Marrickville Open Studio Trail (MOST)

Given the suburb’s proximity to Newtown – erstwhile bastion of all things alternative – it can sometimes be overshadowed by its north-eastern neighbour in terms of culture and diversity, yet the Marrickville Open Studio Trail seeks to remedy that notion. A free Art Month program that invites the public to engage with over 200 artists, MOST celebrates the unique and the varied, from photography to woodwork, jewellery and more. Renowned photographer Anne Zahalka [above] leads us by the hand into Marrickville’s artistic heart.

“There is a very vibrant gallery scene in Marrickville, where obviously studio space is more affordable [than Newtown],” she explains. “There’s quite a current demand for open studio. There are 20 or 30 galleries in the area – it’s exciting. I think it’s hard to shift the audience from the Paddington, Eastern Suburbs side, the collectors and curators over to those shows. But it’s starting to happen as there is more and more awareness of what’s going on. I think it’s a really healthy scene.”

Zahalka raises an interesting concern. While Marrickville enjoys a local renown for its celebrations of multiculturalism and artisans – from the markets to the road-closing Marrickville Festival – beyond the suburb this vitality remains little-known and unexplored. An event like MOST seeks to not only encourage support and interaction between the public and artists, but to showcase the creative spirit of Marrickville itself.

“I think you definitely get a lot of art happening in Newtown, more street art, and there is that edgy stuff that people come here to see,” says Zahalka. “But [Marrickville’s] different from those artisans who work through more exhibition space environments, and I think because of the number of galleries around there you can have more opportunities to show. I don’t think there’s a commercial imperative there. Artists are always putting time and money into making work, and there often isn’t a commercial outlet for it, sadly. It’s awful, but they often have to pay rent to the exhibit.”

Such are the everyday hurdles faced by Sydney creatives, yet as MOST showcases, this need not always be the case. “There is a very serious, dedicated group of artists who are trying to find spaces to exhibit, and who are thoughtful about the way in which works are installed; that there are catalogues sometimes produced that become the remains, the document of those shows. A lot of the more interesting works are coming out of areas like this, because there is a developing culture here, there is a possibility to put it out there. There are spaces being run by people who aren’t just about selling work – that would be the last thing that they’re thinking of. It’s about providing an environment that is supportive, with works well selected; being broader in trying to have other things take place there; feeling connected by each other; and having something very different to what commercial galleries might be offering.”

With 200 artists and 52 studios involved, the only real concern is finding time over the course of the weekend to sample all that the Trail has to offer. Zahalka sees the event almost as a tease to entice people to return to the area, and continue to engage with this burgeoning Inner West gem.

“I think you’d get just a bit of a sense of the kind of work that’s getting shown there. I think it’s probably about being selective. The program that they’ve got gives you a little bit of sense of what’s what, and it will be exciting.”

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