Keynote Speeches: 2010

Now I am the first to admit that my insecurities are all mine and bigger in my hometown, and that growing up so young in the arts community (starting art school at 17) has had a big impact on my awareness of the need to belong and to be taken seriously.  

As an art student and a graduate, the Adelaide arts community can be a bit daunting and not everyone has the confidence to declare their position so young, but what I did have a lot of was a healthy dose of wearing my heart on my sleeve (this hasn’t changed that much) and a clear passion and drive. So when I was awarded the Ruth Tuck Scholarship to travel overseas just under ten years ago, my whole world opened up! I had a residency at Sticting Kunst & Complex situated in the industrial part of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. I had a guest studio for 3 months, working in an old paper factory that had been converted into 23 studios, 8 of which were residential; there were also two international guest studios. When I was shown to my studio (it was 120sq meters with big windows that looked out on the mass, (industrial river) and I was awe struck!)

I had to give an introduction lecture on my one year old out of art school paintings. The whole studio community attended along with local gallery owners. I was whole-heartedly embraced by the community and found myself living in a kind of dream world.

The range of artists at the studio was amazing, and besides the great impact this residency had on my work, I got to experience a very different culture of support for artists. Along with a big difference in general funding and attitudes towards the arts, the biggest difference was the middle layer of infrastructure in Rotterdam, such as group studios, affordable accommodation, artist run initiatives and casual employment for artists - this created multiple levels of entry, and a reality to afford you life as an artist. Studios were cheap; there is more support in the community and it’s possible to get industry related casual work, such as work assisting other artists and work for the bigger institutions installing for exhibitions. There were some artists at Kunst & complex who were pretty famous, and there were also artist who had quiet practices, and everyone in between, but they could all afford their lives as artists. 

Due to this atmosphere of support and nurture, it was a lot less competitive and I came across the attitude of ‘I expect to be the best, and I expect you to be the best’ obviously artists there would complain about their situation but I would try and tell them how good they had it. When meeting people in public, I was never asked, what was my real job.

I was invited back for a second residency for the following year, I spend just under two years away traveling and working in all kinds of jobs to afford to stay, and was lucky enough to visit many galleries and collections around Europe. This started my love of travel and experiencing different art communities.
Returning home I was filled with a mixture of excitement and real nerves, I had seen and experienced so much, and I felt very different about my identity as an artist and also was full of ideas and optimism for what was possible here in Adelaide. And I also didn't feel so intimidated any more.

So a friend Annika and I started up our own studio in Port Adelaide called the institute (a mini kunst & complex), it was great and cheap and we learnt quickly that we and all the studio members were struggling financially and it was my first big lesson in the challenges of running a small arts organisations.

So over there years I have spent time coming back and forth, and I have since decided to base myself in Adelaide. I was fortunate enough to work for the Australia council and Arts SA at the Venice biennale last year, this was an incredible opportunity, it really is the ‘art world’ and it was amazing to me immersed in the art Olympics, but strangely I was really looking forward to coming home, Adelaide has always had the right creative substance, I do believe that Adelaide has all the ingredients of any great arts community. We also have time to process things, its affordable, there is space and we have a really amazing range of creative people, Adelaide is even know for that, we have always produced great artists.

So I have this strange loyalty and commitment to this place, and I have a lot of optimism, which is needed in the pursuit of sustaining new things. There can be an inbuilt resignation that Adelaide can’t sustain new movements. Another difficulty is that in a small place like Adelaide there can be a lot of gate keeping, the positions of authority are held by a hand full of people and institutions. This mixed with the economic rationalist times and current career pressures on artists can create a new breed. There is a new great wave of artist who just want to make things happen and its totally grass roots, they have a need for space, action and to be connected. Something is happening with spaces and groups like the format collective, seedling art space, 2% collective, magazine and of course FELTspace and Renew Adelaide (which aims to utilise empty spaces for creative and community driven projects (if anyone has space contact me,)  and of course SALA.

There is definitely something happening, I like to call it a kind of renaissance, it’s happening if we say it is and we make it happen. There is a new sense of sharing of knowledge and generosity, this is ultimately what makes the arts community grow, Adelaide can’t afford to be too cliché, we need numbers and people to sustain ideas and new projects. This is for me the important thing about going away and coming back, realising the importance of community and that being connected is vital.

Visual artists can work independently and even be isolated, its time that we work collectively. While away I noticed that it was pretty normal for artist to have their project work with others and also their own work, this can assist artists from becoming too hedonistic and self absorbed, which visual artist have a tendency to be…. And in a way having some idea of social contribution is important, and is about making sustainable structures for our community, so we can thrive, and continue to make being an artist a possibility in life.

Thank you,

Bridget Noone