Blacktown Arts will step back in time to the 1980s and 90s with its latest cutting-edge exhibition Talking Posters: Garage Graphix 1981-1998, at the Leo Kelly Blacktown Arts Centre.
The exhibition, which will launch next month, presents a selection of screen-printed artworks, textiles and calendars, alongside original equipment and materials from the renowned 'Garage' in Mt Druitt, a community-based art workshop.
For almost two decades, Garage Graphix led the field in community art making, and screen printing in particular, and produced hundreds of socially and politically-charged posters for the Western Sydney community.
Blacktown City Mayor Tony Bleasdale OAM said the exhibition provided a culturally significant snapshot in time of grassroots art making in Blacktown City.
"Garage Graphix was a leader in community arts practice, based right here in Blacktown City, and its legacy lives on today," Mayor Bleasdale.
"The Garage gave rise to scores of important posters, which spoke to the stories and concerns of its people and were crucial in shaping the identity of the Western Sydney community.
"Blacktown City Council and Blacktown Arts are delighted to be able to share a selection of these incredible works with the public for the first time since the Garage closed its doors in 1998."
The exhibition is curated by Nadia Odlum, a Western Sydney artist who was born close to the Garage during its operating years.
From an archive of more than four hundred prints, Nadia has drawn out a selection that highlights the pivotal role of the Garage as a place of artistic innovation and community activism in the pre-digital era.
Julie Ewington is one of Australia's leading and most respected senior curators, and mentored young guest curator, Nadia, through the curatorial process.
"In the 1980s Garage Graphix put Mount Druitt on the Australian cultural map," Julie said.
"It was an astonishing explosion of energies, ideas and images, admired around the country for the way the 'Garage' tackled urgent social and political issues.
"Forty years later, Garage Graphix posters are still fresh, powerful, and relevant."
Garage Graphix also led in the development of an Aboriginal arts team, a community graphic design service, arts projects, artist residencies, innovative partnerships and the development of Aboriginal arts and mentorships.
An artist-led print studio will run throughout the exhibition, giving access to visitors to create their own screenprint.
The exhibition will tour to Wagga Regional Art Gallery from June - August and then to Blacktown Libraries later in the year.
Talking Posters: Garage Graphix, 1981-1998
Venue
The Leo Kelly Blacktown Arts Centre, 78 Flushcombe Road, Blacktown
Dates & Times
8 April - 7 May, 2022. 10am - 5pm, Tuesdays - Saturdays.
Free
For more details, visit: blacktownarts.com.au
Picture: Garage Graphix: Making Art in Mt Druitt, screenprint on paper. © the artists, is one of the featured artworks in the exhibition at Blacktown Arts.
