Last November, in a warehouse in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Marrickville, a scene unfolded that would have given demographers a field day. The hoppers and roasters of the previous occupant, Brazilian Coffee & Nut Factory, had been hauled out. In their place, carpenters were nail-gunning walls for intimate new rooms – picking coffee beans out of the joints as they went – while painters covered everything up to the six-metre- high ceilings with classic white.
Amid the hubbub stood the tall, suited figure of Sotiris Sotiriou, who is preparing to fill these smooth surfaces with something a few rungs above a flat white – contemporary art. First up will be a show of portraits from Melbourne-via-Santa Fe painter Justin Williams, to open on January 31.
