When I meet Ben Quilty he looks and smells exactly as I imagined. He’s dressed in a flannelette shirt, jeans and sneakers, with scruffy hair and a beard that’s fiercely thick. He smells of oil paint and I can see it still jammed under his fingernails. Sitting in a leafy courtyard at the National Art School, Quilty disarms me with his warm and welcoming presence despite the obvious emotion he displays as we start discussing his latest exhibition.

On the war path… Ben Quilty

Quilty was commissioned as an official war artist by the Australian War Memorial to document the experiences of Australian servicemen and women and spent a month in Afghanistan back in 2011. The resulting exhibition After Afghanistan has quickly become the most hotly debated of his career. Interestingly, he was officially given the Australian Defence Force (ADF) stamp of approval but, perhaps ironically so, it has stirred up quite a few emotional responses since it’s opening last month. The 21 studio paintings – in Quilty’s signature oil on linen – and 16 sketches reveal a lot more about the human face of war than the ADF is perhaps willing to admit.

We’ve been speaking for only a few minutes but I can already see the incredible effect this collection of work has had on the artist. He speaks with intense emotion, his eyes are wide and concentrated and just as captivating as his words.

“It was dark and sinister and overwhelming,” says Quilty of his time in Kandahar.

“The thing I wasn’t prepared for was the constant threat and rockets landing inside the basin, that was horrifying.”

But Quilty’s exhibition isn’t one that celebrates the war hero in a traditional sense, rather, it focuses on the intense physicality of the soldiers and the emotional and psychological consequences of war.

“They carry with them an emotional experience that is almost physical and I wanted to record that emotional weight,” says Quilty.

Emotive… Troy Park, after Afghanistan

Works like Trooper M, after Afghanistan and Air Commander John Oddie and after Afghanistan no. 2 are not portraits of the traditional heroic nude, but images imbued with the lasting experience of war. The faces in the impressive canvases are frightened and hollow and the bodies stripped bear appearing fragile and contorted without the protection of armour or a uniform.

Quilty spent 12 months creating the works in his studio in the NSW southern highlands where he invited the troopers he met in Afghanistan to sit for him upon their return from deployment.

“It was very confronting, particularly watching these guys fall apart and unravel. There’s a sense of team morale while the troops are in Afghanistan but when they return to their green, safe, first world Australia that’s when they fall apart and that’s the classic time when post-traumatic stress hits.

At work… Quilty in his studio

“They have nightmares, they become very violent, they often drag their partners out of bed and hold them on the ground and scream for cover and I’ve heard that from many young guys who are dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I’ve had their wives and girlfriends in tears in my studio talking about their experience being married to these people.”

This is an overwhelming part of a largely untold story.

“Three guys have been diagnosed since I started working with them and most are going outside of the ADFA to find their own private specialists to help them and at the moment the ADFA isn’t making things easy for them.”

Quilty explains subjects like Trooper M are part of the Special Operations Task Group and are therefore classified under protected identity status.

“They are fighting a war every single day and they are engaging with enemies, risking their lives and dealing with high enemy casualities. There is constant death around them, extreme pressure and because of their status, they’re not allowed to talk about their experiences, which is doing them a big disservice.

“The stories [Trooper M] told me about Afghanistan, the triggers to his post traumatic stress, and the experiences he’s had are like nothing I’ve ever heard in my life. And most of them have these stories.”

Throughout the painting process, Quilty says he wanted to provide a vehicle for his subjects to tell their stories, confront their fears, and shed a light on the darkness so many are suffering – often in silence and with little help.

Vulnerable… Captain Kate Porter, after Afghanistan

“I found the commission so much more important than my career and in the end the work that I made is not my opinion of who they are, it’s the truth about how they feel, what they are confronting. It’s about their future and their past,” he explains.

Australian soldiers, sailors and a number of air force personnel have come to the National Art School to view the exhibition and have expressed their gratitude to the artist for telling a story that no one else would.

“The arts are crucially important to a healthy society. I’ve seen it with my own eyes, I know what I’ve achieved with this exhibition and how cathartic it has been, on a personal level, for the guys I’ve worked with,” says Quilty.

Yet, in a nation obsessed with sporting heroes and the pursuit of physical excellence, the arts seem to fall to the wayside.

