Around Festival of Perth time this year, it was suggested to me by a few people that as an (albeit junior) art reviewer, I must be finding myself especially busy. I had to reply that no, this was not the case at all. And it was true, I was no busier than usual. I should note, this was not just because I share the role of art reviewer with The West's senior critic. Rather, it was the case that, even while it was 'Festival time' in terms of quantity at least, there was no more on than usual. The same galleries were showing work, one imagines if it was not Festival time, they would have been showing anyway.
Given this, if the Festival does not add significantly to the quantity of art on show, what is it all about. The answer is probably obvious and is linked to a certain broad 'curatorial vision'. If you'll excuse a rather naff analogy, it might be likened to a painting in which individual galleries are different colours and the final composition is the Festival itself. Indeed, this is born out by the Festival's General Manager, Henry Boston. When I spoke with him prior to the Festival's opening, he said that quite often negotiations concerning the Festival's shows will have begun some three years or so in advance. As such, there is a dialogue between private and public galleries with the Festival people, and at times the Festival will in fact, reject proposals that don't fit with what they want to 'say'. So the visual arts component is obviously well though out and carefully planned - both aesthetically and intellectually. Which is to say that it's definitely not meant to be simply 'business as usual'.
There were a number of successful shows that appeared to be a little different to what we normally see in the course of our gallery going. If I can play the 'art fan' for awhile and list them they'd include: Colin Gray's The Parents at PICA, which I just loved for Gray's obvious (though compassionate) pleasure in artifice; foldings at Gallery East and Kidogo Arts House that was simply a gorgeous, intimate and quite exquisite show; Lament of Desire by Elision and Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook at the Fremantle Prison, which offered a unique chance to reflect on mortality; and George Gittoes' vivid show at Greenhill Galleries. Oh, and I should add Tolarno Galleries at The Moores Building, Edith Cowan University's Listen to the Land and PICA's Future Suture.
Despite these highlights, the Festival did seem in general, well, a trifle lack-lustre. Possible contributing factors may have been that there was little apparent over-arching vision holding it together and that, aside from those shows mentioned above, there wasn't anything too dynamic or experimental. While the Festival does attempt to offer work that will distinguish it from what we're used to, it didn't really succeed in doing so this year. I don't know where the blame lies; is it with the Festival for not being very ambitious, for (maybe) neglecting the visual arts, or is it with the individual galleries for not offering much that diverges from their typical program? Or maybe, as it is with most things, is it a bit of both?
Whatever answers we come up with though, there is hope for the Festival and it comes in the form of Sean Doran, who's appointment has been met with a good deal of enthusiastic anticipation. Fortunately, based on an interview with him in The Australian a few weeks ago in which he said that he was going to increase the visibility and quality of the visual arts component, such hopes seem to be well founded. And I really think we need such hope for the Festival, because I didn't speak to one person who was even moderately excited about it this year. Generally people were, like me, non-plussed and who could blame them, after all, with little challenging experimental work, with a too disparate (or non-existent) curatorial vision, it was a bit of a Clayton's - a non-festival.
Aside from the exhibitions I've mentioned above,
this year's Festival of Perth was, I believe, just 'business as
usual. albeit with a fancy brochure to help with promotions.