Attorney General and Minister for the Arts Senator George Brandis is not an especially well liked man in the broader arts community at the moment. He recently seized over $100 million from the Australia Council for the Arts, and folks are mighty steamed about it. Hence the George Brandis Live Art Experience. In comic protest, this exhibition (which opens Saturday night) features the Hon. Minister photoshopped into classic works of art.

Just one of the many works dedicated to the glorious leader

Grievously, at the opening of the exhibit in Melbourne one of the pieces, which featured Brandis as an unsmiling Mona Lisa, was stolen.

Max Savage, the co-curator of the exhibition, says they asked on social media for the piece to be returned, but to no avail. Then, when he thought all hope was lost “a random turned up at the gallery with a note to us which was about the stolen Mona Lisa with a drop off location and time. They wanted us to meet them at the Melbourne Eye on Southbank at 9am. I had to trek out in the bitter Melbourne rain to get it”. He didn’t get the art thief’s identity though, as he “had his face covered with a scarf like a true Melbournian hipster. It was all very strange and almost painfully whimsical.”

The Mona Brandis travels in style

The show is opening at The Mill (154 Angas St, Adelaide), and will be accompanied by information on the community response to Brandis’ plans. Whats more there is, allegedly, inexpensive beer on offer.

Assuredly, much revelling is to be had

Now, one could be cheeky and observe that this whole event, in a roundabout way, is actually case in point for those who support cuts to the arts. Here you have independent go getters putting on their own art show, accruing such grassroots success that they’re touring it interstate, and not so much in spite of, but because of the cuts to arts funding, they’re having massive success. The George Brandis Live Art Experience Facebook page has around 20 times more likes than Brandis himself, and the resulting lesson might be, again, if you were being cheeky, that the free market does its job. Heck, they’ve even snagged a sponsor from the private sector.

Either way, whether you want to show how shirty you are about the cuts, or want support some artists who are so vital that they don’t need arts funding to succeed, or plan on stealing the Mona Lisa for yourself, it’s all kicking off at The Mill at 6pm.

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Images:

All images via George Brandis Live Art Experience

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