Inspired by the district of Montmartre in Paris and the Gilles St Market in Adelaide, the iconic Victoria Square will become Ground Zero for a new arts market in the CBD this October.
The Square will be transformed into a temporary bohemian village on with a specific focus on South Australian artists and artisans. The inaugural markets are an initiative of well-known Adelaide artist and DJ, Driller Jet Armstrong, who will launch the event as part of the Splash Adelaide Spring Program for 2015.
“Like Uber X – I want to circumvent the conventional, cut out the middle man and create a bohemian space which encourages artists to gather together in the town square with a view to selling their wares direct to the public as in days of yore," says Driller.
Donovan ChristieSupported by the Adelaide City Council the general public will be free to wander through the square, browsing the art on sale in an informal relaxed atmosphere while engaging with the artists.
Alongside the art there will be stalls selling apparel and handmade jewellery by South Australian designers, objects d’art plus Quality vintage clothing. The Garden Party Bar will feature SA wine makers, beer brewers and music by Adelaide’s finest music selectors. South Australian owned and operated food trucks will provide a mix of great multi-cultural cuisine. There will also be a kid’s zone with a mix of art and craft activities and live painting stalls as well.
Chris GastonThe markets are proud to also feature 5 specially selected artists including: Emma Hack, Annabelle Collett, Simon (Store) Burt, Donovan Christie and Chris Gaston.
“We are thrilled to be able to include these amazing artists in the lineup for this year’s great event,” says Event Co-ordinator Maj Green.
Annabelle Collett Annabelle Collett uses recycled ‘trash’ to fashion a vast array of artworks from all types of plastics. She utilises colourful discarded materials from found domestic items to make bold and vibrant statements highlighting the aesthetics of waste.
Internationally recognised, Emma Hack creates designs utilising female models that she successfully blends in with their surroundings. The effect is a living, three dimensional wallpaper.
Donovan Christie is an emerging fine artist. This new kid on the block brings a fresh new approach to the old fashioned art world – his work can be seen as witty and nostalgic. Seemingly simple at first, the deeper you look; the more there is to see. His work is primarily focused on the streets and landmarks of his hometown of Adelaide.
Simon K Burt aka Store is a freelance creative and recognised feature on the face of Adelaide. Staying prolific with his art, he also continues to affect people with his youth work art programmes. Store's styles vary as much as his choice of medium, working in aerosol, tattoo, fine arts, graphic design and fashion. His subject matter has an equally wide range, although his reputation was built on his graffiti paintings of gold dripped, inked up femme fatales.
Store And last, but certainly not least; The former Daubist, painter of murals, and artist extraordinaire, Chris Gaston, will be presenting his unique paintings and his Dada meets hard rubbish. Gaston continues to challenge and surprise the viewer with his deft placement of everyday flotsam in the space where form and meaning reach ultimate communion.
Driller ArmstrongThe Victoria Square Art Market takes place in Victoria Square, 11 October.
