Finding purpose through art

Art from the Margins, a collaborative project between the Wesley Mission Brisbane, Reclink, the Brisbane Festival and Brisbane City Council, links Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists together through the theme ‘One in Spirit’.

“The first exhibition was held last year, and it arose out of activities organized by the Albert Street Uniting Church, in the heart of Brisbane” explains exhibition coordinator, Dr Ian Airey.

“In 2005 I was asked to supervise activities at Kemp Place, a park in Brisbane where coffee vans come and give sandwiches, coffee and clothes and so-on to people who are homeless. I got to know some of the people who attend the coffee van, and out of the conversations I’ve had with them I realized that boredom is actually crippling for some of these people. They can get shelter, they can get food, they can get the necessities of life but they are lacking the joy of life.”

The idea of supporting and stimulating Brisbane’s homeless through access to the arts sprang directly from Airey’s conversations at Kemp Place.

“In late 2007 the decision was made to give people who are homeless, people who are living with disability and people who are living with disadvantage an opportunity to exhibit their work in a public space, and offer it for sale. That was the seed for Art from the Margins.”

More than 320 works have been entered in this year’s exhibition, ranging from paintings on canvas, both oils and acrylics, to drawings on paper, three dimensional works and photography.

“Photography is an area which is very popular,” Airey observes. “People are also presenting various forms of sculpture, as well as craft work.”

The now annual exhibition involves people from a wide range of backgrounds, representing the diversity of Queensland’s homeless community.

“Many of the people involved with Art from the Margins come to us through support agencies like the Red Cross and the Salvation Army, or mental health agencies through Queensland Health; and others just hear about us through the grapevine,” Airey says.

“A lot of them come to us without any art background. They just enjoy the idea of art. And some of them have been professional artists in the past but they’ve been affected by things like mental illness and substance abuse and so are no longer practicing at the professional level. They’ve become isolated as a result of the personal difficulties they’ve encountered, and they’re using their art to try and rehabilitate themselves.”

Stephen Corti-Griffith, who won last year’s inaugural Art from the Margins exhibition competition (and whose artwork has been published in a number of books on artists with disabilities, including publications in Europe, Japan and Papua New Guinea) is one of the artists whose work will be displayed in this year’s exhibition.

Three years ago Stephen was hit by a car as he was cycling to work. His injuries were extensive, and he was unconsciousness for several months. When he eventually woke up, he had to learn to walk and talk all over again.

Despite his misfortune, Stephen remains positive and upbeat person, an outlook that is reflected in much of his work.

“You’ve got to get up – you can’t just lie down,” says Stephen, “You’ve got to have a purpose – that’s the main thing in life – having a purpose.”

Art from the Margins at the Brisbane Festival: October 1 – 4, Albert Street Uniting Church, Brisbane; and October 1 – 11, Inala Community Art Gallery, Inala.

Brisbane Festival