"Isolation made us more unique, maybe. Sort of going down a wild journey of our own, trying to do the most mad prints I could. It's just a moment in time, what you could get away with and pushing the boundaries, there was an audience and people were prepared to go with the journey. It's so for the masses now, it wasn't mainstream. It's so for the masses now...who wants that?, the masses, ah..great... NOT interested in the masses.." Gavin Brown [GB]
Artist Gavin Brown and partner Peter Curnow [Fashion and Textile production] live uniquely in neighbouring St Kilda Art Deco apartments [the compound], numbers ELEVEN and TWELVE.
Their relationship spans 15 years and their mirrored involvement in the advances of fashion, art and interiors has witnessed a transition from Melbourne's grass roots creativity of the 1980's to mass production of the same today.
The oasis in which they live is a reflection of their values, appreciation of beauty even dark or ugly , of their creativity, history and passion.
Gavin Brown's Art has ranged from printmaking to fashion to performance and his now paintings encomopass all.
Peter Curnow, has spent a vast amount of time in Fashion and Textile production. He has specialised in Screen Printing both in Australia and the UK where he worked with famed Textile Designer Celia Birtwell.
"Everybody wanted you to be a trend follower and not a 'trend setter'. I'm only interested in being a trend setter". GB
"..have you seen what's out there??." GB
"It's the same intent, everything I do has to have the same intent, performing or interior or anything it's gotta have the same intent.. it's for you, number one, and you've gotta live with yourself... [so] it's gotta have your authentic hand to everything you do". GB
"I studied Fine Art Painting and Print Making and started printing on fabric because I could not get paper big enough". GB
Nic-Nak Castle
Contributing Visual Director
Virginia Dowzer
virginiadowzer@bigpond.com
Tumblr- virginiadowzer
Instagram - Virginia Dowzer
