Australianarama

From the inimitable eye and mind of Stavroula Adameitis, aka Frida Las Vegas, Australianarama is a riotous and reverent guide to all things kitsch.

Where else but Australia could you devour a rainbow Paddle Pop in the shade of the Big Lobster, while wearing a koala knit jumper and listening to the soundtrack from Priscilla, Queen of the Desert? Shrug off the cultural cringe; Australia’s love for the weird and wonderful is something to celebrate.

In Australianarama, artist and designer Stavroula Adameitis brings to life the good and the so-bad-it’s-good of decades past with playful commentary, colourful illustrations and archival photography in a giftable hardback package. Full of nuance and nostalgia, the book covers everything from objectionable objects to spiffy structures, Expo 88 to the Sydney Olympic ceremony, including interviews with Australia’s kitschiest icons like Katherine Sabbath, Art Simone and Tony Albert along the way. It’s an encyclopedia for all Australians – send it straight to the pool room.

Stavroula Adameitis is obsessed with all things kitsch. Since starting her art and fashion practice Frida Las Vegas in 2013, she has designed statement textiles, installations, graphics and accessories for popular-culture vultures around the world. Stavroula's cult pieces have shimmied from the wardrobes of pop powerhouses like Katy Perry and Kate Miller-Heidke into respectable cultural institutions like the Sydney Opera House and the Art Gallery of South Australia. With her visual flair for the bold and the beautiful in a retina-blasting colour palette, she champions fearless exuberance across vibes and tribes.

If you enjoyed Australianarama, we suggest:

• Getting into some Australian fiction classics like They’re a Weird Mob by Nino Culotta, Wake in Fright by Ted Kotcheff and Sea Green by Barbara Hanrahan

• Finding other kitsch studies like Kitsch! by Ruth Holliday and Tracy Potts, Treasury of Australian Kitsch by Barry Humphries and What a Ripper! by Tim Ross

• Trusting the kitsch-sperts with Tony Albert: Not a Souvenir and Drag Queens Down Under by Art Simone

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