An exciting art exhibition is bringing together a collection of Australia’s best known and respected graffiti writers in one show in Melbourne’s highly cosmopolitan Collingwood arts district. I spoke to the owner of Lindberg Contemporary Gallery, David Moulday, about the show.

DONNA:
Hi David,

welcome to my blog.
You’re a curator of Linberg Contemporary Gallery in Collingwood.
Now I went to high school in North Fitzroy around 1977 when Fitzroy was pretty grungy and it’s terrace houses were rented to poor people. Didn’t know any middle class people in Fitzroy. Collingwood is a stone’s through from Fitzroy.
So for those who don’t know Melbourne let alone Australia, tell us a bit about Collingwood today, what drew you to the gallery, what was it’s history as a building.

DAVID:
Hi Donna, Collingwood today is a very diverse inner suburb of Melbourne. It has a long and somewhat hardcore history. In the past Collingwood has been known for its tough streets, these days though while there is still the tough side, it has become the centre of the artists scene in Melbourne, with many artist run spaces and commercial galleries.

Collingwood has a history of a working class manufacturing centre, which has provide many buildings that are now used as artist’s studios.

DONNA:
Yes, it has become what St Kilda used to be, colorful, hip, and not yet elitist 🙂

DAVID:
Collingwood is a place where people are free to do as they please and walking around the streets it is evident that we live in a diverse world.

The gallery is a brand new building, it before was a car park. I was drawn to the space because it is quite large 250sqm and had never been used before. The space is also a stand alone building which i liked the idea of.

DONNA:
I know Collingwood, like many parts of Melbourne, has its own Indigenous history too. It was a popular meeting spot for indigenous people, perhaps why in the 1970s there was such a strong Indigenous community in the area. In fact, I read that in 1978, the very first State Aboriginal Housing meeting was held in Collingwood.

Now, to you. For the non-artists reading this, what is a curator? Who is David? How did you become a curator? Can anyone do it? Are you also an artist? As a curator, how do you feel about a new show?

DAVID:
A curator is somebody who over sees a collections of works in a space. As owner of the gallery i decide what exhibitions to hold and which artists to show. In this space I let artists curate their own exhibitions if they chose to. I decide who is going to use the space and let them do their stuff. I also let curators come into the space and give them complete control over the exhibitions they put on.

DONNA:
How wonderfully fluid. Of course many curators see the gallery as ‘their baby’ and “thou shallt not presume to curate”.

DAVID:
I became a curator when i managed a gallery in the city. Then i rented a space in Collingwood and opened the gallery. I only now, in the new space consider myself a true curator, as i now have the freedom to do what i want with the space.

DONNA:
So a kind of interior designer working with a constant new flow of incoming art. Fun.

DAVID:
I am an artist too, but these days i only paint occasionally, when i feel i have to get something out, i paint.

DONNA:
Yes, so many curators seem to also be artists. Maybe they get so busy curating they don’t get time to produce art. Maybe the show becomes their ‘art’, after all curating a show, organising it, seeing it through, its all about creativity too.

DAVID:
I always feel excited about new shows. I love the artists i represent and the best days are the ones when i get new work in the galley.

DONNA:
Yes, like a sweet shop. Art is a kind of soul food, a sensory banquet.

Your gallery is known for contemporary art. What does contemporary mean to you? How do you feel about current art schools and the work their students produce? As a self taught, outsider artists, I’d like to know How you feel about Outsider Art, Art Brut, self-taught artists in the context of being curator of a contemporary art gallery.

DAVID:
Contemporary art to me is art that is completely fresh and new. I focus on artists that have invented new techniques and artists who are pushing hard to discover something.

DONNA:
And that happens on many levels; discovering new ways of working with materials, new relationships to oneself, to society, new sensory or other awakenings and that becomes part of the artists journey.

DAVID:
I have equal respect for self taught artists as i am one myself, it allows a certain freedom in the artists work. Although, artists that have spent years learning their craft show dedication to the work and have the advantage of critical advise.

I don’t believe there is such a thing as outsider art. Art comes from within. The circles you hang out in or where you went to school has nothing to do with anything.

DONNA:
I like that. Very true what you say about art coming from within. One can express alienation, the world of the outsider, but ultimately one is an insider 😉

The economy is unstable at present to say the least (thanks George Bush – not) , but I notice that people seem to be buying collectible art and that of upcoming artists whose works they envision might accumulate in value. How do you see the difference between collectors and those who purchase works solely for their own pleasure? Do you feel the two also overlap? What range of people do you find buy art?

