Cover image: Photo by Ian Yong

From Friday October 17 to Sunday October 19, visitors to Perth Art Weekend will have access to a full program of exhibition openings, guided tours, family events, performances, art walks, panel discussions and much more, including a free shuttle bus running throughout its duration. This format will allow Perth to become a national platform, engaging the public in local and international attractions, and making arts in Perth accessible to a wide variety of people.

Perth Art Weekend was founded last year by Kamilė Burinskate, an Australian/Lithuanian art dealer based in Perth and the founder and Chair of Perth Art Foundation. The aim of Perth Art Foundation, and by extension Perth Art Weekend, is to make art and culture accessible to all and by extension, make Western Australia a go-to global cultural destination for contemporary art.

In creating the Perth Art Weekend Burinskate was initially inspired by the format of the Zurich Art Weekend, an event which has been a part a part of Zurich’s cultural calendar for the last eight years. As someone who enjoys travelling to different places to see and experience art and culture, Burinskate felt that the Art Weekend was something beneficial that could be replicated here in Perth;

“I want people to feel that Perth is amazing and feel that they have something like those weekends to offer rather than looking to other cities all the time. That was what really inspired me, to have something locally here for us rather than having to go outside of Australia.”

When considering the formula to create an Art Weekend for Western Australia, Burinskate knew that the result was going to be unique and very different to Zurich;

“We of course have different institutions, different artists. The difference is that we are so remote. We are very much local focused this year. We wanted to bring international audiences and artists to Perth as well, but we are very much local and wanted to celebrate, to really show how many different incredible artists and institutions we have that some people may not be aware of.”

Since the first iteration of Perth Art Weekend last year, Burinskate has been working to bring the event and its program to a wide audience, with multiple levels of engagement available to members of the arts sector and the public.

“We wanted to create an experience that would be accessible for everyone, so we have different levels of programming. We have our VIP pass, which is available to established collectors, people who are already very engaged in the art world like museum directors, collectors, art lovers, people who are already supportive of the arts. Through this program VIP members can access exclusive collections, private events and connect with other like-minded people.”

Perth Art Weekend also has an extensive, free, Public Pass through which visitors can book or register for thirty-three different experiences across the twenty-five locations in Perth City and in the wider Perth region. This year, Perth Art Weekend also has more opportunities for families to engage in Perth’s art scene. Burinskate elaborates:

“We want to bring families together, and we are doing quite a few children’s events this year. One of these is being held at the WA Museum, with artist Ian Daniell who will be inviting children to paint a coral reef together.”

Based in Margaret River, Daniell is renowned across the state for his life-sized paintings of ocean life. His workshops as part of Perth Art Weekend will encourage children and families to creatively work together and paint the bleached coral reef, helping it come back to life.

Of these kinds of programs Burinskate commented; “We wanted to address environmental issues that are important in our society, and bring awareness of them through the art.”

The WA Museum Boola Bardip is not the only major Perth arts institution who is taking part in Perth Art Weekend as John Curtin Gallery, Perth Institute of Contemporary Art (PICA), Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery, and the Art Gallery of Western Australia are just some of the participating venues this year.

“We have some important curators coming on board,” Burinskate elaborates, “We have Robert Cook from the Art Gallery of Western Australia holding a curatorial tour of the gallery’s state collection. We have John Curtin Gallery previewing their Dirt Feeling exhibition on Friday. PICA will also be launching their season program including a guided tour and conversations with artist Alana Hunt.”

If top notch artist talks are more your thing, then Forrest Research Foundation will be hosting a panel discussion on the intersections of Art, Ecology and Consciousness at Forrest Hall Auditorium in Crawley. As part of the talk, Professor Owen Nevin (UWA), Carolyn Christie-Coxon (artist), Dr Stefano Carboni (curator and lecturer) and Dr Cassandra Tytler (artist,) moderated by Robyn Johnson will discuss how creative and cultural practices contribute to rethinking humanity’s relationship with nature.

The weekend is also not limited to Perth City, with locations including East Fremantle, Peppermint Grove included and even Mundaring Open Studios is available using the complimentary shuttle bus;

“People can take the free shuttle bus at 9.30am on Saturday and go to the hills.” Burinskate explains, “Some people might not usually be able to get to the hills because they can’t find transport, or it is too hard to do so. We want to make it really accessible so people will have the choice to be able to explore these four studios.”

There are opportunities within the Perth Art Weekend for people to go en mass and enjoy art being created together, as the Lester Prize for Portraiture will be holding live portrait drawing sessions in front of the WA Museum, an event which has already registered over 100 attendees.

Visitors to the Art Weekend can register for the Subi Art Walk, which starts from Walmsley Lane in Subiaco at 10am on Friday. Created in partnership with See Subiaco, this walking art tour of the city will cover a 1.5km accessible art trail, with stops at some of Subiaco’s best murals, public artwork and activations.

Burinskate is thrilled with the level of engagement and the variety of experiences on offer;

“There are beautiful levels of engagement in these different kinds of events. It’s really exciting I think, Perth didn’t have anything like this and that’s why I feel like this dream is coming true. A dream of having something local that people get excited about and they come together. It’s all about connecting through art and having that appreciation for art that is so important in our lives.”

As the most remote capital city in the world, Perth shines brightest when its arts community fosters connection and collaboration between its different institutions and members of the public. Art functions best when it is viewed by and connected to as many different people as possible. It educates, widens perspectives and creates a sense of purpose with those who engage with it.  Most importantly, art is for everyone, and it is vital to support those initiatives that support and encourage all kinds of arts access, regardless of whether you are someone dedicated to the industry or a day tripper taking the opportunity to see Perth’s private art studios up close in person.

Perth Art Weekend has something for everyone; from art walks to panel discussions, from tours of a private studios to tours of Parliament House, the sheer variety of opportunities for patrons and the plethora of support from local institutions are heartening reminders of Perth’s vibrant, varied and robust arts community.

The Perth Art Weekend program brings this connection to the forefront of public access and is an initiative well worth our support. As a member of the Perth arts sector and a lover of art, I strongly encourage our readers to get out this weekend and take advantage of Perth Art Weekend’s such varied, thoughtful and accessible opportunities.

If you would like to participate in Perth Art Weekend, the best way is to follow perth.art and view its full program.