Our State - South Australia – Details, episodes & analysis

Brent Harris: Surrender & Catch, the first major monograph of the Aotearoa-born, Melbourne-based artist Brent Harris opens at AGSA.

Curated by Maria Zagala and co-presented with Tarra Warra Museum of Art, brings together over 100 paintings, drawings, studies and prints, traversing the artist’s practice and stylistic shifts over his career.

Brent Harris: Surrender & Catch maps the ways Harris’s art has developed over the past four decades, featuring a broad selection of works from 1987 to 2022. Harris’s distinctive style, which moves between figuration and abstraction, deploys both humour and the grotesque to examine psychological subject matter as he visualises his complex and contradictory feelings. Indeed, the exhibition title refers to Harris’s interest in sociologist Kurt H. Wolff’s notion of ‘surrender and catch’ as a process for self-analysis and as a method of working.

Exhibition dates: 6 July – 20 October 2024.

 In this segment, we hear from Maria Zagala, who has worked as Associate Curator of Prints, Drawings & Photographs at the Art Gallery of South Australia since 2006. From 1996 to 2006 she was Assistant Curator of Prints & Drawings at the National Gallery of Victoria. Maria completed her Master of Fine Arts at La Trobe University specializing in life drawing practice in the Italian Renaissance, with extended periods of research in Berlin, London and Florence. Brent Harris, who has been actively exhibiting since the mid-1980s. He is a painter and printmaker who has lived in Melbourne for over forty years. Harris’s works are known for their flat space, clean lines and graphic forms, which belie the underlying themes of his work, such as mortality, trauma, eroticism and childhood.

On Wednesday 19 June 2024, the Government of South Australia officially launched the first ever Autism Strategy –a five-year roadmap for South Australia to address the barriers faced by Autistic people across all life areas and support them to achieve their goals and aspirations. 

The launch of the Strategy marks a significant milestone in South Australia’s journey to being the nation’s leading autism inclusive state, and to build knowledge, understanding and sense of belonging for South Australia’s Autistic and autism communities.

Meaningful cultural change and greater inclusion in our community can only come about by consulting, listening, and creating open dialogue with the autistic and autism communities. 

The voices of South Australia’s Autistic and autism communities have been the driving force behind the development of this Strategy. Over 1,300 submissions were received during the first and second public consultation processes conducted by the Department of Human Services.

This process makes it one of the largest public consultation processes conducted on disability-related matters in South Australia and one of the most significant co-designed strategies to date.

The release of the SA Autism Strategy 2025-2029 will be followed by the development of 7 Action Plans to drive initiatives and improvements across each of the Strategy’s commitments.

The SA Autism Strategy 2024-2029 is now available to view online at the website autismstrategy.sa.gov.au

In this segment, we hear from Reece Turtur, Manager Strategy within the Department of Human Services’ Strategic Policy and Reform unit. Dasha Kolesik, Member of the State Autism Strategy Advisory Committee

The EPA has released the State of the Environment Report for 2023, making a number of recommendations to help safeguard South Australia’s environment, with a strong focus on climate change and biodiversity losses.

This year, for the first time, the report has also incorporated the views of Aboriginal peoples as the traditional custodians in protecting and restoring Country, including an expert report and recommendations on how Aboriginal peoples’ cultural perspectives can be more effectively incorporated in approaches to environmental protection.

The State of the Environment Report 2023 provides information on key aspects of the environment, including: Climate, Air, Land, Water, River Murray, Sea and Liveability.

The report provides recommendations to State Government to address the most significant environmental issues, and provides data and analysis to assist government, industry, and the community to take action to improve environmental outcomes.

In this segment, we hear from Keith Baldry, Director of Science and Systems at the South Australian Environment Protection Authority, an independent government environment protection and radiation regulator. Dr Matthew Ward, Director of Science and Information at the Department for Environment and Water.

The ‘show will go on’ is the official theme for the 2022 Adelaide Fringe, one of the most anticipated and captivating arts festivals in Australia. 
Hear from Adelaide Fringe Head of Programs and Development Jo O’Callaghan and Fringe performer Nurse Georgie Carroll as they talk about the biggest arts festival in Australia that has something for everyone. 

In this episode, guests Brenton Cox from Adelaide Airport Limited and Ian Miles from Artlab Australia discuss the delicate process of dismantling, relocating and reassembling the historic Vickers Vimy Aircraft to its new purpose built home within the new terminal at Adelaide Airport. The aircraft was flown by South Australian brothers Sir Keith and Ross Smith in the famous London to Australia air race of 1919-20 - you can learn more at https://epicflightcentenary.com.au/the-vickers-vimy/ 
 
 
 
 

Join this episode's guests, South Australian Skills Commissioner, Renee Hindmarsh and CEO, Master Builders Association of South Australia, Will Frogley as they talk about the current demand for skilled workers in the  building and construction industry and how VET pathways can be a great option to learn the required skills.

South Australia’s most popular national parks continue to see a surge in visitors as more people holiday, relax and recreate in their own backyard. In this episode, National Parks and Wildlife Service Director of Regional Operations, Stuart Paul talks about what is happening across South Australia's popular national parks. 

Fruit fly outbreaks have been impacting Adelaide and the Riverland since December 2019. By December 2021 the Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA) had successfully eradicated the 12 Mediterranean fruit fly outbreaks which were impacting Adelaide and Port Augusta. Join PIRSA's Executive Director of Biosecurity, Nathan Rhodes for an update on the successful eradication. 

Hear about the journey of Sara Horstmann and Dino Vrynios, owners of Das Studio as they grew from husband and wife duo, to a team of 17 creatives.  Das Studio are an Adelaide based Architecture, Interior and Landscape Design practice delivering a wide range of projects in the SA education, health, tourism, hospitality and commercial industries.

This bushfire season, remember to be prepared, make a plan and stay informed. Hear from this week's Our State guests Country Fire Service Acting Director of Preparedness, Joel Taggart and Strategy and Compliance Officer, Phil McDonough, as they discuss what you can do to keep you and your loved ones safe.