On Public Art and Accessibility

A visit to Tenjin got me thinking about public art today. I visited the IMS building, a shopping centre of sorts, which was featuring an exhibit of tenugui - traditional Japanese cotton towel - reimagined into an impressive installation that stretched the full 14 stories of the building. After exploring the IMS building, and viewing the fabric installation from every level, I wandered over to another building in Tenjin, ACROS. This buildings’ main purpose is to house offices, events, and a few select boutique stores. However they also feature a gallery of cultural art, as well as displaying small artworks in the main through ways on several levels.

It made me think how accessible the artworks on display were.

Firstly, they were free. There were no admission charges, most of the work wasn’t even for sale. It was about presenting for the sake of the work being seen, rather than sold.

Secondly, they were in incredibly accessible spaces. People didn’t have to go specially to experience the work. They did not have to travel or make a special effort to find it. As they were placed in public spaces that people visit for other reasons, they could happen upon the artwork and admire it as an extension of their experience of the building.

Of course, to enable the work’s creation, the artists must be paid, the materials costs must be provided, the exhibit must be advertised. I am unsure of where the funding for these projects came from, but if Japan is anything like Australia, arts funding is fairly lean, and very competitive. I wonder if the buildings are investing in these projects, promoting reasons to visit, and keeping the space active.

There are buildings in Melbourne that have similar initiatives, but it seems there are many more in Japan, with more frequent exhibit changes, featuring a broad range of works.

While Melbourne is big on market stalls, pop up shops, and expos, I wonder how it might be able to focus on increasing arts accessibility by prioritising visibility rather than sales. I am the first person to jump up and down and make a fuss about the importance of artists getting paid, but does this payment need to come from an audience’s pocket? If only our commercial world could support our underfunded areas more, it could be so mutually beneficial.