Reign Of Error

1 October 2012 | 11:01 am | Jake Millar

The show’s a lot of fun, but you can’t help thinking it’s not just the snacks that are nuts.

Hipsters can be a bad sign. Turn up to any cool art space and sure enough they'll be there, like moths to the flame. They're often not so much about looking at art, as they are about being seen looking at art. In any case, the opening of Reign Of Error at Firstdraft Gallery in Surry Hills certainly filled its hipster quota. Either that, or somewhere had a two-for-one offer on flannel shirts and skinny jeans this week.

Variety was the show's big strength. Reign Of Error is a group exhibition of ten young artists, working across of whole range of media: There's video, painting, installations. Some of the more notable pieces include a work by artist Jack Mannix entitled Cocksucker Bruise, a small zine filled with personal revelations, photographs and poetry that was on sale for $5 a pop.

Then there's The Curator Wears Margiela And Sits In The Gallery by Matthew Linde, which does just what it says on the tin – there she is, on a plinth, decked out in designer clothing. It's certainly a mixed bag, and at first the choice of opening night canapés seemed a little odd – unshelled peanuts served by the cupful – but, then again, maybe it's perfect. The show's a lot of fun, but you can't help thinking it's not just the snacks that are nuts.