Dada in Australia
| Dada in Australia | First International Dada Fair, Berlin 1920 | Dada?!@#$% Dada - A new cult. Abolish everything! ( The Age , Melbourne, 1920) Dada is a rebellious, playful state of mind (Tristan Tzara 1922). DOWN/unda The death on 22 April 2023 of Australian comedian Barry Humphries (1934-2023) brought to a close an episode in antipodean history during which the early twentieth century avant-garde art and anarchic social movement Dada found local expression in the post-World War II period, through art, comedic performance and multi-faceted characterizations, most notably in the form of Humphries' Melbourne-based stunts and practical jokes, culminating in the creation of alter egos Dame Edna Everidge and Sir Les Paterson. The first element of Humphries' career as a performer on the public stage was celebrated during 1993 by the National Gallery of Australia's smallish side exhibition Big - Barry Humphries: Dada Artist , a supplement to the blockbuste...