Exclusive to Sydney this summer, the Art Gallery of New South Wales presents Pop to popism, the most comprehensive collection of pop art ever to be seen in Australia, from 1 November 2014 to 1 March 2015.

With school holidays just around the corner, families will have every reason to visit the exhibition with a specially designed space called POP PLAY.

POP PLAY is a first for the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Never before has the Gallery had a dedicated family space so integrated with the art.

Victoria Collings, Senior Coordinator, Education Programs at the Gallery, said POP PLAY is designed to cater for the young and young at heart: ‘Pop art is playful, witty and dynamic, so it is an ideal opportunity to bring that experience to life for adults and children alike.’

From the Andy Warhol-inspired Marilyn Monroe feature wall, which allows visitors to pop their face through the cut out and embrace a moment of Marilynesque fame, to a library space complete with educational pop art books and cushions, POP PLAY has been designed to encourage visitors of all ages to interact with art in new and exciting ways.

Activities include pop twister, which features a uniquely designed large twister mat using the face of Andy Warhol’s famous Marilyn Monroe. The game is housed in a shiny, silver cube, reminiscent of The Factory, Andy Warhol’s art studio. Families are invited to immerse themselves, and step back in time to the sixties.

Children can embrace their inner pop artist in POP PLAY by designing their own soup can based on Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s soup cans and the comic book imagery of Roy Lichtenstein. The finished artworks can then be taken home or hung on the Gallery walls. Children are also invited to make their own colourful collage using stickers of iconic 1960s pop culture, food and space-age robots.

Pop to popism comes with a children’s trail, a specially designed route around the exhibition for children, which is complemented by a children’s audio guide and dedicated labels. More than 30 works have been interpreted just for children.

During January, the Gallery will offer a range of free school holiday programs, including Popcornucopia, a performance series that brings pop art to life using mime, magic and illusion, and drop-in workshops that allow children to ‘makeover’ the Galley with a paper pop-up of the facade.

Part of the Sydney International Art Series, Pop to popism features 200 works by more than 70 of pop’s greatest artists – many of which have never before been exhibited in Australia. Spanning three decades, from the mid 1950s to the 1980s, it traces pop from its origins through to its heyday, and its enduring legacy both in Australia and abroad.

Featured artists include Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, David Hockney, Jeff Koons, Brett Whiteley, Richard Hamilton, Martin Sharp, Gilbert and George, Cindy Sherman, Martha Rosler, Ed Ruscha, Peter Blake, Richard Larter, Niki de Saint Phalle and Maria Kozic.

A special Sydney International Art Pass is also available, providing discounted entry to both Pop to popism at the Art Gallery of New South Wales and Chuck Close: prints, process and collaboration at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia.

More information

Sydney International Art Pass

Join the conversation

#sydneygoespop

Twitter
Instagram
Facebook