Three Sixty Five

Three Sixty Five explores the highs and lows of an aerosol artist over a one year period. During the Wet Season of 2012/13 Sauce and Ainslie Rose spent too many days cooped up inside and spent long mornings talking over coffee about ‘what would be really cool’. It was from these heartfelt conversations the pair decided they needed to be the change and not the problem, and thus, The Sauce Studio was created. The Sauce Studio was meant to be the catalyst Murwillumbah and the Northern Rivers needed in regards to aerosol and contemporary art.

 

Still Lifeless, oil on canvas, 122cm x 91.5cm. Sauce, 2014.

Since opening last March, Sauce and Ainslie Rose have used the workshop and showcase to meet new friends and create new artworks, but it hasn’t been all beer and skittles for the creative couple. A large part of the challenge has been navigating through the bureaucracy associated with public art and murals. Sauce has worked with over eighty schools and has over a decade of professional experience, but he is still dictated to by public servants who know little if anything about public art. The bureaucracy isn’t usually site specific, that is, most large scale organizations and councils have the same level of paperwork and inane demands, however recent experiences with councils have taken the bureaucracy and flagrant stupidity to a new level.

#exhibitionthreesixtyfive, aerosol on found object. Sauce 2014.

This paper-trail full of maintenance schedules, risk management plans, design briefs, and selection criteria may be a part of everyday life for the myriad of Cultural Development Officers, but it doesn’t denote high quality art, nor extrapolate cultural innovation; except when this is used as inspiration for an exhibition. It is these experiences of tribulation and encumbrance which has fueled this creative output. This exhibition serves as a metaphor for the challenges faced by a professional aerosol artist. The Sauce Studio arose out of dissatisfaction for the hegemonic demands of traditional gallery expectations and tokenistic public art projects and this celebration one year of operations in Murwillumbah exemplifies the positivity and success.  

Retrospective Self-portrait, acrylic on canvas, 76cm x 30cm. Sauce 2014.

From the Wreck, acrylic on canvas, 183cm x 91.5cm. Sauce, 2014.

Overcast Enlightenment, oil on canvas, 70cm x 50cm. Sauce 2014.

Life and Death

We’ve had some varied feedback about our A-frame today, and I would like to thank those who spoke to me about their feelings regarding the sign’s content. 

This link explores the same themes provides insight into the issue of popularity and death. 

At the studio, we’re not about sledging Margaret Olley or her legacy, but what we are advocating for is support for living artists, so their careers can flourish. And as an organisation which is living in the shadows of other well funded facilities it is a challenge to run a successful arts business. 

We’ve exhausted every other polite way to demonstrate these experiences to the ‘powers that be’, and this is one way of creating critical debate about this topic.

p.s. Sorry about the relfective selfie!

Coming soon: Three Sixty Five

Goodbye 2013!

Wowzers! 2013 has been one rollercoaster of a year. Sauce painted more murals than we care to count and the studio has been out biggest adventure yet! 

The year started with a bang, as Sauce spent five days at Brisbane Pop Culture with Turtle and Em Undead. With all the rain and storms for the summer of 2012-13 Sauce was definitely battling the elements. But it was finished in time and luckily Em and Turtle escaped any flooding. We however, were not so fortunate. Country living has it’s downside, and while we were planning and scheming to open The Sauce Studio in Murwillumbah, we were flooded in at home for four and a half days, without power. But, we survived, and managed to open the studio, so Lady Luck must have been looking after us.

Buddah watching over us in the studio.

The Studio opening in March was definitively the scariest and most exciting thing we have ever done. In the lead up to opening night, it was utter chaos. We were busily organising shirts, logos, merchandise, advertising and all the paperwork that comes with running and expanding a business. We also had to re-fit the shop ourselves which saw Sauce and myself covered in paint and sweat from head to toe. A massive thanks goes out to all the people who visited for opening night (and throughout the year!). It’s heartening to know people are interested in the artwork and want to support an independent artist.

Ainslie Rose hard at work!

