Michael Brand & Tina Gomes Brand
Director of the Art Gallery of NSW since 2012, Michael is overseeing the gallery’s largest expansion in its 150-year history. His wife, Tina, is a food writer and blogger.
THE GREATEST CHALLENGES OF 2020? Michael: Keeping the art gallery connected with our public during the initial lockdown, and then opening back up with COVID-19 restrictions. Tina: Maintaining a positive attitude; supporting family and friends in enforced isolation.
UNEXPECTED HIGHLIGHTS OR POSITIVES? Michael: The success of our Together In Art online social project. It has kept artists and audiences connected, and provided paid working opportunities for artists during a challenging year.
Tina: Having Michael at home some of the time was a nice plus. Getting into the groove of Zoom and FaceTime meant more connections with friends overseas.
LESSONS LEARNED FROM THIS YEAR? Tina: That I’m okay being with myself. I’ve always thought of myself as a person who thrives on being with others. This year has revealed that it is actually quite nice to have long periods alone too. Michael: In challenging times, people turn to art for comfort, for inspiration and to find joy.
HOW WILL YOU CELEBRATE THE FESTIVE SEASON? Michael: With family in Sydney. Our hope is that our eldest daughter, Isabel, who lives in Melbourne, will be able to join us. Tina: Christmas is about cooking together: salads, seafood, and my mum’s Christmas cake with half a bottle of brandy and 22 eggs!
WILL YOU BE TRAVELLING OVER SUMMER? Michael: The furthest we’ll get is the NSW South Coast. But no complaints about that!
AN IDEAL SUMMER’S DAY INVOLVES…? Michael: Very little planned ahead, but always with family and close friends. Tina: A walk by the water, lunch enjoyed alfresco and a siesta in the hammock.
HOLIDAY FASHION MUST-HAVES? Tina: A Pamela Easton kaftan, straw hat and Ultra Violette sunscreen. Michael: Swimming trunks.
YOUR SUMMER PLAYLIST? Michael: Hopefully lots of new music that I’ll discover through friends and trusted sources such as Los Angeles radio station KCRW. Sydney musicians Fig, Rainbow Chan and Vlossom too. Tina: Lomboy, Lord Echo, Dua Lipa and Khruangbin.
WHAT’S ON YOUR HOLIDAY READING LIST? Michael: Some classic noir – Leonardo Sciascia’s The Day of the Owl (1961) and Jean-Patrick Manchette’s Fatale (1977). Tina: My girls and I are reading books together on race issues, and some on the list are: Waking up White and Finding Myself in the Story of Race by Debby Irving, Greyboy: Finding Blackness in a White World by Cole Brown, and So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo.
QUINTESSENTIAL SUMMER MEAL? Tina: Cold soba noodle salad with barbecued satay skewers, homemade dips and an assortment of sides.
CHILDHOOD MEMORIES OF SUMMER? Michael: The long, hot drive from Canberra to Melbourne, which was always rewarded by the Boxing Day Test Match at the MCG, which my father never missed.
FAVOURITE SUMMER SCENT? Tina: Hermès ‘Eau d’Orange Vert’, Maison Balzac ‘Sainte T’ and Aesop ‘Hwyl’.
HOPES FOR NEXT YEAR? Tina: That world politics will head towards an even keel. That the Black Lives Matter movement won’t lose momentum, and that my family will continue to be fulfilled in their lives. Michael: To have the gallery operating at full capacity with extraordinary local content, such as our Streeton exhibition [until February 14, 2021], and a major international exhibition.