In an Australian first, Brisbane will host Papergirl, a street art project designed to distribute art randomly to people on the streets on February 4, 2012.
Papergirl Brisbane will have volunteers delivering rolled up artwork via bicycles to random passers-by in Brisbane’s CBD.
Artists are encouraged to submit their work and be a part of a global street art project that celebrates local talent and brings art closer to the public in new formats through community involvement.
Co-Director of Papergirl Brisbane, Travis Dewan, explains how the project attempts to bridge the gap between artists and the mass public.
“The Arts are quite pigeonholed in our society – we have world-class facilities and talent, but there is still disconnect between what we create and the effect it has on the day-to-day lives of the public,” Dewan said.
“As a creative producer, I act as an intermediary between the Arts and public. I think there is a lot of work to be done in that space, and projects like Papergirl are just one example of realising new ways of delivery…It is about creating new ways in which art is accessed, engaged with, and critiqued.”
Marc Close, co-director of Papergirl Brisbane, is determined to bring the Arts to mainstream culture by disproving the notion that art is for an acquired taste only.
“We are looking to take down the barriers that currently separate the two groups, and try to shake the idea that the arts is for a certain crowd, or is something that a ‘normal’ person wouldn’t understand,” Close said.
All rollable artworks, including written pieces, are accepted from anyone willing to submit regardless of age, education, profession, gender or location.
Papergirl Brisbane will kick off on February 3 with an exhibition of all submitted artworks at the White Canvas Gallery in Fortitude Valley before it is rolled up and distributed the next day.
Visit http://www.papergirlbne.com for more information.
Photography by Shabnam Khan