Charles Darwin University (CDU) is pleased to announce nationally recognised printmaker, painter, sculptor and artist Franck Gohier as the inaugural artist in residence at its newest campus, Danala | Education and Community Precinct in the Northern Territory (NT). The Darwin-based artist will work on a major commission of a large-scale artwork in collaboration with the Museum and Art Gallery of the NT (MAGNT) for the atrium of the new NT Art Gallery in the Civic and State Square precinct in Darwin City.
Comprising 40 metal panels, the work is part of the prestigious Creative Australia Visual Arts, Craft and Design Framework (VADF) Major Commissioning Program – with Franck the only artist in the NT to be selected as part of the 2024 national cohort of recipients. Known for his bold, satirical style – often addressing social, political, and historical themes with a strong connection to Australian culture and Indigenous issues – each panel of the commission will represent a part of the NT. "The individual artworks might represent a defunct NT speed limit sign, a stand of mangoes, or they could be a historical event, like Amy Johnson landing her Gypsy Moth "Jason" at present day Fannie Bay in 1930," Franck explained. "Some of the symbols will make sense to viewers immediately and there'll be other imagery that won't make sense to anybody, unless, of course, you grew up here. "A lot of people come to Darwin and complain that there's nothing much up here and nothing ever happens. But every place that you go to, irrespective - and Darwin's just a microcosm of everywhere else - when you scratch beneath the surface there's so much strata, so much history and stories." Born in France in 1968, Franck emigrated to Australia as a child and has become a significant figure in the Northern Territory's contemporary art scene. Awarded a Bachelor of Arts (Fine Art Major) from Charles Darwin University (CDU) in 1991, he was further awarded a Companion of CDU in 2017 and is one of three key NT-based artists represented in the CDU Art Collection.
He is also the co-founder of Red Hand Prints, a printmaking studio that has played a crucial role in supporting local artists particularly on remote Indigenous communities - including across Arnhem Land, Central Australia, the Tiwi Islands and the Kimberley. "By example I want to show young creatives that, even if you live in Darwin and you're a visual artist, you can still make an impact and a full-time living from this career. People often say, "You have to live in Sydney or have to be in Melbourne, or abroad" and that's just not the case," Franck said. "My advice for all students is truly; to follow your dreams.
"We all have our affectations and romantic notions about what it is to be a creative. But the reality is being an artist is simply a job, a trade, it is a profession, like any other - and a rewarding and worthy one at that."
Franck's artworks are held in major collections, including the National Gallery of Australia (Canberra), the Museum of Contemporary Art (Sydney), Charles Darwin University and MAGNT, as well as numerous regional galleries and private collections.
