Visual Arts Program 1999
The theme for Mardi Gras this year was 'equality in diversity', a catchphrase that seems to epitomise one of the most fundamental operations- and problems--of the festival. How do you sufficiently represent a community that is infinitely diverse? Mardi Gras is ultimately a community festival, and the inclusion of work that reflects its various aspects, while not always meeting the usual standards of artistic merit, is still very much part of its brief. The opportunity for artists to show work that doesn't get seen in galleries eleven months of the year is a valuable one, and the jumble of work that is presented every February provides Mardi Gras with a unique and often surprising edge.
As the festival has grown, so have expectations, and this cannot help but shift the focus away from community arts towards the larger, higher-profile events. Mardi Gras is a proposal-driven festival, and as it pulls more visitors and greater critical coverage, the larger galleries and institutions have become increasingly involved. This has not proved all bad: it has provided the chance to see artists we may not otherwise see, particularly international artists; and has also provided a critical dialogue that recalls Meaghan Morris' defence of the institution as an opportunity for 'serious politics'.
One of the developments has been a more concerted effort at cultural diversity within the program. The involvement of spaces such as Gallery 4A and Boomalli has meant greater Asian and Aboriginal content. An emphasis on indigenous involvement has been a feature of the directorship of Jonathan Parsons, who has been at the helm since 1997. Each year his Festival Director's message evokes the traditional owners of the Sydney area, and the