Every artist is local to somewhere. Whether landscapes, streets or landmarks, the history of art is littered with homages to specific hometowns, neighbourhoods and streets, visions of place that are made anew, special or culturally significant under the artist’s hand. But if art is about imagination, why depict what lies at your front door?
Depictions of places can play an important role in archiving history. An evolving urban landscape is an inevitable and almost mundane fact of life – before we know it, a street is transformed, its former face preserved only through imagery like works of art. Art can also distil how an artist feels about their city. Under Sidney Nolan’s hand, St Kilda’s Luna Park is abstractly evoked – a wisp of childhood memory that is suffused with rebellion. Christopher Rimmer too evokes the underbelly of Luna Park, his photographs deliciously noirish.
Art about place is a celebration of community. In her work, Amanda Upton pays homage to habitué of Sydney’s Surry Hills, while Philippe Le Miere honours Richmond’s iconic Skipping Girl Sign. Kenneth Jack looks beyond the city to capture specific junctures through the outback and along the coastline, while Jeffrey Makin distils the enigmatic Hanging Rock.
Just like us, artists intuitively respond to their environments. In German there is a word, “heimat”, that while literally translating to “home” means something more. It is a feeling, a sense of belonging that touches the political, spiritual and personal. After a long stint away, it is the feeling of coming home. A house hung with art that speaks to the place you call home, where you’ve visited or once lived, is a curation of belonging.