Melbourne council accused of Orwellian interference in art event

A council in Melbourne’s north-east has been labelled Orwellian after it arranged the removal of two artists from promotional material for an exhibition because they are running as candidates in October’s local government elections.

Photographer and former journalist Martin Hirst and garden designer Paul Morland were among 24 artists participating in next month’s Banyule Open Studios event, which offers people the chance to visit artists in their studios.

But two weeks ago, they were ditched from the event’s website.

Banyule Council candidate and local artist Martin Hirst. Credit: Eddie Jim

In correspondence seen by The Age, Banyule council raised concerns with the event organisers that Hirst and Morland had nominated for the elections, and that the event was running during the caretaker period before the vote.

An archived version of the event’s website, also seen by The Age, shows the artists’ work was discussed, with no mention that they were running for council.

While the municipality does not run the event or the exhibition’s website, an email to Hirst from a council official explained it made the “decision that the profiles be removed to avoid any issues, either perceived or realised.

“As council actively supports, funds and is widely affiliated with Open Studios, we are of the view that by allowing known candidates to have their profile remain on the website as part of an event, it may be perceived to be actively or openly promoting a candidate during the election,” the official said.

Felicity Gordon, chairperson of Banyule Open Studios, declined to comment.

Hirst, a Victorian Socialist member who is also on the Banyule Open Studio board, said there was no intention to use the event as a campaign opportunity and he believed the ruling was overkill.

“I think this is clearly a situation where council officers have overstepped their statutory responsibilities in relation to the caretaker period,” he said.

“The council rules clearly relate to council publication and council events. This is not a council event and our publications are not council publications.

“There’s been no suggestion that either [Morland] or I was going to use the Open Studios weekend as a campaign event.”

The council told The Age the artists were “able to participate in the event as individuals but cannot use the event or be seen to use the event as a promotional opportunity for their candidacy.

“When attending council-run or council-funded events during an election period, all candidates must make it clear that they are attending in a private capacity,” a spokeswoman said.

“By appearing in online promotion for an event part-funded by Banyule City Council, there was a risk that the candidates would be seen to receive council endorsement.”

Hirst’s studio will technically be open as part of the event – but he has been removed from its promotion. He described the removal as Kafkaesque.

“I’ve been taken out of history; I’ve become an unperson in the terms Orwell spoke about in 1984,” Hirst said.

In addition to funding from Banyule council, the event’s website says it also receives funds from the North East Link program – a state government trust designed to offset interruptions from the construction of the North East Link freeway.

Hirst said the episode showed how “the independence of the artist is always under threat from the people with the purse strings”.

Last week he tried to move a Banyule Open Studio board motion that both he and Morland would be reinstated to the website, but it failed to garner support.

Morland, a Greens member, was contacted for comment.

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