Gallerysmith X Cantilever | Local Makers
Gallerysmith X Cantilever
Local collaborators in celebrating Australian art and design
WRITTEN BY ALEESHA CALLAHAN | PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARTINA GEMMOLA
Gallerysmith has been a long-time collaborator with Cantilever, and we’re united by shared values of quality, considered design and championing local makers. Behind it is founder Marita Smith, whose Prahran gallery brings together Australian artists, alongside a design store of handcrafted pieces.
Gallerysmith resists easy categorisation, it's part exhibition space, part stockroom, part design store – a place built equally for browsing and buying.
“We are an art gallery in Prahran which presents a program of exhibitions for people to view for leisure, and has a huge range of contemporary art for those who wish to buy for keeps.
We have about 600 artworks on site at any one time, and in addition to our exhibition spaces, viewing lounge and stockroom, we also have a design store that stocks handcrafted gifts, tableware and jewellery by Australian makers.
We are a treasure box, and there’s always something interesting to encounter.”
Girl and Native Mallow, 2022 by Lori Pensini
Banksia and Old Country II, 2022 by Lori Pensini
While extensive in its breadth, there is also a discipline behind it. Gallerysmith's roster is built around Australian artists "whose practices are conceptually robust and materially resolved,” Marita says.
“I look for practices that create a dialogue between historical ideas and contemporary thinking because I believe it’s important for artists to understand where they fit in and what they are bringing to the table. They must have a clear visual language and be adding a unique voice to the art landscape.”
Bringing a new artist into the gallery isn't a quick decision. "I choose artists very carefully, often taking more than a year to bring someone into the fold, because the gallery/artist relationship relies heavily on mutual trust and must be one which supports an artist to grow and evolve."
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Power #17 - Gum Leaf, 2019 by Clinton Naina
Where art meets interiors
Working alongside designers, architects and stylists has become a significant part of the gallery's practice, and Cantilever has been one of those long-running collaborators.
What makes those relationships work, Marita says, comes down to a few non-negotiables.
“The strongest collaborations are grounded in mutual respect and a shared commitment to quality. I think they are the most important things, along with truly valuing others’ expertise.
We bring specific knowledge of artists and artworks, while remaining responsive to a designer’s conceptual and material language within a project.
We love to see designers bring a project together, and contributing to that vision in a meaningful way in incredibly rewarding.”
Her view on placing art in a home is similarly considered. "In my somewhat biased opinion, good art looks great anywhere, but the most successful placements consider how an artwork contributes to the energy of a space, while also holding its own weight. Art can anchor a room, or create a 'moment', offering an immediate point of focus, or it can be something that reveals itself over time and continues to engage the people living with it."
Working with Cantilever
For each Cantilever project shoot, the selection process draws on both Gallerysmith's catalogue, and the team's collective memory of the works themselves.
"The process is both practical and curatorial. We have a huge inventory so we rely on a combination of an intimate knowledge of our database and our visual memory in order to make recommendations. We consider your brief carefully and the intended narrative of the shoot. We discuss all briefs among our team, develop a shortlist, edit it down, then propose works that will elevate and extend the visual conversation."
That kind of cross-industry collaboration, Marita believes, has become essential, noting that “collaboration strengthens the cultural and creative ecology we're all part of.”
For Marita, “the benefit extends well beyond individual projects, contributing to a more robust and connected creative city".
Born by Accident by Marion Harper
A community-minded view
Embracing the creative spirit of Melbourne, Marita has an optimism that’s hard to miss. "Community is key in the visual arts and the more we raise one another up, the stronger we collectively become. Some will disagree, but I'm a true believer that there are no competitors in the art market, just a bunch of dedicated and altruistic people who are all working hard to be better. In Melbourne especially, there's a productive dialogue between commercial galleries, institutions and curatorial consultants, creating a dynamic and optimistic environment for artists and audiences."
Reduction, 2015 by Adriane Strampp
Three Objects, 2019 by Isobel Clement
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