Eastern Seaboard

Overview

Ahoy, me hearties! Three collectives from the stretch of the Eastern Seaboard (Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, that is) are on board for this exhibition and symposium. That's The Cosmic Battle for Your Heart, Foodcourt du Jour, du Jour and No Frills* respectively. The focus of this gathering is the 'ship' of contemporary artists: the artist-run space. No longer limited to land, this project acknowledges the multiple works of independent artist organisations that take these collectives far beyond the concept of a physical space.

The exhibition complicates the concept of the artist-run space, concerned as it is less with a particular space and more with the spirit of exploration. Fascinated by ideas about collective production (or, what it takes to run a ship), the three collectives use their independent installation spaces at Artspace to explore the complex network of pragmatic considerations and human relationship that is collective endeavour.

What makes this exhibition unique is an uncommon honesty on the subject. Shiver me timbers. The Cosmic Battle for Your Heart exhibit works not by immediate members of the collective while running a parallel exhibition in Rozelle, raising the question of where the 'battle' is really taking place. Foodcourt du Jour, du Jour pick up on the second 'du Jour' of their title to ponder the immediate, and not always enduring, enthusiasm for collaboration. Meanwhile, No Frills* attempt to sidestep this very issue, proposing new methods of collaboration in their attempts to keep the dream alive. I'd imagine it may require a little yo ho ho and a bottl'a rum.

A plethora of events are attached to the exhibition itself, including a reading group, symposium, performances and Cosmic Battle's external exhibition at Rozelle.

Image: No Frills*, Checkmate, 2011.