The Executive Director of Artspace shares her favorite coastal walk for whale watching and what to look out for during the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras

My Sydney: curator Alexie Glass-Kantor

What does the word ‘Sydney’ evoke for you?
Sydney is located on the Aboriginal lands of the Gadigal peoples of the Eora Nations. The city is bordered by water – including the Pacific Ocean and three rivers ­– and the gorgeous Blue Mountains. Gadigal land is evocative of ever-changing light and diverse and dynamic communities. Sydney is a place where you can live seamlessly between outdoors and indoors, and there is a welcoming and open attitude.
What is your first memory of Sydney?
Summer and salt water. 
Where do you feel most at home?
Walking the costal track from Bronte to Bondi. It’s the first thing I do when I come back to Sydney from anywhere and it’s beautiful for the rock art and whale watching.

What is the mark of a true ‘Sydneysider’?
It’s likely you can spell ‘Woolloomooloo’ – and know it’s where you can find Artspace. Sydneysiders are intrepid, curious, and friendly, but because the greater city is so vast there is a depth to local knowledge and a sense of suburban pride that can veer into the competitive and territorial.
Which famous figure best embodies Sydney?
My figure is both a group and a sound: When I hear the engines revving of the Dykes on Bikes – one of Australia’s longest running LGBTQIA+ community groups – at the outset of every Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, I can’t help but clap! I know the parade to follow will be a dervish of sequins, feathers, and interpretive dance, and the growling engines of the Dykes on Bikes embody an energy that I’m here for.

Your favorite place for breakfast?
A.P Bakery, which was founded in 2021 during Covid lockdowns and originally had no fixed address. You can now find it every Saturday on the rooftop of Paramount House.
Where are the best boutiques?
Innovative and artisan-driven Australian designers such as Romance Was Born, Jac + Jack, A-ESQUE, and P.A.M. can be found in a mixture of boutiques crisscrossing from Sydney’s Oxford Street in Darlinghurst to the intersection at Glenmore Road and up to William Street in Paddington. For a vintage mix, hit up King Street and Enmore Road in Sydney’s Inner West.
Who would be on the guest list for your dream dinner party in Sydney?
An ideal Sydney dinner party would be catered by Kylie Kwong from Lucky Kwong, with shared platters and noisy chatter. You’d invite 20 inspiring folks – some recognizable, some wanting to be, and others just keeping it low key. You don’t name drop who’s who, you just mix it up.

Where do you go out in Sydney?
About 5 years ago, the strong policing of lockout laws started to prohibit late nights out in this city. As a work-around, I host a self-titled ‘Tiny House Party’ once a year in my apartment – I’ll cram as many friends in as possible with artist and DJ Stephen Ormandy often on the decks. 
Which artwork best represents Sydney?
Wiradjuri and Kamilaroi artist Jonathan Jones is in the final stages of completing a public art commission for the campus of the Art Gallery of New South Wales and Sydney Modern called bíal gwiyúŋo (the fire is not yet lighted). It is a garden of indigenous plants that will incorporate space for gathering and learning centered on care for country and the environment.
What is the craziest thing you have ever heard or seen on the streets of Sydney?
Sydney hosted WorldPride 2023 in March this year. It was 17 days of joy and intoxication. Everyone was invited to be their truest selves and the streets were jamming. It was an absolute celebration of freedom of expression and fluid identities.

What can you only do in Sydney?
You can start your day with a swim at one of 70 ocean or harbor beaches, which are all free to access, and great coffee is easy to find. Within a 3-kilometer walk, you can spend the day meandering along the Sydney foreshore to visit cultural institutions, including Artspace, the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the Royal Botanical Gardens, the Sydney Opera House, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia. After completing this art marathon, reward yourself with a quality dirty martini at the O Bar on level 47 of the Australia Square skyscraper – designed by Harry Seidler and filled with artworks by Sol LeWitt – and soak in the 360-degree city views.
What do you miss most about Sydney when you are away?
Sun, swims, walks, art and artists, cinema, yum cha, home cooking for family, and gatherings. On repeat.
Your best advice for those visiting the city?
Fresh produce is outstanding in Australia and there is a wide array of international, particularly Asian-inspired, dining options throughout the city. I have an Instagram account called @<a href="https://www.instagram.com/curatorsgottoeat" target="_blank">curatorsgottoeat</a> and if you look up the hashtag #<a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/sydneycuratorialfeed/" target="_blank">sydneycuratorialfeed</a>, you’ll find my favorite places from the well-known to hard-to-find.<hr>
Published on December 13, 2023.
Caption for full-bleed image: Lauren Brincat's peformance at Sydney Opera House, Tutti Presto fff, 2022. Photograph by Romello Pereira.

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