Author talk: Kitty Hauser on Art Mania - Geoffrey Bardon and the Painting Men of Papunya

Discover Art Mania: Geoffrey Bardon and the Painting Men of Papunya, Kitty Hauser’s compelling biography of the young teacher who, through his involvement with Aboriginal artists in the Western Desert in 1971–72, was long credited with setting the Aboriginal art movement in motion. The first biography of Geoffrey Bardon, the book draws on unprecedented access to his archive to explore his complex legacy and the story behind the emergence of the Papunya painting movement. Kitty Hauser will also explore Geoffrey Bardon’s connections to Bondi and Randwick areas. About the Author: Kitty Hauser is a British-born writer and historian based in Sydney, interested in innovative ways of doing history and writing lives using text, images and archives. Her books include Shadow Sites; Bloody Old Britain: O.G.S. Crawford and the Archaeology of Modern Life; and This Is Bacon. Her writing has been published in the London Review of Books, ArtForum, New Left Review and Granta. Book Reviews: ‘Geoffrey Bardon was a lightning rod for a forcefield of cultural expression and aspirations he had only the most vestigial understanding of. Hauser examines how this brush with a different cognitive realm both remade and undid him… Art Mania is an engrossing and sensitive appraisal of cross-cultural dissonance, and a welcome addition to the ripple effect of Bardon’s precipitate plunge into the Western Desert sensibility.’ – Kim Mahood ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................... Parking: If you are driving, parking is available under the library, with entry from Ebley Street. Parking is free for stays of up to 2 hours only. If you park for longer than 2 hours, the full parking fee will apply. To validate your free parking, please enter your number plate details on the iPad located on the wall next to the lift on the ground floor. You don't need to be a library member to attend our events but we do value your membership and would you love you to join. Discover everything the library has to offer including free eBooks, audiobooks, movie streaming and so much more. Visit our website to find out more and subscribe to our email newsletter to stay up to date with our amazing range of events.