Surreal Deal (The) - the art of Andy Baines: Ron reviews this exhibition in the Adelaide Coast region of South Australia

Postcards has previously caught up with Henley Beach artist, Andy Baines - the man behind colourful depictions of summer days at Adelaide's suburban beaches.

There's a dream like quality to Andy's work where the beach provides a prominent backdrop for the strange images conjured from the deep dark recesses of his creative mind.

But over time Andy's been pushing the envelope with bigger and bolder images that require a considerable amount of artistic risk and cause a good deal of stress. Andy's more recent credo has been - "If you advertise it, they will come." Following an ad in the Saturday Advertiser two years ago - the word was out and by dawn people of all ages and all backgrounds gathered on Tennyson Beach to bring life and form to a dream.

Not content with one human sculpture - as Andy calls them - this former city department store sign writer tried his luck across the border, successfully cajoling a bunch of bowler-hatted office workers to Melbourne's Saint Kilda Beach. And again former ABC cameraman Andy Buchan was on hand to record the morning madness.

Andy's human sculptures have garnered their fair share of media attention. One even made the cover of one of India's major newspaper, The Hindu Times proving that dreams are the Surreal Deal and cut across all borders. Andy's planning another human sculpture in Scotland next year.

A thirty-minute documentary on Andy's work will be shown at the Mercury Cinema in Morphett Street in the city on Tuesday May 13th 2008. Cost is $5 with proceeds going to the breast cancer research carried out at the Flinders Medical Centre Foundation. To book contact 8204 5216. Please email info@postcards-sa.com.au if you have any further questions.

The Surreal Deal
13 May 2008
Mercury Cinema
Morphett St
Bookings 8204 5216

Published 4th May 2008