PHOTO CREDIT: Jonathan Griggs
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED BY BEAT MAGAZINE, JUNE 2019
NGV International’s latest Friday Nights program is stacked once again, with a diverse lineup of engaging artists scheduled to perform in the famed gallery from now until October.
Songwriter and musician Amaya Laucirica will be making an appearance as part of the upcoming run of shows. This not only provides an opportunity for newcomers to be introduced to her kaleidoscopic sounds, but also gives Laucirica the chance to road-test some exciting new material to be featured on a forthcoming fifth studio record.
“We’re really looking forward to playing at the NGV Great Hall,” she told us recently, from a vacation spot in Malaysia. “We’ve played there before, but just solo for White Night in 2014. It’ll be exciting to play there with the full band and in the Great Hall. I mean, it’s a beautiful space.”
For Laucirica, performing in a space such as the NGV’s Great Hall matches the striking appeal of her artistry. Her music is intensely emotive, bringing together sonic twists and turns, while captivating the audience with ease. Since 2008, she has been recording and releasing music consistently, building a body of work that can now be reflected upon not only with pride, but with a sense of fulfilment in being able to look ahead to what is coming next.
The NGV Friday Nights show will be Laucirica’s first off the back of some new writing sessions, and potentially one of the last opportunities for fans to see her play before another personal project commences.
“I’m actually having a baby in August, so there’s a bit of preparation for that as well,” she laughs. “In terms of music, the focus is just to write for the next album. We’ve been starting to experiment with demos and things are starting to happen – [we are] heads down and trying to get album number five written. It’s crazy to think about that. I’m sure there are going to be new things to inspire the writing of that.
“It’s interesting going between the two worlds and artforms,” Laucirica muses, as we talk about the growing popularity of live music being hosted in art galleries.
“This is the second time we’ve played in an art gallery,” she says. “The first time was last year, we played in Brisbane – it was a similar concept, we played alongside the Patricia Piccinini show up there. It was great, it was so much fun; walking around the exhibition and then playing on the stage.”
“I think it’s really great that, in Melbourne, you can play in spaces that aren’t typical music venues,” she continues. “It’s a great opportunity for bands to also be performing to people who are seeing the exhibition as well as the music. You’re going to be playing to some people who might not know who you are. That’s a good opportunity for artists too. I like the idea of playing in those kinds of spaces.”
Inspired by art across the disciplines herself, this environment suits Laucirica to a tee. An artist’s work can be seen as a vessel for broader commentary, and for Laucirica, inspiration for her own work has come from many different places.
“It’s not just music that inspires the music that I write.” she says. “There’s landscape and I’ve been inspired by films and environment and socially, what’s going on. I think art in the visual sense, it does the exact same thing in how it comments on it and how we interact with the universe, but in a visual sense as opposed to a sonic sense.
“I think the things that inspire visual arts and music are pretty similar in how they are being projected, they’re just being done in different ways. They cross over and it’s great, the concept of having music in a space that houses art, it’s cool. It’s great that things can cross over to different platforms.”
Amaya Laucirica performs as part of NGV Friday Nights’ next instalment on Friday June 7. Head to the NGV website for tickets and to check out all the other amazing acts performing as part of the program.