“The underfunding and lack of respect for the arts in this country makes me very sad,” says Quilty, his voice raised a few decibels.

“The arts isn’t just about painting; it’s about film, theatre and literature – these are so important and make up the real fibre and substance of a community.”

In fact, his exhibition is on show at the National Art School in East Sydney because the Australian War Memorial in Canberra doesn’t have an exhibition space.

“The Australian War Memorial has one of the biggest collections in Australia containing some of the most profoundly important work about war, death, sadness and hope, and yet, no exhibition space. In the past they probably thought their collection was worth a lot of money but not really important to their audience.

“I hope I’ve proved them wrong.”

 After Afghanistan will tour New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Canberra until May 2015.

www.awm.gov.au/exhibitions

www.benquilty.com

]]> http://www.lunchmag.com/after-afghanistan-when-the-war-begins/feed/ 0 http://www.lunchmag.com/new-emirates-lounge-in-milan/ http://www.lunchmag.com/new-emirates-lounge-in-milan/#comments Wed, 20 Mar 2013 06:46:26 +0000 jonathan http://www.lunchmag.com/?p=8443 Earlier this month Emirates opened its 35^th First Class and Business Class lounge at Milan’s Malpensa Airport.

Contemporary… Emirates lounge in Milan

A EUR2.48 million investment, this is the first international lounge to feature the airline’s new design.

Emirates now has the largest dedicated lounge in Malpensa airport, which is among the country’s busiest. The interior design features a natural colour palette and space for over 150 guests. Along with a business centre, dining area and shower facilities, the lounge also has a dedicated prayer room.

“This opening aims to strengthen our commitment to the city, where we have established our presence with three daily flights in addition to our AC Milan sponsorship.”

“Constantly seeking to innovate, the new lounge design is reflective of the understated luxury of our lounges in Dubai Concourse A, and it is this type of investment that sets Emirates apart,” said Mohammed H. Mattar, Divisional Senior Vice President – Airport Services.

Emirates currently operates 49 weekly flights throughout Italy, including three daily flights to Milan Malpensa.

www.emirates.com 

Amy Hughes

Usually, between the two of us, either my friend or I have pretty well sussed where we’re headed, and what we might do there.  Not this time.  We’ve booked a night at Hipping Hall for its location.  It’s a good mid-way point from Scotland back to London to break up the seven-hour drive.  Except neither of us quite know where it is, exactly.  The website says it’s between England’s Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales, but now that we’re here, we realise there’s nothing ambiguous about it – we’re in the Yorkshire Dales.   She’s a Brit, and I’ve lived here 12 years, yet neither of us ever ventured here. The landscape is all rolling hills punctuated by the odd church steeple.

Charming… Hipping Hall

We arrive at Hipping Hall late in the afternoon. The 15^th century stone building used to house a blacksmith before a later owner married the daughter of a local lawyer, becoming proper “gentry.” He left the hall as a legacy and it’s now an intimate hotel with just nine rooms.

It’s a cold Saturday, and we’re shown to the sitting room where small coal fire is surrounded by comfortable couches, a pick of the day’s papers and wonderful jazz playing just loud enough.  A welcome cup of tea and cake is soon set on a side table while I tuck in to the Times in the few hours before dinner.

Hipping Hall is miles from any major city, and like most country hotels, they offer dinner in their gothic dining room. It’s mostly couples on a romantic break, but we’re one of two sets of gal pals reducing the pressure on our neighbouring husbands and wives to look overly into each other.

Warm, fresh baked bread takes the edge off before we’re presented with a dish of pork belly accompanied by orange and chicory which are more subtle than overpowering.  With the added broccoli stem it’s nearly a “healthy” dish as we’re more than halfway to our five-a day.  Yorkshire goat’s curd arrives in the form of two bubble gum shaped balls, deep fried with a soft, salty centre.  White and red beetroot and candied walnuts balanced the flavour, along with a lovely dollop of burrata.

We’re torn between the halibut and the vegetarian field mushroom duxelles, so we agree to share both.  The mushrooms are tasty and unusual, but need a light jus or broth to enhance the flavour, and unfortunately it’s the third time we’re seeing the small fried balls (they were in the amuse bouche as a coating for quail’s eggs) so they’ve worn out their welcome.  But the halibut is better than many I’ve had at top London restaurants.  It’s a perfectly flavoured dish which marries mushrooms, an emulsion, and artichokes brilliantly.  The halibut is moist and delicious.

We’re perhaps too accustomed to poor service in the UK, particularly once we leave the confines of the Big Smoke, but that’s where Hipping Hall shines.  The same small staff that runs the hotel also works the dining room.  They seem to get to know each guest (but not too much), and are very responsive.  Every time we fail to leave a dish empty (which isn’t very many); we’re asked if it was okay, if anything was “not quite right” with the dish.  Spend some time in England and you’ll understand how unusual this is.   It’s not just that they ask, it’s the way they ask.   Say to a Brit, “Is everything okay?” and you can pretty much bet serious money the answer will be, “Oh yes, lovely thanks,” even if it was dog food on the plate.  It’s a subtlety, but by asking if something wasn’t quite right, the waiter has a better chance of gently coaxing the customer about what went wrong.

We keep it local with dessert, a sort of deconstructed rhubarb pudding.  We’re informed it’s forced Yorkshire rhubarb.  Little do they realise we wouldn’t actually be bothered if it was frozen, but we love the full disclosure.  Two toasted mounds of marshmallow are set down with tiny drops of meringue, strips of rhubarb, and refreshing sorbet.   It’s very tasty, but the best is yet to come.

It’s time to escape couple-dom so we retire to the fire for a few mean rounds of backgammon over tea and petit-fours.  Three small chocolates never tasted so good.  After a three-course meal I’m too self-conscious to ask for more, but if these came in a box, I’d have bought more than one to take back.  The cream content is so high; they practically melt in our fingers.

Breakfast in the dining room with the Sunday papers is heavenly.  The croissants are warm, the eggs delicately scrambled.  And we’re off to the see Kirkby Lonsdale, just a few minutes’ drive.  We know nothing about it, but quickly learn it’s a market town (code for quaint).  We’re instantly charmed by the old fashioned sweets shop, Ruskin’s view (a sweeping view of the hills which the author pointed out to Turner, who later painted it), and a street lined with a handful of great boutiques.  It’s the sort of shopping that convinces one to leave London; terrific things at a fraction of city prices.

Our little detour may convince us to give up the train, and drive to Scotland more often.

www.hippinghall.com

Picture yourself in a romantic hideaway nestled amid tea plantations and the rolling hills of the Cameron Highlands, one of Malaysia’s oldest and most extensive hill stations, where grand colonial elegance reins supreme.

Romantic…Cameron Highlands tea plantation

It’s not hard to imagine – an emerald landscape with expansive strawberry farms and lush greenery, majestic jungle trails and Tudor-styled cottages sprinkled across a picturesque plateau that is some 1,500 metres above sea level.

With its cool climate and fresh air, this seems the perfect place to appreciate the healing powers of the humble tealeaf, bask in the tranquility of a verdant jungle or, perhaps, even solve a murder mystery?

The Cameron Highlands Resort, a boutique property with 56 rooms and an 18-hole golf course, offers more than just your average mountain escape with its Murder Mystery in the Misty Mountains experience.

Exploring trails, tails and traditions, the exclusive whodunit unravels an exciting plot that exists nowhere else in the world. Set in the 1960s, Murder Mystery in the Misty Mountains features Jim Thompson, the legendary American businessman known as the Thai ‘Silk King’ who mysteriously disappeared while holidaying at the Moonlight Bungalow in Cameron Highlands in March 1967.

Creature comforts… Deluxe Room

The cool mountain air and rugged landscape set the stage for the murder mystery. Character briefings are delivered before arrival at the resort and after pre-dinner cocktails, the mystery unravels in an elegant dining room. Murders are committed and weapons are found in between courses, with a good dose of blackmailing on the side.

Guests rush through the halls of the extensive property in the dead of night, looking for clues and making sly barters in hushed whispers.

The evening culminates with the voting and selection of Best Performer, Super Sleuth, Best Costume and Wealthiest Player.

Coupled with four-poster beds and suites with panoramic views, a sumptuous Traditional English Afternoon Tea, and an indulgent spa treatment at the award-winning Spa Village, the Cameron Highlands Resort makes for an enthralling weekend retreat.

www.cameronhighlandsresort.com

Sydneysiders have become food-obsessed – it’s an epidemic sweeping across the city at a rapid pace. Maybe it’s the rise of the 21st century gourmand, but foodies have become the new hipsters,  hunting down the city’s trendy eats to sample the latest and greatest and, of course, be seen doing so – cue Facebook status update and Instagram happy snap. It seems the food industry has attracted a new cohort of chino-wearing, macchiato-sipping connoisseurs who are as discerning as ever.

Historically hip… Bar 100

Last year saw a record number of new eateries open up in the Sydney Metro area – perhaps in response to the bulging crowds. But while foodie hipsters are busy cleaning truffle oil out of their beards and brunching in sardine-packed cafes sprinkled across Sydney’s inner city suburbs, the rest of us (who aren’t keen on waiting two hours for an overpriced, less-than-amazing plate of food) are left to our own devices.

“Everyone’s a critic these days,” says Bar 100 Executive Chef, Tim Fisher of our growing epicurean palettes.

Fisher, a two-hatted chef with over 20 years experience in the kitchen, says the best food comes from quality ingredients cooked well.

And his tightly run kitchen does just that.

“Simplicity is the key,” says Fisher, “my food philosophy is wholly based on fresh, quality produce… and a bit of technique as well”.

Simple cooking… Tim Fisher

Fisher doesn’t allow himself to get carried away in the hype surrounding the foodie revolution and the glamour-filled kitchens of reality television.

“The cooking industry is in crisis,” says Fisher.

“The kitchen can be a stressful place and these days a lot of young chefs come into the industry wanting to be celebrity chefs, but they have no hands-on experience and wouldn’t last a day in a professional kitchen,” says Fisher.

Despite his accolades, the father of three remains grounded.  He enjoys cooking at home for his family and says his Mediterranean menu was born out of his 11 years spent at Lucio’s and quizzing all his Italian friends.

Walking through Bar 100 is like a breath of fresh air. It’s not a hole-in-the-wall bar with pint-sized furniture made of recycled crates or pre-loved ironing boards, but, housed in The Rocks’ heritage-listed Mariner’s church (built circa 1856), Bar 100 is an impressive space with cathedral-high ceilings, bespoke chandeliers and a four tonne behemoth of a marble bar.

Delicious… Grilled John Dory

There’s a sense of grandeur about the place that is so lacking in the up and coming foodie haunts scattered through Redfern and Surry Hills. The kitchen is in the basement of the building and design elements of the original colonial structure are still evident, with walls made of sandstone blocks and distinguished archways leading into a sunny courtyard. The ambience is cool and relaxed complementing the trattoria-style menu.

Dishes range from beef burgers to homemade gnocchi, Alaskan king crab, twice-cooked duck and a selection of pizzas and salads. I decide on grilled John Dory with cracked olives and lemon butter and a side of smashed potatoes. The generous serving of fish is cooked beautifully and the soft, flaky flesh is bathed in a sweet sauce that marries nicely with the tang of the olives. The potatoes are deliciously earthy and herbaceous.

Dessert  is too tempting to pass up, with tiramisu, gelato, and a cheese platter on offer. My choice is panna cotta – and it’s a winner. The gorgeously moulded baked cream has a fresh hint of lemon and wobbles about my plate under a generous drizzle of berry compote.

The historic venue isn’t a hipster hangout but attracts a mixed crowd. A Friday night $10 burger special lures a fair few office workers in for a well-earned drink, while weekend events and live music add a party vibe.

It’s more than just glorified pub grub. It’s honest food with clean, fresh flavours and a homely touch. Coupled with a lengthy wine list, a sugar-fuelled cocktail menu and one of the best views in Sydney, Bar 100 is an oldie (in Sydney’s fickle mind) but a goodie.

www.bar100.com.au 

From the air, Norfolk Island appears to float along the South Pacific Ocean, in between Australia and New Zealand. It’s an isolated green paradise and an ideal spot for a weekend getaway.

Picturesque… Norfolk Island

Known for its evergreen Norfolk Island pine, this isolated oceanic isle is home to some 180 rare flora and fauna rainforest species and walking aross the island is like an strolling through an endless botanic garden.

Direct from the soil or straight from the sea, the seasonal approach to local cuisine on Norfolk Island is largely influenced by Polynesian culture.

Local restaurants like Dino’s, which is set in an old island home, and Hill’s Wine Bar embrace a ‘paddock-to-plate’ approach to their menus, sourcing ingredients from their very own gardens.

The island is surrounded by reefs and deep currents, which make for ideal fishing conditions and, of course, a delectable variety of seafood. Red Throat Sweet Lip and Snapper are regular features on any menu, but for those who prefer to catch their own, an island-style fish fry feast on one of the island’s many cliff tops is a hearty way to watch the sun set over the Pacific.

For adventure-seekers, bushwalks through the island’s National Parks, or a quick boat trip to neighbouring Phillip & Nepean Islands, are a great way to discover more of Norfolk’s natural wonders.

Throughout Easter, Oxley Travel is offering a Norfolk Island holiday package deal that includes:

• Return Flights with Air New Zealand

• Seven nights at Colony Lodge (includes three nights free)

• Seven days car hire including insurance

• Free half day island tour

• Island airport transfers

• Free entry to the World of Norfolk Exhibit

www.oxleytravel.com.au​

A seven-kilometre strip of stunning white silica sand, Whitehaven Beach is only accessible by boat or light aircraft. Its pure, pristine natural beauty sees Whitehaven regularly crowned one of the world's best beaches. 


Italy's Rabbit Beach in Lampedusa came in at number one, followed by Grace Beach in Providenciales, an island among the Turks and Caicos Islands

At last month's Australian Tourism Awards the Whitsundays was also recognised as providing the best caravan and camping accommodation and best tour and business events. Queensland won five gold awards in total, three of which marking tourism in the Whitsundays.


www.tourismwhitsundays.com.au 

Lauren Arena

“It’s the pimple of the North,” says the Italian man standing next to me on a crowded bus as it pulls away from Ferroviaria train station to make its way past the city centre and begin the steep climb up San Giusto hill. The roads are tight and windy as the sardine-packed bus edges its way deeper into the city, scrapping past rugged buildings and pedestrians who foolishly thought they’d be safe on the sidewalk.

From another time... Piazza Unita d'Italia

I’m in Trieste, a port city in northern Italy that’s perched on a strip of land overlooking the Adriatic Sea and Italy’s border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city. It is the capital of the autonomous Friuli-Venezia Giulia region but as a città del mare, a city of the sea, it’s also an urban melting pot where East meets West and perhaps the most ‘European’ of all Italian cities.

But you won't find Trieste splashed across the cover of a glossy travel magazine, or even in an Italian guidebook. If you look hard enough you might find it, maybe at the very back of the book. Trieste is the often forgotten city of a nation that prides itself on its artistic history, its envelope-pushing fashion and its natural beauty. And Trieste, according to people like the gentleman next to me, has no such appeal.

I alight at Viale XX Settembre, a pedestrian avenue lined with shops, bars, mixed business and residential palazzos just north of the city centre. The street mall is pumping all day and (almost every) night with more than 14 drinking bars, five gelato shops, four pizzerias and an array of international restaurants like the Chinese Cina Cina restaurant, and Indian eatery Krishna – a testament to the new wave of migrants adding to the city’s multicultural communities.

I’m attracted to the lavishly decorated, Arabian-inspired Mille e Una Notte restaurant. Sitting on a spongy lounge, surrounded by velvet cushions with gold tassels and under dim, sultry lighting I’m delighted when my meal arrives – a mountain of lightly seasoned rice, topped with spicy chunks of meat and a drizzle of yoghurt. It's not something you'd expect to find in Italy but maybe that's what makes it so delicious.  

View from the top... San Giusto hill

In the heart of the city, in the imposing Piazza Unita d’Italia (Square of Italian Unity and so aptly named when Trieste was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy in 1918) there is Caffè degli Specchi, one of the city’s many historic Viennese-style coffee houses. Once the haunt of literary greats James Joyce and Italo Svevo – whose life-size bronze statues can be found nearby – it’s still the place to go if you want to be seen, smack bang in the middle of the piazza, with one of the best views of the Adriatic and prime real estate for people watching. But be prepared to pay for this panorama. An espresso will set you back about two euro, that’s double the average price.

