Shady Nasty’s TREK, February 2025

Frame still from Shady Nasty’s video SCREWDRIVA [SN’s latest single]. Directed, shot & edited by Luca Watson, February 2025. VFX Sebastian Webster, Volumetric video supervisor Josh Gladstone

Our 27-yr-old son Luca - a long-term fellow artist-in-residence with us here @ 44 - makes music and vids with Sydney’s post-punk trio Shady Nasty (Kevin Stathis guitar/vocals, Haydn Green bass, Luca Watson drums). Having plied their craft at home and abroad for a decade and released two EPs, last week Shady Nasty launched their debut album TREK @ Phoenix, and were ‘Album of the Week’ on Sydney’s fbi.radio. The band plays Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane in April/May. Six years’ ago we screened the vids for Shady Nasty’s Get Buff and Jewellery as part our exhibition ‘Curbed & Gutted’ here @ 44 in the aftermath of WCX. There’s been a lot of water under the bridge since then. Via heaving moshes at local pubs, city recitals, national radio & TV, regional tours across the eastern states (fortunately, the boys like driving!), and through supporting touring acts like Sleaford Mods, Amyl & the Sniffers, and Shame [Metro 4/3/25], the band, ‘as much a product of Sydney as they are observers of it … embodies a new wave of Australian music: hyper-aware, fiercely DIY, and unwilling to be boxed in.’ [Phoenix 2/25]. Check out Shady Nasty’s new website here. There’s a great recently-published piece of writing re Luca’s videos & SN here, and below is L’s video for SN’s latest single SCREWDRIVA.

David Watson’s koalanimbus, December 2024

For further info about this work see David’s exhibition Koala Inn

Denise Corrigan’s Council Papers @ Northern Beaches Environmental Art & Design Prize

Manly Art Gallery & Museum, August 2024

Denise Corrigan was a finalist in the Northern Beaches Environmental Art & Design Prize @ Manly Art Gallery in August. On Saturday 10 August she spoke about her work Council Papers Fig. 1 at a well-attended afternoon of artist talks. Video: Janette Willett

unentitled @ 44, April 2024

Jamie Parker & Kobi Shetty with proprietors David Watson & Denise Corrigan in front of Denise’s work Council Papers at the opening of unentitled @ 44 (6 April 2024). Jamie, with whom we campaigned against WestCONnex’s reviled Rozelle Interchange for many years, was the state MP for Balmain 2011-23. Kobi is our current local Member.

The opening was a buoyant affair, attracting a diverse mix of 120 or so art lovers & artists, activist-confreres, cultural workers, bush-carers, local neighbours and winter swimmers. The show was enjoyed by 200 visitors over seven days, with some healthy sales.

 

Darling Magazine, Autumn 2024

Prior to our recent home studio/gallery upgrade (& launch of unentitled @ 44 in April 2024) we’d mounted six locally-fuelled weekend exhibitions open to the general public at 44 Callan Street, under the moniker Salon Callan (2001-19). These events were embraced under the banner of Leichhardt (now Inner West) Council’s Open Studio Trail initiative. You can see the work + installation shots, invites & catalogues from these shows on David’s website under Exhibitions and on Denise’s quietworks site. Links to relevant individual webpages below…