Despite having exhibited in galleries on countless occasions, it is within the everyday spaces that the work of Melbourne artist, Rowena Martinich, thrives. Her ‘activation of space’ gives life to building facades, stairwells and walkways, her work explodes with colour, transforming the mundane into the extraordinary, causing the passerby to stop and rethink the purpose of the concrete jungle’s public spaces. Bursting out of the gallery and onto the street, her works are evocative pieces, lifting the most ordinary surface to soaring heights. we caught up with Rowena ahead of her exhibition at START@ART MELBOURNE 2012 from May 24th.
Tell us about your creative path – how did you get into painting, what was it that drew you to the form?
Painting is just something that comes naturally to me – and I suppose I’m good at it. I love that you can transform a whole urban zone within a few hard working days at a site. Or bring some joy to someone through the distraction of a painting. I invest everything into my practice because I know that at the end of the day, it is the one truly consistent thing in my life.
You’ve been described as an abstract expressionist, what is it that inspires you, and informs your unique style?
I’m inspired by all sorts of things… other artists that work in similar veins, like Katharina Grosse, Joost van Santen, Stephen Hendee, Olafur Eliasson, Judy Pfaff and Dale Chihuly, Architecture and design, fashion.
And I love to travel to fuel my mind with other worlds. A couple of years ago I took off to the Middle East for four months just to have a break and a reality check – when I got back my practice exploded. Being and/or practicing as an artist in a foreign environment for me seems to be a method of communication that can break through cultural and language barriers. By creating works in places like China, Turkey and France, I have been able to successfully integrate into communities of people through painting – and that is incredibly inspiring.
In Melbourne, it’s all about trying to balance work and being able to stop thinking. When I am rested and fresh from spending time outside of the city after a couple of days of surfing or hiking with my gorgeous boyfriend Geoffrey (who is also an artist) – that is when my best work flows.
I was a huge fan of your Dagmar Rousset window display in 2011. Did you always want to practice public art? What prompted this decision?
Before I even had my first exhibition in a gallery space, I thought alternative methods of display were so much more interesting. I think this stems from my design background, and looking at where different areas of practice can oven overlap. I developed a painting practice studying fine art at RMIT University, and post art school really honed in on exhibiting and curating when I opened a gallery space which exhibited young emerging artists and project based exhibitions.
As great as this was, it was apparent that the audience that a gallery space was able to reach was really limited. I undertook a Masters of Art in Public Space, and this research enabled me to transform my gallery based practice into something much bigger. My ambitions shifted from creating 2x3m canvases to 5 storey high paintings.
Are there any particular locations you really like to work in? What is it about the ephemeral nature of street art that attracts you?
I don’t think I necessarily fall into the category of “street art,” nor do I consider my work ephemeral. I love to activate urban spaces and plant works where the audience may least expect it. Train stations, shopping centres, transient spaces that people normally pass through without consideration can all of a sudden become experiences.
What’s you’re involvement with Art Melbourne? What can we expect to see from you at the event?
I will be exhibiting mounted panels from the recently de-installed Viachroma which was installed at Dandenong station. As well as some large canvas pieces that I created during Fluoresce at NGV Studio. I have started collaborating with my partner Geoffrey Carran who will be exhibiting in the stand next to me. Some of these works, which integrate pictorial imagery into my abstract painting, will also be available.
Can you tell us a bit about Fluoroesce? Was that your first curated show? How was the process for you?
Fluoresce started back in the first year of running Area Contemporary Art Space Inc. It was one of the first shows that I curated, and we had four consecutive exhibitions spanning over a number of years. Fluoresce at NGV Studio was a bit different in that during the month-long residency period, we were able to test our practices in a public forum as well as explore our potential through collaboration and cross disciplinary practice.
Every few days, Fluoresce evolved culminating in a big smashup luminous explosion of colour in the closing event. I’m really proud of how committed all of the artists were in developing a really solid display of what is possible when you persist with your practice.
Scale seems to be an important aspect of your work. Is it challenging / time consuming to create your larger works? How different is your approach to the different canvas sizes and mediums?
The challenge is to start. It is much the same process to create a giant public work as it is a regular canvas, everything just gets scaled up; the paint quantities, the brush sizes, the studio space, the time frame. Physically and emotionally, creating large works is demanding. But I know my processes and my ability – and have tested them extensively by creating ambitious works to tight timelines. I do struggle to switch off from thinking about a project until it is completed though… so my mind tends not to rest during those intense periods, and I need downtime afterwards to recover.
Colour is also an important aspect of your work – could you describe the thought process behind choosing a colour palette? Do you have your own theories on colour and human nature? Why is it vital to your work?
My colour selections are intuitive and practiced. From my experience, people love colour. Those who understand my paintings seem drawn to their luminosity and energy. I think integrating fluorescent pigments into the palette intensifies this. So many of our urban spaces are dead spaces because they are just neutral grey and concrete. Colour instantly activates these spaces, and I think there is a lot of room to consider this in the future planning and development of cities in Australia.
Do you ever work in monochrome? How different would this sort of work be compared to your colour work?
It has never really entered my mind to paint in monochrome. I think if I were to, the works would be something else entirely.
What has your favourite work been so far?
Common Gesture at RMIT University. This was the first of the large-scale installation works that I ever did. The amount of research and testing that went into this work was exemplified when it all came together. It was very rewarding that it all worked out after going out on a limb with such a large experiment on a large site that required a lot of planning and project management.
Many artists who work outdoors have their reasons for wanting to paint the urban canvas, whether it’s about reclaiming public space, or an anti-advertising campaign. Why is it important to you personally?
For me it is about making art accessible. Taking it off a pedestal and removing it from the elitist environment where it is so often positioned. I see so much potential for the activation of cities through public painting, and feel that public art helps its inhabitants identify with their surrounds and develop pride of place.
You’ve been exhibiting extensively in Melbourne over the past few years, can you shed a little light on your next big plan?
I would like to expand my practice into regional areas of Australia. Coming from a rural background, I have seen how some small communities are struggling and are in desperate need of cultural injection. I also have some more international projects lined up including work in New Zealand, Turkey and Europe.
Further to that I really want to work collaboratively with architects and designers to upscale projects and look at cross disciplinary practice and where that can lead to. I think there is a lot of possibility in exploring the integration of art and painting into the structural fabric of buildings from the design phase, as well as activating dead transient spaces such as foyers and corridors in buildings.
I also love textiles and have been working in conjunction with Melbourne based boutique company Frankie and Swiss to develop a range using their inkjet-printing technology. This is an extension of my idea that art shouldn’t be limited and contained within pristine gallery walls, but integrated into everyday life for the mass populous.
Rowena Martinich online: