ArtFare is making Australian art affordable & accessible
Meet the creative entrepreneur putting Australia’s best art on more walls.
Once abundant in suburban dental waiting rooms, the humble art poster was, for many of us, our first introduction to Europe’s most eminent painters.
Laminated reproductions of Monet, Klimt and van Gogh masterpieces, often bought from fine art museums as souvenirs, offered access to a world traditionally reserved for only the wealthiest collectors and esteemed curators as we waited for a check-up and clean.
But for every work immortalised on laminated paper, there are countless others from local artists which are bought and hung in private homes; its owners, and their guests the only ones able to enjoy it.
Identifying an opportunity for local artists to showcase their works to a wider audience, Bondi creative Marisa Purcell launched ArtFare, a not-for-profit initiative creating premium poster prints featuring the work of both established and emerging Australian artists.
“During lockdown I was looking around at all these artists that I know, and it was quite depressing because they were doing all of this amazing work and a: nobody knows who they are, and b: it goes into a collector’s home and it never gets seen again,” she says.
What differentiates ArtFare’s prints is that while each poster is made using 300g rag paper and premium printing processes, there are no limited edition runs. Purcell’s goal is to democratise Australian art, expose great artists to a wider audience and give them an extra stream of income.
“The first question everyone asks me is ‘why aren’t they limited edition, they should be precious?’,” Purcell says. “You can get limited edition prints from a lot of contemporary artists, but I believe they are part of the problem. They’re $1100 for a print essentially, and they’re still exclusive. These (posters) are supposed to be ubiquitous and accessible and not limited edition; we’re going against the grain of the exclusivity of the Australian art market.”
Priced from $195, Purcell says the cost is competitive considering the quality of each poster is comparable to other limited edition prints on the market. “We didn’t want them to be tacky or cheap; we wanted them to be precious, and they are,” she says.
Claudia Damichi, Sulman Prize-winner Andrew Sullivan, Adrian Hobbs, Michael Cusack, Margaret Ackland and Maz Dixon are among the artists currently involved in the project, with Purcell working with a graphic designer to immortalise their paintings and sculptures.
Purcell is now working on diversifying the creatives involved to ensure the posters reflect a “cross section of Australian artists”, but has faced difficulties dealing with artist representatives who aren’t yet familiar with ArtFare’s business model.
“That’s been super tough but I’m hopeful that once we get this established and its more known, they’ll be a bit more open to coming on board,” she says. “What I’ve been doing is dealing directly with more urban, contemporary Aboriginal artists.”
You’ll be more likely to find ArtFare posters in the homes of and spaces of keen art lovers and creatives than medical waiting rooms, but for Purcell, it’s about ensuring Australia’s top talent is appreciated and enjoyed by as many people as possible.
Even if they are waiting for a root canal.