DAVID:
I really only find myself dealing with collectors that are in love with the piece they are purchasing, the value that a piece my attain in the future is a secondary consideration, and often helps collectors justify spending their hard earned. I have sold art to all types of people.

DONNA:
Yes, I have a sociology bent and it excites me the diverse range of people who are drawn to art, moved by art or buy art, even those who shun art. In that sense art is highly interactive, it’s dialoguing with people, a strong, often non-verbal dialogue. Sometimes one which speaks 1-1, sometimes one which speaks universally or is pertinent to a particular time, place, a nostalgia, a memory.

I find art appreciators become part of an art show. They bring their questions, their senses, their own stories to the works they come to see. Do you see an art show as a form of ‘theatre’ in that sense, a kind of ‘performance’ or maybe a sort of ‘living room’ in which to come and feel at home among amazing works?

DAVID:
I definitely agree with you there Donna, all the comments and appreciation of an exhibition adds something to the work. People often have great insights and i have witnessed artists change their views on works due to the reaction or questions people ask.

DONNA:
Yeah, that surprised me, that I could lack confidence in a piece and it turns out to be the one most gripping to viewers and I love that… that idea that the artist is not all eyes, cannot judge on behalf of all eyes in the world… there’s a trust thing there, a kind of throwing down the gauntlet… the artist has to dare… put their stuff out there, get the feedback. You don’t have to change because of it, but often you just become more well rounded, more aware of diverse perspectives.

You have a pretty astounding show coming up entitled “Graphien” which runs from June 7th to June 25th. I’ve looked through the range of artists you have exhibiting there, their styles are wildly diverse, really cutting edge. Tell us a bit about the different artists, what makes you buzz about their works, their styles?

DAVID:
Yeah i am ecstatic, the curator of the exhibition Peter Daverington has done an amazing thing getting the line up together. All the artists have had a start in the graffiti scene, so it is a post graffiti show.

DONNA:
oooo, I love that concept… a ‘post graffiti’ show. Yes. But not because it’s superceded, but because it can evolve into something way beyond the traditional concept of ‘graffiti art’.

DAVID:
All the artists are very progressive, and accomplished. Ash Keating is doing an installation piece, and Merda a painting straight on to the galleries wall. Cutting edge is a great way to describe the show, and that is what is exciting, all the artworks are progressive and will showcase their immense talent. With the late inclusion of GS38 to the line up, will also reference the early days.

DONNA:
There’s still a lot of strong feeling about graffiti and graffiti artists. Yet international visitors flock to Melbourne’s CBD laneways to see a diverse range of evolved, or advanced graffiti art to rival that in Europe. Art is in the eye of the beholder and some vandalism could well be contemporary art. Some tags have evolved into really advanced artistic styles. How do you reconcile the division between the kind of tagging commonly seen as unaesthetic and unartistic, and the far end of that spectrum represented by advanced graffiti writers and the art they have taken to new levels?

DAVID:
I love it, this city is a canvas and everyone has to start somewhere. I think that the choice of position is an important element to street art, and that has a lot to do with some sections of the public having their noses out of joint.

DONNA:
Yes, one of the artists in your show, Duel, has talked about public art and the fact that it brings the gallery out to the people, it’s not something tight, socially controlled, it’s a way of getting a massive daily audience and if you develop as an artist then you become known for your style and, hopefully, your innovation and development as an artist.

Aside from free nibblies and wine on Opening Night on June 7th, what would you say the Graphien show might bring to someone who thinks they’re not into art, not into contemporary art or has stereotyped ideas about the works of graffiti writers?

DAVID:
I think that when people see the skill that the Graphein artists have, they will appreciate the level of talent and dedication that it takes to produce works of this quality. This exhibition is a showcase of talent that is undeniable.

DONNA:
Thanks for the interview. I look forward to visiting the show!

GRAPHIEN is running Tues-Sat 11am-6pm daily starting June 7th and running until June 25th 2008.

Opening night on Sat June 7th 5pm-8pm.

Lindberg Contemporary Gallery is at:

48 Cambridge St, Collingwood, Melb, Vic.

phone 0403 066775

and features works by Duel, Kab 101, Marc De Jong, Merda, New 2, Puzle, Rus Kitchin, James Cochran, Ash Keating and GS38.

Donna Williams *)

http://www.donnawilliams.net

Ever The Arty Autie