The Hallway’s ‘The Book of Cake’ inspires art exhibition at Brenda May Gallery Annex in Sydney

July 16 2014, 10:39 am | BY Ricki Green | 2 Comments

Cake club_FA_2.pdf-7.jpgToday sees the opening of ‘A Piece of Cake Club’ at ‘Het Papier’, Brenda May Gallery Annex, in Waterloo. Curated by internationally renowned curator and art historian, Akky van Ogtrop, the exhibition comprises a collection of illustrations selected from The Hallway’s “The Book of Cake”.

The show runs from 16 July to 9 August at ‘Het Papier’, Brenda May Gallery Annex, 2 Danks Street, Waterloo. The gallery is open Tuesday to Saturday and everyone is invited to visit the gallery and share ‘A Piece Of Cake Club’.

Cake club_FA_2.pdf-15.jpgSays van Ogtrop: “I was so impressed by the high quality of The Book of Cake, the innovative and artistic way it was put together and that it was based on such a special idea…it made me realise that design and the visual arts go together and should be shown in galleries and museums and not only on billboards or on TV.”

“The Book of Cake” is a by-product of “Cake Club” – a pillar of The Hallway’s agency culture, that each week sees a different member of The Hallway’s team bake a cake and link their culinary creation to the life or work of 1960s French filmmaker, the late Jacques Tati. The book contains recipes, their somewhat surreal and obscure rationales, accompanied by illustrations by The Hallway’s staff.

The Hallway’s creative partner and ECD, Simon Lee, is delighted with the agency’s foray into the art world.

Says Lee: “Cake Club started as a somewhat tongue-in-cheek agency ritual. It’s brilliant that it has captured the art world’s imagination, and I’m extremely proud to share our people’s work with Sydney’s art industry and the general public.”

Cake club_FA_2.pdf-33.jpgArt historian, van Ogtrop works as curator with art museums, galleries and contemporary art spaces, presenting exhibitions by Australian and international artists. She is president of the Print Council of Australia and an approved valuer for the Australian Government’s Cultural Gift Program.

At ‘Het Papier’ van Ogtrop presents in association with Brenda May Gallery four exhibitions throughout 2014. Brenda May Gallery opened in 2001 and represents a select group of established and emerging artists, and supports non- represented artists by hosting exhibitions throughout the year.