BRIGHT LIGHTS, SMALL CITY

OPENING THURSDAY 19 SEPTEMBER 6PM

A showcase of contemporary art from early-career creatives in Western Australia, Bright Lights, Small City celebrates emerging talent from our isolated state. All hailing from the sunny west coast, these artists debunk the myth that you need to move east to make a name for yourself in the Australian art world.

The exhibition will unveil new works by painters, photographers, filmmakers, sculptors and mixed media artists. This eclectic collection includes a large marble installation from Lauren Ravi, new work from local street artist Amok Island and skyscapes from Perth photographer Lisa Kyle. The experience on show is mixed, but of a consistently high quality. First time exhibitors like Mimi Cho and Kyle Prentice will be displayed among Perth’s best creative exports such as Jackson Eaton and Thea Costantino.

Brought together by young curator Karys McEwen, the exhibition fills a midway gap between traditional art galleries and younger artist-run initiatives. “By giving emerging artists the opportunity to exhibit their work in an established gallery setting, this showcase allows young creatives to connect with each other and potential buyers,” she says. “The more support artists receive in Perth, the more the art industry is likely grow in this small city. In its own humble way, Bright Lights, Small City aims to achieve just that.”

EXHIBITING ARTISTS

AMOK ISLAND, HANNAH JONES, CLAIRE BUSHBY, COURTNEY ILLFIELD, CLARE DAVIES, CHERISH MARRINGTON, W J FERRIER, MIMI CHO, CLAIRE MARTIN, LISA KYLE, KIMBERLEY PACE, CHLOE TINE, KATE JARMAN, NINA JUNIPER, ANYA BROCK, JACKSON EATON, ZOE BARRY, ANNA DUNNILL, KYLE PRENTICE, LAUREN RAVI
, CLAIRE CANHAM, BEN RODIN, LUISA HANSAL, ELIZABETH MARPOLE, EMMA MCPIKE, JUSTIN GRIFFITHS, JOANNA SULKOWSKI, TOM BLAKE, 
DALE BUCKLEY, THEA COSTANTINO, RACHELLE DUSTING
, SARAH ROWBOTTAM, LIAM DEE
, ALEX, RENAE COLES, SHANNON WILLIAMSON

EXHIBITION 20 September - 12 October

Wednesday - Friday 10am - 5pm, Sat 11am - 4pm

ARTIST TALKS Saturday 21 September 12pm and Saturday 5 October 3pm

Curator and artists available for interview.

For more information, high res image requests or a full list of works, please contact:

Karys McEwen

kmcewen@buratti.com.au

08 9433 6369 / 0404 445 463

Vacant old hospital building in Leederville enlivened as creative studio space

(From left) Sean Morris and Kyle Hughes-Odgers are among the 25 artists and creatives leasing a studio space at The Ward.
Photo: Eva Fernandez

MEDIA RELEASE, 17 April 2012

Built in 1913 originally as a maternity hospital, ‘The Ward’ in Leederville, has been revitalised as a studio complex for visual artists and creatives, through a joint venture between Artsource and Spacemarket.

The Ward houses 21 studio spaces for visual artists working alongside other creative service peers; such as illustrators, video producers and 3D animators, allowing for collaborations and shared creative emphasis.

Artsource’s guiding mandate is to empower visual artists to build sustainable careers, and it sees having a studio space as the key platform for artists to develop their practice.
Artsource Manager of Studios and Residencies, Loretta Martella said that affordable studio space for artists can be extremely hard to come by, and even rarer; is acquiring a working space close to the city centre.

“Artsource is thrilled to have taken on the head lease for this inner city studio space. What this means for this talented group of artists is a chance to further develop their skills and
ideas in a convenient, central location without the hefty rental rates usually experience in the Perth metro area,” she explained.

While Artsource only holds the lease on The Ward for 13 months from Realmark Property Group, it is imagined that this venture will serve as a favourable model for future studio complexes.
“The Ward is the first commercial building Artsource has attained as a studio complex, and we hope this can be the first of many more inner city studio locations,’’ Martella continued.

The Ward is a welcome addition to Artsource’s well-established Studios Program, which includes a stable of over 80 studios, spread across 8 buildings in the Perth metro area. The other studio locations include Fremantle, Midland, East Perth, Kelmscott, Belmont and White Gum Valley.

Inaugural tenants at The Ward are: Linus Andersson, Tarsh Bates, Claire Bushby, Jo Darbyshire, Giovanni Di Dio, James Foley, Rina Franz, Ruth Halbert, Kyle Hughes-Odgers, Tessa McOnie, Elisa Markes-Young, Sean Morris, Carley Ternes, Deborah Oakley, Kimberley Pace, Perdita Phillips, Josephine Pittman, Aaron Welch, Christopher Young, Alucinor Productions, Inkubator and The Duck House Theatre.

ALL MEDIA ENQUIRIES
Claire Hastwell, Marketing Coordinator, claireh@artsource.net.au; 08 9335 8366

About Artsource
Artsource is Western Australia’s peak representative body for visual artists. A not-for-profit organisation in operation since 1986, Artsource works to expand and improve the sustainability and profile of artists through practical services and support. For more information, please visit www.artsource.net.au

About Artsource Studios Program
Artsource is committed to providing affordable studio spaces to artists and see this as a fundamental way to develop visual artists and their practices in Western Australia. Artsource sublease these spaces to artists, keeping the rent low, offering secure tenure of up to 5 years and managing the day-to-day operations of the head leases.

Further info:
Spacemarket
Artsource