Western Australia’s cultural scene is flourishing – it is clear to see that Arts and Culture are valued components of our city life, with new and exciting works continually cropping up, many of which are free for the public to explore.
The art scene in Perth has flourished over the last few years, for a variety of reasons.
The City of Perth’s push to build our cultural infrastructure in open spaces has seen art become more accessible to a wider range of audiences.
By utilising the streets themselves as an exhibition space the City is able to promote local and international talent, creating memorable experiences for both local viewers and tourists.
The Art Gallery of WA’s director Stefano Carboni has chased new audiences by bringing iconic exhibitions to the Perth Cultural Centre.
This has gone a long way in enticing viewers back inside our city’s formal gallery spaces, not only for touring exhibitions but also our permanent State collection.
This shift in art culture has lead to Perth city becoming a hotspot for art enthusiasts and visitors.
Perth is alive with a vibrant tapestry that will engage, challenge, excite and surprise people. Here is a list of just some of the Perth city art activities that are currently available to educate and inspire the senses.
Art Gallery of Western Australia (AGWA)
Are you aware of the vital role the Visual Arts had in recording and helping to build Australia’s national identity?
The State Art Collection at the Art Gallery of WA showcases artworks that illustrate Australia’s growing identity as a nation and the changing times prior to and after WW1.
It is a record of the development of art in this State, the country and the world.
The Many Modernisms section of the State collection is a personal favorite, featuring works from the modern period post World War I. Artworks by Albert Tucker, Margaret Preston and Grace Cossington Smith provide the viewer with a commentary recording the changing Australian landscape as these iconic artists experienced it.
With approximately 17,000 works in a range of art mediums and from Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists it is a comprehensive collection.
From paintings to sculpture, multi-media, installation, photographs, drawings, prints, and watercolours the State Art Collection is the type of display you can visit time and time again and each time unearth something previously undiscovered about our historical and artistic past.
Public tours are offered on a regular basis and are a great way to develop your understanding of our State’s collection; visit AGWA’s website for tour days and times.
In addition to the State collection The Art Gallery of Western Australia’s temporary displays showcase a variety of local and international artists’ works.
To see an upcoming schedule of events for 2016 AGWA have developed the ‘See things differently’ program that features information about upcoming exhibitions.
Perth Street Art
Perth’s street art scene has rendered once plain and uninspiring walls full of life and vibrancy; this aligns with the change that has occurred in the city as a whole.
I was lucky enough to sit down with Nikki Dale from Streets of Perth to gain an understanding of the street art movement in Perth and the current trends that are emerging.
Q: What is Streets of Perth and how did it come about?
A: Streets of Perth is a photography blog dedicated to highlighting all the incredible public art around Perth city and surrounds. I started Streets of Perth with my fiance Duncan 18 months ago, and with over 80,000 followers on Facebook and 10,000 on Instagram now, it’s quickly become Perth’s most popular street art appreciation page.
To us, street art represents bursts of colour, texture and creativity in public places that may surprise you. Some works are commissioned, some aren’t; they’re equally as captivating in their own ways. Street art is exciting because you never know what you’re going to discover next, and nothing is permanent. In fact, it’s that ‘hit-and-run’ nature of street art that we probably love the most.
Q: Do you think there has been a shift in sentiment towards street art in Perth?
A: Yes absolutely, even in the past 18 months that we’ve been running Streets of Perth. Graffiti and street art has been present in Perth for decades but there really seems to have been a groundswell in recent years, especially regarding legal and/or commissioned urban artworks.
The growing popularity of street art here in WA can be attributed to a number of things – we have a wealth of talented artists right here on our doorstep, and many Perth residents love to enjoy murals and other forms of urban art while enjoying their daily coffee, shopping on the high street or just wandering through the city.
The City of Perth plus groups like FORM, The Laneway Collective and the Little Wing Corner Gallery have also helped to drive the overwhelming decoration of our streets in recent years, and our colourful streets are quickly becoming an integral part of our city’s artistic culture. After all, other cities like Berlin, New York and Melbourne have been famous for their street art scenes for many years, and with more than 30% of our Facebook followers based in other countries, perhaps Perth is catching up!
Q: What are the latest trends you are seeing?
A: We’re seeing more frequent private commissions by businesses and homeowners. There are heaps of different cafes and restaurants around the city with murals inside now – Chik and Kent, Max + Sons, La Cholita, The Standard, The Spaniard and The Cheeky Sparrow to name just a few. We even commissioned a mural for our own home recently, which will be painted this month by the amazing Haylee Fieldes (Fieldey).
Q: Is there an emerging artist(s) you’d like to talk about?
A: Perth boasts some very famous local street artists, such as Stormie Mills, Anya Brock and The Yok, but there are so many more to discover. Many stars who are on the rise right now.
Just look at some of the amazing works by Robert Jenkins, Fieldey, James Giddy, Andrew Frazer, Daek William, Jerome Davenport, Ian Mutch, Chris Nixon, Hayley Welsh, Ayres, Pippa McManus, Sarah McCloskey, Straker, Idol Motions, Amok Island, Mel McVee, Nick Zafir and Brenton See to name a few – they all call Perth home and we’re lucky to have their creativity on our doorstep.
It would be hard to select just one work to visit from such an incredible talent pool.
Author’s Top 5 Street Artworks in Perth City
Pictured below is a selection of works I suggest you visit whilst out and about in the city.
How to find all the amazing street art around Perth city?
