The following is a brief preview - the full content of this page is available to premium users only.
Click here to subscribe...
Artist-run spaces have always been among the most important and successful venues for young contemporary artists. These spaces give the artist an autonomy that the more rigid administrative structures of contemporary art spaces and commercial galleries are unable, or unwilling, to provide. The Butterfactory, which recently opened in Dayboro, under the directorship of artist, Scott Whitaker, is an impressive example of how well such spaces operate when treated with a careful blend of professionalism and enthusiasm.
One of the most interesting aspects of the space is its very peripheral positioning, some fifty kilometres, from the centre of Brisbane. The artists working in and with the Butterfactory, site soaring rental costs and the sheer unavailability of suitable working areas as the main reason for their move into this rural district. However, such marginalisation from the central area of Brisbane demanded no small amount of commitment on the part of those concerned.
Undoubtedly one of the major rationales for such a move was the marvelous studio space offered by the availability of the old Dayboro Butterfactory. The building, with its loft-like proportions, easily accommodates studio and exhibition space, workshop and living areas.
Nine Brisbane Artists : Sources and Outcomes was the first exhibition for the Butterfactory and as such it introduced the rather eclectic, though nonetheless, democratic nature of this artist-run space. It was an exhibition designed to demonstrate the work of a number of young artists with little previous exposure. Accompanying many of the artists' works were some of the sources they had drawn upon for the execution of their works: small natural found objects such as pieces of coral or rocks, sketches, postcards, photographs and books. This provided an interesting