Podcast
Art Smitten
Hosted by SYN Media · EN
With a focus on the contemporary art scene in Naarm / Melbourne, we’re here to showcase art and culture. Contributors and presenters interview, review, and cover current and upcoming exhibitions, practices and everything in between. Art Smitten is the place for expanding your knowledge of art!
Art Smitten is a SYN Media Podcast.
20episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
RMIT Fine Art Graduates + 2025 reflections (finale for 2025)
Feb 2500:47:58Tap to summarizeFor our last episode of 2025, Art Smitten is bringing you interviews with recent School of Art graduates from RMIT 🖼️ 🌟Arabella, Millie and Tully will be in the studio to share their experiences of art school, the final works that appeared in the grad show and what they have coming up next!And to all those who completed their degree this year, a big congratulations from us all !! 🙌Art Smitten airs Mondays 3-5pm on SYN 90.7fm, online or via the Community Radio Plus app 📻@rmit_art @rmituniversity @synmedia @milliehopton @arabellalallaa @tully.lmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →
Special Features - Music as Art
Feb 2000:23:12Tap to summarizeThis interview is part of a segment called Music as Art, implemented by Dani Roche. In this edition, we will be hearing from the members of Special Features for our Music as Art segment! 🥁Special Features @specialfeaturesband is a heavy alt-rock band from Meanjin/Brisbane, and they spoke with Dani about how they create their music, their influences and views on music as an art form!Tune in Mondays 3-5pm on SYN 90.7fm @synmedia , online or via the Community Radio Plus app 📲Image credit 📸 : Kyle Dobie via Triple J unearthedSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →
Schoolhouse Studios + art reflections
Feb 2000:39:54Tap to summarizeOur team went on a super special excursion to the folks at Schoolhouse Studios in Coburg to learn more about the spaces, ethos and artists that inhibit this former supermarket space! 🛒 We spoke with Director Bron Belcher along with residents Ashley, Rhys and Mae to hear first hand the importance and impact of places like this in Naarm/Melbourne's art ecology. Art Smitten airs Mondays 3-5pm on SYN 90.7fm @schoolhouse_studios See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →
Poetry Special with Lili from Roundtable Readings + Jen in Japan!
Feb 1800:57:56Tap to summarizeArt Smitten is bringing you a special on poetry this episode ✍️To begin, we hear from our Executive Producer Jen all the way in Tokyo to share a little bit of her trip and examples of poetry within Japanese art 🖼️ that she has seen in the galleries. Then, the Art Smitten team share poetic extracts they love or share favourite poems of their own.🩵 Finally, Lili from Roundtable Readings joins us for an interview ~ sharing the importance of communal reading events plus a poem or two! 💫 @roundtablereadings @morningbreathingexercises Art Smitten airs on SYN 90.7fm Mondays 3-5pm.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →
Art that has moved us
Jan 2101:00:02Tap to summarizeOn this episode of Art Smitten, presenters Afrina, Astra, Larissa and Tyra shared the art that has moved them. Tyra begins with the 2025 film 'Sinners' dir. by Ryan Coogler; Larissa speaks on her observations of the legal system in Reginald Rose's '12 Angry Men', Afrina reflects on the cultural resilience and beauty of Yosef Phelan's practice; and Astra wraps up with a comparison on loneliness in Edward Hopper's paintings and the film 'Perfect Days' by Wim Wenders. Art Smitten airs on SYN90.7fm Mondays 3-5pm. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →
Art Criticism - with Victoria Perin from Memo Review
Jan 700:51:15Tap to summarizeArt Smitten is bringing you a special episode on Art Criticism✍️🗞️ The team will be chatting about the importance and the impact of criticism of art in all forms, as well as our own views on how criticism effects our encounters with art.Plus, we are joined by art historian and critic Victoria Perin from Memo Review — a weekly independent art criticism platform running since 2017, to give us an insight into the local criticism ecosystem📰 @memo_review@_victoriaperin@synmedia Art Smitten airs Monday 3-5pm on SYN 90.7fmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →
Pepper at NCM + 'Her' (2013) film review
Jan 300:34:46Tap to summarizeThis episode of Art Smitten features our conversation with humanoid robot Pepper who is currently on display at the National Communication Museum in Hawthorn.Restored for their current exhibition ‘Friend’, we asked Pepper many pressing questions including if robots will take over the world… 😳😳 Jesse from NCM Studio also spoke with us about their role in robot restoration and the other machines within 'Friend'. In the second half of this episode, our wonderful Astra shares his thoughts on Spike Jonze's film 'Her' - reflecting on human loneliness and its resonance in today's AI chat-bot filled world. Art Smitten airs Mondays 3-5pm on SYN 90.7fm. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →
Archives are Hot! with Amy Spiers + 'Love Serenade' (1996) film analysis by Tyra
Dec 2900:40:28Tap to summarizeArt Smitten is joined by Amy Spiers in this episode to discuss the ‘Archives Are Hot! Artists in the Archive’ program developed by Next Wave in collaboration with CAST, Saluhan and An.Other Collective. Our presenter Tyra will also be sharing a review of Love Serenade (1996) directed by Shirley Barrett 📽️ Listen in to hear our discussion on what it means to be a socially engaged artist/researcher, what CAST is doing for researchers and our thoughts on current Feminist discourse through the lens of this late 90's film. Art Smitten airs on SYN 90.7fm.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →
Artist Interview with Aisha Hara + Review of 'French Impressionism' at the NGV
Dec 1800:47:51Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Art Smitten, we are fortunate to be joined by artist Aisha Hara who recently had an exhibition at CAVES 🌼titled 'Green Age'.Aisha is a Japanese-Australian visual artist based in Naarm/Melbourne. She is interested in the intersections of painting and translation and her exhibition is a response to the poetics of spring as found in tanka poetry 🎐We also had a discussion about NGV's recent winter blockbuster 'French Impressionism: from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston' after our Executive Producer Jen visited the show in its final days.@aisha__hara@caves.naarm 📻 Art Smitten airs Mondays 3-5pm on SYN 90.7fm @synmediaImage credit: Risograph poster for 'Green Age' by Aisha HaraSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →
Review: F., Riot Stage (Poppy Seed Festival)
Dec 6, 2016Tap to summarizeF. is a theatre production by Riot Stage, a youth theatre company based in Melbourne. It is part of Poppy Seed Festival, Poppy Seed is in its second year, it aimed producing shows made by independent and emerging theatre companies. F. followed a lives of a group of teenagers, it was composed of short scenes playing out different stories throughout the show, they sometimes became connected and it all ending in a huge stylised movement and piece. These explored all sorts of themes around being in the world as a teenager in modern Australia. It focused a lot on mental health, queerness and sexuality, the internet and consent. F. felt like a devised show, but it was written by Morgan Rose, the writing was very naturalistic, almost as if it was verbatim. Stylistically it was very beautiful it had a strong and clear aesthetic and mood, the lighting design was very beautiful and precise, although I liked the sound design, I felt like I wanted a bit more, the space F. was performed in was pretty big, sometimes the space felt empty, I feel like it could have been filled up with a creative use of sound design. The performances from the ensemble were fantastic; it’s great to see a youth theatre still going strong after the youth arts funding cuts. I was sad to see that only the names of the ensemble were listed in the program and they didn’t get a full bio, I can’t wait to see what these performers move onto next. I felt very connected with many of the characters, the stories they told were very relatable and very realistic. F. was a delightful, dark and intelligent work by a fantastic ensemble of young people. It gave a great insight into what it is like growing up in Australia today in the age of the Internet. F. has been the most diverse show in Poppy Seed, the lack of diversity within this festival has been disappointing, I hope to see more diversity in years to come, including cultural background, ability, and it would be great to see Poppy Seed giving space for theatre companies from a rural area. I also feel disappointed in the lack of accessibility to the festival venues, the butterfly club has no wheelchair access and I called the trades hall in Carlton and they said wheelchair access was very tricky. To me, being a theatre maker and artist should mean allowing access to people of all abilities to your shows, this may mean diverting funds from other places to book venues that are a bit more expensive but accessible, making sure there is Auslan interpretation and audio description, these things may be expensive but I think it is important, theatre and art should be for everyone. These issues aside Poppy Seed is an excellent initiative, should and needs to be supported so that they can afford to make the changes they need to with accessibility and diversity, they give independent and emerging artists a great space to explore and put up work on at a main stage, which is exciting and a great addition to Melbourne’s theatre scene, so let’s keep supporting it and making sure future theatre makers get the same opportunity. F. is showing at The Trades Hall in Carlton South until December 11th.Written by Ebony Beaton.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →