Who is René Magritte? What is Surrealism? Let's ask Japanese volunteer guides at AGNSW

The Art Gallery of New South Wales is holding an art exhibition 'Magritte' until 9 February 2025. We spoke to Chie Hamada, one of the gallery's Japanese volunteer guides, about the work of Surrealist master René Magritte.

Chie Hamada, one of the Japanese volunteer guides at the Art Gallery of NSW, is holding an art exhibition catalogue of Rene Magritte. Credit: SBS

René Magritte The false mirror (Le faux miroir) 1929, oil on canvas, 54 x 80.9 cm, Museum of Modern Art, New York, 133.1936 © Copyright Agency, Sydney 2024, photo © The Museum of Modern Art, New York/Scala, Florence 2024 Credit: © The Museum of Modern Art, New York/Scala, Florence 2024

For the Magritte exhibition, Ms Hamada says that she has made ‘image’ a pillar theme of her guide tours. She tries not only to explain the artworks to the participants but also to enjoy the art together and encourage everyone to share their thoughts on the exhibition.

In the audio, Ms Hamada tells us about Magritte and Surrealism, as well as some of his works.

Listen to SBS Japanese Audio on Tue, Thu and Fri from 1pm on SBS 3.

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