia which is a repository of much Aboriginal art and artefacts.

If visiting the Australian Parliament, you can almost saunter down to the Old Parliament House which houses the Australian Portrait Gallery.

If military art and artefacts interest you, a visit to the Australian War Memorial may be worthwhile.

Students and families with children can also have an enjoyable couple of hours at Questacon, the national science and technology centre.

thesydneyscene is published weekly except in the last two weeks in December and the first two weeks in January.
Copyright 2008 Larry Rivera