Use Streets of Perth’s interactive map to help track down all the artworks in Perth City
Linton and Kay
The Linton and Kay galleries feature works by both established and emerging artists from around Australia and the world.
The Perth city gallery is located is on the second floor of the historic Old Perth Technical School, 137 St Georges Terrace, Perth WA.
Directors Linton Partington and Gary Kay’s extensive networks have allowed them to develop exhibitions that feature a wide variety of artists and artistic styles.
Artists such as Andy Quilty, Ken Done, Jodee Knowles, Dr Seuss and Helen Norton to name just a few.
One of my most memorable visits to the Gallery was quite some time ago.
I attended the opening night of Ken Done’s exhibition ‘Beyond the Reef’ and was keen to hear the iconic artist talk about his approach to art making.
I was hooked from the minute I walked into the heritage building and was immediately greeted by Yvonne Zago’s colourful, whimsical and impossibly intricate paintings.
I was also fortunate on this visit to experience the works of Hayley Welsh.
A chance encounter with Welsh’s works on this night led to my participation in an artist’s workshop months later at another of Linton and Kay’s gallery locations; a fantastic opportunity to not only appreciate another artist’s approach, but also to develop my own practical skills.
New exhibitions open regularly. To see up coming exhibitions for 2016 visit the Linton and Kay website.
Museum of Perth
What started off as a cyber-museum has now transformed into an exhibition space that chronicles the social, cultural, political and architectural history of Perth.
The exhibition provides Perth with its own time machine, shedding light on the city’s past.
The permanent collection covers more than 40,000 years of history in the Perth area with such themes as:
- Aboriginal Places & Life (Prior to 1829)
- British Colonisation – Invasion (1829 – 1849)
- Establishing the Convict Colony (1849-1881)
- Railways, Weirs & the Goldrush (1881-1914)
- The Great War, Art Deco & The Depression (1914-1939)
- WW1, Baby Boom & Suburbia (1939-1960)
- Destruction & Great Cultural Change (1960-1995)
- A New Urbanism (1995 – now)
The Museum of Perth exhibition space is situated on Grand Lane, parallel to Barrack Street and while entry is free, I high recommend you donate to help support this great initiative.
For more information visit the Museum of Perth website.
Grow Your Own – James Angus
In 2009 the Western Australian State Government launched an international sculpture competition to obtain an original artwork for an outdoor public space in Perth city.
The winner was artist James Angus, who was born and raised in Perth in the 1970s and holds a degree in Fine Arts from the Curtin University of Technology.
He now works between Sydney and New York as a sculptor.
Angus explores the physical properties of objects.
Through the manipulation of an everyday object that has been inverted, twisted, divided and then realigned Angus is able to explore the object in a fanciful way – manipulating space as though it were soft and borderless.
In developing his complex sculptures, Angus consults designers and engineers, mathematicians and scientists.
The Situate Sculpture Project received over 200 entries, with 5 being shortlisted before Angus’ work was selected as the winning piece.
He developed an abstract design that is approximately 3m wide, 1m long and 6.5m high.
The sculptural work was destined for the upgrade of Forrest Place, amongst Perth CBD’s main shopping precincts.
What makes the work interesting is that the sculpture appears to change shape depending on the angle the viewer approaches from.
Angus originally titled the work Grow Your Own in 2011 when the sculpture was handed over to the City of Perth, however it is more commonly referred to as “the cactus” by Perth locals.
Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi said of the work, “Any good public art is going to be public art that generates a lot of conversation, a lot of debate”.
Check out the City of Perth’s Art City Walking Trail to explore a range of public art commissions.
Perth Institute of Contemporary Art (PICA)
Located in the Perth Cultural Centre is PICA, which presents a range of contemporary and experimental visual arts, music, dance and performance artworks.
The gallery promotes experimentation, discussion and debate about the arts.
Visit the PICA website for up to date information about current events and displays.
Western Australia Museum
The Western Australian Museum houses WA’s scientific and cultural collection.
Along with the permanent collection are long term displays and an array of visiting exhibitions.
In the past these have included Da Vinci Machines and artifacts from the Day in Pompeii display.
Upcoming exhibitions will feature photographs of lost diggers and indigenous Australians at war.
For more information visit the WA Museum website.
Please note that the Western Australia Museum will be closed from mid-2016 due to construction of the new Western Australia Museum on the same site, set to open in 2020.
Brookfield Place Perth
Brookfield Place Perth may be best known for is popular bars and restaurants, but has also become a focal point for showcasing various exhibitions and public installations throughout the year.
Brookfield has established a global initiative that strives to engage diverse communities by invigorating their public spaces through free, world-class cultural experiences.
To see a full list of current and upcoming Brookfield Place art events visit the Brookfield Place website.
Grand Lane
Grand Lane in the city features a 99-metre mural by Victorian artists Bonsai and Twoone, along with murals from Timothy and Chris Nixon.
In Grand Lane you will also find the Light Locker Art Space – a City of Perth initiative displaying a collection of work by emerging Perth artists in light box cabinets.
The exhibition is free and can be viewed 24/7 but is best seen at sundown when the cabinet lights are on.
Educate and Inspire your Senses!
Perth is not just embracing the high arts; it’s embracing all forms of cultural expression.
The variety of works on display in our city has resulted in a thriving and renewed art scene.
Open air sculptures and street art alongside the traditional galleries has resulted in the arts to be more and more accessible to a wider range of audiences.
For further information on city-based art activities and events download Perth City’s Arts and Culture Guide.
