After two hugely successful festival events Cementa is back this year. Offering an entirely FREE four-day showcase of independent and experimental arts the festival will spread across the New South Wales post industrial town of Kandos from Thursday 6 to Sunday 9 April 2017.

Cementa is a biennial Australian contemporary arts festival that takes place in Kandos, a small regional town located on the side of Coombermelon Mountain, between Lithgow and Mudgee in Central West NSW. The region provides the backdrop to which artists make, exhibit and perform work relating to the social, historical or environmental context of the town and its surrounds.

Building on the success of the previous two festivals, Cementa17 celebrates the state of Australian contemporary art across the spectrum of practice, from emerging to established, from urban to regional to local. Cementa17 will present the work of more than 60 artists at the vanguard of Australia’s creative community and artist collectives.

Cementa17 will present four days and nights of performance, sound, cabaret, interactive and electronic arts, video, installation, photography, painting and ceramics at more than twenty venues across town. Works will pop-up in shop-fronts, cafes, on the streets, in the local museum & nursery, at parks, garages, cars, backyards, the tennis courts, a golf club, community halls, church yards — surprising and unexpected places.

For the first time Cementa will extend its reach beyond the town’s perimeter to include new satellite sites; the natural arena of Ganguddy—Dunns Swamp camping & picnic grounds, nearby Bird’s Hut—a 19th century shepherd’s hut, and a local farming property—Marloo.

In lead up to this year’s festival, Cementa has worked with a number of NSW Galleries and arts organisations to assist artists in their Kandos residency, with the intention to develop and raise the profile of the participating artists, including:
Bathurst Regional Art Gallery and digital artist, Nicole Welch
First Draft and indigenous artist, Paris Norton
Parramatta Artist Studios and multi-disciplinary artist, Linda Brescia
Campbelltown Arts Centre and experimental artist, Andrew Christie
Western Plains Cultural Centre and legendary photographer, Mervyn Bishop

Cementa17 is developed and fostered by three creative directors: Ann Finegan, Christine McMillan and Alex Wisser.

Cementa17 artists include:

Tony  Albert,  Brad  Allen-­‐Waters,  Connie  Anthes,  Artcodex,  Justin  Balmain,  Zanny  Begg,  Mervyn Bishop, Sarah Breen Lovett, Linda Brescia, Margaret Brooks, Tim Burns, Terry Burrows, Sach  Catts, Andrew Christie, John Conomos, Claire Conroy, Justin Cooper, Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro, Annemaree Dalziel, John A Douglas, Jacquelene Drinkall, Kyle Ford, Alex Gawronski, Paul Gazzola,  Gilbert Grace, Anne Grahame, Paul Greedy, Zina Kaye, Billy Gruner and Graham Davis King, Aleshia Lonsdale, Jason Lujan, Teena McCarthy, Julie Montgarrett and Sarah McEwan, Genevieve Murray, Paris  Norton, Greg Pritchard, PYT Fairfield, Jack Randell, Thom Roberts, Anya Rosen, Skye Saxon, Mark  Shorter, Lauren Smith, s o d a c a ke, Melissa Staiger, Super Critical Mass, Scott ‘Sauce’ Towney,  The Twilight Girls, Carol Warner, Sarah Waterson, Nicole Welch and Miriam Williamson.

Opening Night  showcase: Boris Hunt, The Mumps and A Galaxy of Suns (Michaela Gleave, Warren Armstrong & Amanda  Cole). Cabaret Night performers include: Damian Castaldi, Emily Morandini, Jon Drummond, Chris  Caines, Gary Warner.

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