Allowing a moment to take in the piazza itself is worth the extra euro. Embracing the Adriatic Sea, it’s flanked on two sides by impressive palazzos characteristic of the Habsburg era and reminiscent of Trieste’s history as the dynasty’s most important seaport. Today the buildings are mostly home to local government offices and Trieste’s grand town hall complete with clock tower sits front and centre. It’s a marvel of architectural beauty, albeit tainted by Italy’s tragic fascist past – in 1938 Mussolini announced the Fascist Racial Laws, which echoed the Nuremburg Laws of Nazi Germany, from the town hall balcony.

Just behind the Piazza, at the foot of the hill is the Teatro Romano, an ancient Roman amphitheatre that was excavated during the 1930s as a propaganda tool of Fascist Italy. Mussolini did much to assert the power of the Fascist State in Trieste – including building its obnoxious Questura (State Police) building directly in front of the amphitheatre.

Walking past the Teatro Romano, I’m a little disappointed and I don’t know whether it’s because I’m comparing it to bigger and better ruins like the almighty Colosseum or because it’s is so grossly overshadowed by its fascist-era neighbour.

Caffe society... James Joyce immortalised in bronze

By and large, Trieste is mistaken as the donkey amid a legion of Italian stallions like Rome, Florence, Venice and Milan who all jostle for the limelight and on the scale of archetypal Italian capital cities, Trieste is ranked at the bottom, if at all.

Author Jan Morris wrote about this ill-conceived scrutiny of the city in her 2001 book Trieste: The Definition of Nowhere.

Morris says, “It is a middle-sized, essentially middle-aged Italian seaport, ethnically ambivalent, historically confused, only intermittently prosperous… and so lacking the customary characteristics of Italy that in 1999 some 70 percent of Italians, so a poll claimed to discover, did not know it was in Italy at all.”

But a few things have changed in the 12 years since Morris published her book and in an ever-shrinking world Trieste’s future is optimistic.

James Joyce endearingly called the city ‘Europiccola’ (little Europe) and as Europe appears to be expanding more and more into the East, Trieste is envisaged as the centre of a new ‘Euroregion without borders’, perfectly integrated into a wider hinterland that should incorporate portions of Austria, Slovenia and Croatia.

So whether it’s ‘the pimple of the North’ in a country that seems to reject it, or an up and coming Mitteleuropean cultural headquarters, Trieste will always be a meeting place of diverse and ever-changing communities – a city without a territory.

When eventually I leave Trieste, it's grey and ominous. It is the middle of winter and the storm clouds are as unnerving as ever. Nevertheless I’m sad to leave. I’ve grown attached to the city and, despite the man on the bus, think its eccentric mix of food, language and architecture should be held up as the benchmark for any truly cosmopolitan city – arrivaderci Trieste, we shall meet again soon. 

www.turismofvg.it/Locality/Trieste

Sultry... The Bar at Waku Ghin

But if you're looking for something more than olives and nuts to accompany your martini, the only place to go is The Bar at Waku Ghin. 

The food menu here is just as impressive as the cocktail list, as chef Tetsuya Wakuda employs his philosophy of using only the freshest produce to create dishes like Aburi Ocean Trout, a grilled loin of ocean trout with soy, chili, yuzu and olive oil, and the aptly named Salad of the Sea, a combination of shellfish and sushimi served with vinegar-flavoured rice.

Exquisite... Salad of the Sea

To whet your appetite even further, there's a wagyu beef open sandwich, Oscietra caviar and grilled Canadian lobster, along with pastas, cheese platters, and a fine selection of oysters. 

The same attention to detail is given to The Bar's Japanese-style cocktail making, where award-winning bartenders serve up over 85 handcrafted cocktails, premium sake and whisky from all around the world.

While you're there, try the renowned Gimlet (gin, sugar syrup and freshly squeezed lime), it's Tetsuya’s all-time favourite and, after sampling quite a few myself, I can assure you it's worth it.

You can linger in the bar's sultry ambiance all night long or wander over to Waku Ghin's main dining room to try its award-winning 10-course degustation menu.

The Bar at Waku Gin

The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands

www.marinabaysands.com