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SYDNEY | What happens when one of the world’s largest food and beverage corporations buys up one of Australia’s largest brewing companies? Well many things, including the kind of marketing that only corporate dollars can buy. You might have noticed a lot of advertising recently for MoCU aka “Modern Curations Gallery”. There’s a lot of slick graphics, and talk of artisans and bespoke creations, curation and lifestyle. What you might not know is that MoCU is owned by Lion, and in turn Kirin, and is basically a fancy online site for them to sell beers from the craftier end of their portfolio.
Now you might think that this opening stanza is us taking a pot shot at the whole exercise, and look, while yes there are certainly things that can be tweaked with this recently launched venture, some of the things that Lion is doing with MoCU are actually really good. For starters, there’s a single space where you can purchase some fantastic craft beers which weren’t previously available in Australia, but they’re also doing some interesting things complimentary to the beer itself. An example of this is “Happy When It Rains”.
Happy When It Rains is an art exhibition that explores “the shared sense of craftsmanship and creativity fused within the worlds of brewing, winemaking and artistry” and is an official exhibition of Sydney’s Art Month Contemporary Art Festival. It’s on at Waterloo’s Studio Neon for a full week, and features pieces from eight local artists to present selection of works that revolve around the central idea of dichotomy. What does this actually mean? You get to see eight pieces of art that are pretty cool and unique, that have been created using unique methods, individual to each artist. Several Sydney artists are featured, such as Bridie Connell, Jason Wing, Kate Scardifield and Lauren Webster.
Even better, each artwork is matched to beer, cider and wine, including things you might have not seen before. For example Kirin Brewery’s Grand Kirin Dip Hop IPL, which we actually tried when we were in Japan earlier this month and is a definite step up from the more ubiquitous Kirin Ichiban.
As much as we want to be cynical about big corporations and their marketing budgets, the fact is that Happy When It Rains gives you the chance to try some new beers, and support local artists. It’s hard to complain about that. Tickets are only $10.00 and get you entry to the exhibit along with a beer and canapes. You can book over at the MoCU website.
Meanwhile, here’s something to listen to while you contemplate whether or not you want to take a look at Happy When It Rains (we think you should). The exhibit got its name from the Jesus & Mary Chain song of the same name, but this is what first came to our minds when we heard about the exhibit.
Happy When It Rains
When: 29 March 2017 – 1 April 2017
Cost: $10.00 – includes a drink and canapes.
Where: Studio Neon. 2/136 Raglan Street, Waterloo NSW 2017