Once we opened the studio, Sauce was off to Tassie, and then Julia Creek, which was the first of three trips to Central Queensland this year. The Anglicare CQ team are without a doubt the most professional and dedicated team we have worked with. Every time Sauce visits Emerald, he’s treated like a superstar and the Anglicare CQ team have every detail organised. The kids are appreciative and enthusiastic. Sauce has even made friends up there who take him motorbike riding. Rough life hey?

The studio is keeping us both busy, with Sauce using the space as a workshop and I’m busy with all of the admin and paperwork. In September of this year, we held out first curated showcase, which was another adventure. I had the exciting role of Senior Curator, which meant I was developing and analysing the theme, while also advertising and vacuuming. For the week before Stains of Modernity opened, we had a young lad on work-experience who was dedicated and energetic. We almost couldn’t keep up with him!  Again, a massive thanks to all who came to the opening night and gave us a hand behind the scenes. It’s always scary throwing that type of party. We can never tell if it is going to be epic or, and epic failure, so thanks for making it a success.

Digital Interference. One of the pieces from Stains of Modernity.

It hasn’t been all beer and skittles, with Sauce facing some challenging bureaucracy and professional hurdles. We blogged about the many different experiences, and on a personal level it is disappointing to see the legal walls shut down, commissioned walls painted over and the zero tolerance approach taken by numerous organisations. I am conscious when we’re putting together blog posts as it is easy to moan about these issues, but we believe in standing up for what we believe in. Which is why we also write countless emails to officials and bureaucrats and make this information public. Just like Max Cavalera reminds us, “I’d rather die on my feet than keep living on my knees.” Too true Mr Cavalera.

One more exciting piece of information before we go. We are finally running stencil and aerosol workshops from the studio. Book it in your diary!

January 12th & 26th and February 9th.
$40 per head which includes a small canvas and paint supplied. 
Strictly 13 years or older.
Bookings essential. 
Wear appropriate clothing. All care taken, no responsibility for leaving paint on your new Nikes.

What ever you are doing this festive season, stay safe, look after your mates and enjoy yourself.

Peace,
Sauce and Ainslie Rose.

Sauce takes some time out with his new favourite book.

The Sauce Studio says NO to the Pop-Up Paradigm

We’ve all heard of them, and probably even been to one. You might haven even spoken about it with your friends and organised a night out at the latest and trendiest pop-up restaurant/gallery. The premise sounds fine, and all of those who visit usually have a rad time. BUT…

What does the ‘pop-up’ say about the state of business for the creative industries?  Our main contention with this temporary concept, it the lack of longevity given to dedicated professional artists. As makers and creators of quality art, it is disheartening to think artwork is popularly accepted as nothing more than a space filler and light entertainment. Art has a tangible effect on those who consume and enjoy it and for professional artists, art is more than pretty and palatable pictures at some trendy warehouse, it’s an income and a culture. By making art fit into the paradigm of the pop-up shop, it limits and constrains artists and art.

“But wait a minute.” I hear you say. “What about the flexibility and providing a platform for emerging artists?” Sure, there are some positives about the pop-up, otherwise it wouldn’t be popular. What we don’t appreciate at The Sauce Studio is how these pop-ups usually come together. In our experience, it is less about curating quality and more about who is friends with whom and who is cooler than whom. And, if an artist does get the opportunity to showcase their talent, more often than not they’re exploited and expected to work for free, which is not cool. Not cool at all. Just ask any mirco-business owner or emerging artist how many hours they put into their work, and how much profit they actually make. For sustainability and longevity, emerging artists need a hand up, not a hand out.  As far as flexibility is concerned, this is a false assumption. Again, in our experience at The Sauce Studio this has not been the case, especially in relation to the types of art shown in the pop-up environment. The pop-up paradigm is really more about the cool kids wanting to label and control their own expectations of what art is and can be. Trust us, the number of times we’ve been rejected or excluded from these types of events is ridiculous.  

Long story short, pop-up shops and galleries are devaluing art, reinforcing mainstream trends and are based on high school clique. Which is why we decided to open The Sauce Studio. At The Sauce Studio, we don’t rely on grants, funding or donations from the public, we’re an established business with overheads and mortgage payments, just like evey other business owner.  

