Will the NPEA support award-winning experimental practice?

It is integral that the government recognises the cultural, social and economic value of supporting diverse voices in the arts - and refrains from pitting experimental and independent practice against the major art forms.
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Image: Willoh S. Weiland

It’s amazing how close the cutting edge is to the actual edge.

A few weeks ago I was thrilled to receive the International Prize for Live Art from the ANTI Contemporary Art Festival, Finland. I was moved by the awesome response from the arts community on my return to Australia. After a few months of uncertainty and fear brought about by Minister for the Arts George Brandis’ decision making, we needed some good news.

A lot has changed since last week in the boys club boxing ring of Australian politics, so let me address this opinion directly to the #returnbull, our new PM, who I know is aching to reverse the decisions made by Brandis and begin a new area of innovation and consultation with the arts industry.

If in any doubt, this short rant about why experimental art practice is powerfully important, and this prize being given to an Australian artist makes that internationally obvious, should clarify things.

The judge’s decision was, I’m sure, about the work that I make with my collaborators. But it was also a political decision, a show of support for the work that is being created by Australian artists. The world has been watching George Brandis’ decision to ‘re-allocate’ Australia Council for the Arts funding.

Australian artists and small to medium sized companies are creating some of the most astounding and internationally lauded performance works; they are touring the world over and being celebrated from New York to Singapore on both main stages and outside the black box. Like any astute investor, international producers and presenters respond to news that this work may be compromised with real and urgent concern.

But it is not just about the money because, to be honest, though we need it, we are not in it for the money. The global arts community wants to see vision from Australia about how we will continue to lead in the arts, to exchange ideas and how they will invite the world to work with Australian artists.

I direct Aphids, an artist-led experimental arts organisation with a 21-year history of creating cutting edge works. We have taken our works to Japan, the Netherlands, Mexico and recently Barbados, Bulgaria and Lithuania. At the time Brandis’ decision was made, we were slow to respond; like many other small to medium arts organisations, we were busy. Busy selling out Melbourne’s prestigious Merlyn Theatre, collaborating on an international tour to South Korea to a crowd of 30,000 people, hosting a workshop for emerging artists in Adelaide, and running a mentorship program for young indigenous artists. Our organisation is a tight ship. We earn less than the average Australian wage. We don’t consider ourselves a typical business because everything we do is generally seen for free, but every year our budgets balance and we consider ourselves to be part of a vibrant industry that contributes millions to the Australian economy. The way that we do this is that is we think about our audience deeply.

One of the many problems with Brandis’ decision is it pits experimental and independent practice against the major art forms – the ballet, the opera and the bard Shakespeare himself. A slinging match of high art versus everything else where the ‘real Australian audience’ is forced  to decide.

This is unnecessary.

In the 21st century, we are seeing the Royal Shakespeare Company and Google collaborate. There are drone operas being created from the Barbican to Melbourne’s Arts House and world-renowned ballet companies create dance with people who have never been on stage before.

The unique world of experimental art practice is increasingly entwined with traditional disciplines as well as with the creative industries. Aphids’ former Executive Producer now heads up a Shanghai-based tech company, with nearly a million dollars in venture capital investment for a product that started as an artwork in the Aphids program. Everywhere from Silicon Valley to Queensland, we see the futuristic and socially engaged ethos of experimental art contributing to the important developments of our century.

We don’t live in a world that only needs more chamber music to satisfy the real audience’s needs. Our audiences are sophisticated, networked, post-internet – post-everything – and they like classical music. What they need is diversity so that they can make informed decisions.

Artists will continue to make art no matter what the government does. We don’t need their permission.

What is important is that the government recognises the cultural, social and economic value of supporting diverse voices in the arts. The government’s investment in these voices creates a situation where (peer-reviewed and highly credible) artists and organisations are able to access a stable foundation from which to plan. This allows artists to generate further support from philanthropy, business, academia and science so the work they make can be seen by a wider audience. This audience is local, national and as we have seen through the awarding of this prize, truly international.

Re-allocating funding to a fund created and ultimately decided by the Minister for the Arts is no different than a ‘Captain’s pick’. Who really loses in this decision is dare I say it, the audience; the Australian people.

Mr Turnbull, you said in your recent address that you believe in the intelligence of the Australian people. What we want to know is, what will you do to redress this decision? What is your vision for experimental art practice in Australia right now and into the future? How will you continue to ensure that independent artists and small companies are supported to make cutting edge work? How will you support the partnership based collaborative model that makes interdisciplinary practice unique?

Willoh S. Weiland
About the Author
Willoh S.Weiland is an artist, writer, curator and the Artistic Director of Aphids and has been awarded the prestigious International Prize for Live Art at Finland's ANTI Contemporary Art Festival.