Embrace art in the city this weekend with the Heysen Sculpture Biennial exhibition and Embassy at the Art Gallery of South Australia.

Words Elisabeth Marie

Obsessed with olives

Head to the Fleurieu Peninsula on Sunday, October 23 for the South Australian Olive Festival presented by Olives SA at the Peninsula Providore Nangkita Grove. Spend the day enjoying olive seminars, extra virgin olive oil tastings, grove walking tours and cooking demonstrations alongside a farmer’s market, as well as local food and beverage producers and artisans from the region. Try a range of olives and oils, learn how to pickle your own olives or make a delicious salad dressing with free seminars and classes in the Olives SA shed.

Challenging stereotypes

Inspired by the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, the protest camp set up 50 years ago on the lawns of Parliament House in Canberra, Richard Bell’s Embassy will take over the Art Gallery of South Australia’s forecourt for three days of film screenings, talks and discussions from October 21 to 23 as part of the 2022 Adelaide Film Festival. Programmed in collaboration with Bell and Ngarrindjeri/Kaurna artist Dominic Guerrera, Embassy will provide a platform to challenge preconceived ideas and stereotypes about Aboriginal people, art and culture.

Free spirits

Grab your ukulele and place a flower in your hair as the Fleurieu Folk Festival offers a weekend of vibrant music and festivities in Willunga from October 21 to 23. More than 50 musicians – playing everything from indie pop and Americana to blues and Celtic – will accompany dancing, musical theatre and poetry in live entertainment, with visitors able to get involved in workshops and spontaneous jam sessions. Embrace all the region has to offer by indulging in local produce and perusing the pop-up marketplace.

Stunning sculptures

Carrick Hill is hosting this year’s Heysen Sculpture Biennial exhibition in the bushland setting adjacent to the Carrick Hill mansion from October 22 to January 15. Curated by Leah Grace, 23 artists’ sculptural installations based on this year’s theme “Political Climate” will be on display. The exhibition will be open from Wednesday to Sunday and on public holidays from 10am to 4.30pm.

A taste of France

Celebrate French culinary arts this weekend as The City of Unley presents La Semaine du Goût – The Week of Taste. As in France, La Semaine du Goût is an opportunity to learn more about food and enjoy exciting new tastes, all with an emphasis on fresh food and a better diet. On Saturday, October 22, Ginger’s Restaurant will combine entertainment with a French à la carte menu designed for the occasion. French musical group ‘Mélange à Trois’ will accompany the gourmet offerings to create a magical atmosphere. Take the time to sample French food and culture, whether by dropping into a French-influenced café for brunch or picking up a box of delicacies from a local patisserie.

We love whisky

Head to the Torrens Arms’ Kingswood Loft on Sunday, October 23 and partake in a Whisky Masterclass where guests will while raising funds for the Novita Mighty River Run. Diageo, the people behind iconic brands Johnnie Walker and Buchanan’s, will supply a range of bitter-sweet beverages for ticket holders and whisky lovers to taste, analyse and enjoy. All proceeds from the night will be donated to Novita’s Mighty River Run, a charity that supports young people and adults living with disability and helps them achieve their independence, education, career, community, and participation in their life goals.

Make a bang

Purchase your tickets now in anticipation of a dazzling cinematic journey on Tuesday, October 25 as Professor Brian Cox presents Horizons at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre. Horizons is a celebration of our civilisation and an optimistic vision of our future if we continue to explore nature with humility and value ourselves and our fellow human beings. Using LED screen technology, the Adelaide Entertainment Centre will create marvels with images of far-away galaxies, alien worlds, supermassive black holes, and a time before the Big Bang.

For more of what’s on around South Australia this month, pick up the October issue of SALIFE, which is on sale now.