RAW: Byron Bay Encompass

Save the date folks! We’re going to be at ENCOMPASS! Show your support by booking a ticket for the princely sum of $16.65 and get yourself to The Beach Hotel, Byron Bay on the 13th of November from 7 pm.  Make sure you wear your party pants and are ready to boogie the night away. There will be all different types of artists so make a night of it and bring all your friends. See you there!

Stains of Modernity

Stains of Modernity explores the post-industrial and Neo-Liberal agendas where ideas and people become homogenized for aesthetics and convenience. But the people want more; in studios and back alleyways, the people are rebelling. This exhibition uses materials forms and textures which are the epitome of modernity while resisting against the synthetic matrix which is an accumulation of the boom, bust and lust for the forever new. Aerosol is a paradox, making it the perfect tool for resistance, the single biggest weapon against alienation and the stagnation associated with the ever urbanizing environment. One person and a can is all it takes to leave a political statement or a subcultural communication with like minded participants. For too long Hip Hop culture has been exploited by marketing gurus for global profits. Stains of Modernity is paint on walls and sculptural forms emerging from the underground; its a response to the built environment and the bureaucracy which dictates our existence.

 

High Modernity, Post Modernity, Post Modernism, Post-Post Modernism, these are the times we live in. Pontificating about art and high culture will only go so far, it doesn’t address the bigger issues and is inaccessible to the wider population. Art is more than oils on canvas which are hung in well lit and over funded galleries. Graffiti embodies the notion of doing art as an act of expression as opposed to the more palatable and tamed visuals of the gallery market. Graffiti is more than just paint on walls from some young hoodlums. It’s a part of a culture and a way of life. Humans have been making their marks on walls from the beginning of history and the typography scrawled over the urban environment is just an extension of this.

This Hip Hop culture is evolving over time and is a part of the urban identity. It is this identity which creates a new history and a new narrative. Hip Hop grew out of the disquiet of New York and the American streets during the 1970s. It’s often associated with crime and violence, but true Hip Hop is anything but violent. It’s about battling to be the best and earning respect from your peers by honing your craft and perfecting your style. It’s peaceful, respectful and skillful. Flash-forward to now, and Australians have their own take on Hip Hop. It’s more about mates, larrikins and beer. The music talks more about politics and BBQs than bitches and homies, but there’s still a good dose of competition and testosterone. And graffiti is just one of the four elements which is celebrated and elevated by this competition. By eradicating graffiti and aerosol art from our streets, marginalizing it and calling it a crime is sheer ignorance.

 

The beginning of modernity saw immense change and the industrialization of the Western world. This industrial change is responsible for the creation of the aerosol can and the colours which are now accessible and neatly packaged. Modernity also reinforced the bureaucratic and hierarchical social structures which seek to marginalize and denigrate anything with unique thought, thus making graffiti the best weapon against this concrete and urbane landscape. Graffiti is as old as time itself, and now the tools are pre-packaged and readily available.  

Exhibition : Stains of Modernity

 

Outside Inn

Outside Inn is an exploration of the accepted norms of suburbia and the sub-verse subculture of graffiti. Artists Kosie and Sauce struggle to find the perfect environment to practice their art due to the battle lines drawn by several local councils. The current political climate demands grey walls replace commissioned murals. As a result, these two artists have been forced to fit the mould of the gallery and display their works to the select few. Outside Inn is a depiction of suburbia, it could be any neighborhood around working class Brisbane. The straight fence, perfectly painted doors and neat lawns are all representations of the Australian dream. What the politicians didn’t account for was the expression of art which breaks trends and barriers.

A big thanks to Lee Hutton photography.

Outside Inn

During the last week of August, KosieONE and myself gathered all of out latest fine art works and filled the gallery space of Jugglers. Jugglers is a great art space in Fortitude Valley where the artists are encouraged to create their own work, using any medium and any method. This meant myself and KosieONE were also allowed to paint on the interior walls, which is a real rarity when it comes to gallery spaces in South East Queensland. Without the limitations other galleries impose we not only had a top time but produced a quality show.