Centre Place Artist Project
March 1, 1997
An alley off an inner city arcade might seem an unlikely place to offer art to the public. But, then again, isn't public art meant to revitalise neglected spaces and provide something pertinent, thought provoking or entertaining to those who live or work in the area? Are these Citylights a beacon of hope for the future of public art?
Citylights is a new venue for contemporary art instigated by a group of Melbourne locals calling themselves the Center Place Artist Project. The venue consists of four lightboxes mounted on the side of a building in an alley way off Center Place in Melbourne's CBD. Over the next few months, (funding permitting) Citylights will host a number of solo, group and curated shows.
The first show is a mixture of photocollage, sampling from film, text and dream-like images which simulate the overload of visual information that one experiences daily in the inner city environment. A referencing of the familiar provides an interface for the viewer to experience the complex political messages of Richard Butler-Bowden and Richard Brownfield, or the ambiguous poetic of McDonald's image. Lyndal Walker's Last Few Davs employs a slogan that evokes the fin‑de‑millenaire feel of the half yearly stocktake sales.
This wry manipulation of pop culture and a 'just‑do‑it' attitude typifies the approach of the artists who have engineered Citylights. Public art is about engaging with the public with works that reflect the experience of being part of an inner city culture. It's not window dressing for corporate or government sponsors. Despite the project being made possible by sponsorship from both, the Center Place Artist Project has been successful in maintaining its independence. A venue for artists to contribute to the lived environment and to actively enter into a dialectic on contemporary public art's function and quality.
Writer: Andrew McQualter