Local artists take Wes Anderson inspiration for exhibition

Adelaide artist Lisa King has collaborated with other local creatives to bring Wes Anderson; A Group Exhibition to the walls of Sugar this Thursday evening. Inspired by the enigmatic director’s particular aesthetic – the pastels, bright colours, symmetry and bold textures – the exhibition will feature the work of thirteen painters from around the city. The artworks will respond to Anderson’s films and reflect on the techniques that are unique to his style. “Initially, the concept I came up with was to have a solo show, a Wes Anderson solo show, and that didn’t go ahead,” King tells Rip It Up. “I have a resident spot at Sugar once a year and I thought it would be really cool to get as many people as I could in Adelaide to respond to the brief.” King was blown away by the response, having to turn artists away in the end. Driller Jet Armstrong, owner of Sugar and founder of the Art Market, will be presenting work alongside Dave Court, Donovan Christie, Gary Seaman and more. For the full list of participating artists, see below. “There was a massive number of people wanting to participate, which was probably the hardest thing, saying no to everybody,” says King. “I had 40 artists. I had people from interestate, as well; I’ve had people from Melbourne asking if they can bring the show to Melbourne. “It was hard choosing the artists, but, then, it was quite easy because I had so many wanting to be involved.” King explains that she had to be specific with her choices to narrow down the pool. “Since I’m a figurative artist and a portrait artist, and that’s what I’ve curated in the past, I had to be quite strict.” The limited space also dictated the type of work that could be included; each artist is working on a 30×40-inch canvas. The works, therefore, are mostly paintings, except for King’s contribution: a digital portrait of the main man himself. Finding source material for her artwork proved surprisingly difficult. “He’s quite a private person,” she says. “I need hi-res images for my initial sketch, and it was hard to find any.” While she’s not getting her hopes up, King would love for news of the exhibition to reach Anderson’s ears. “There hasn’t been a lot of Wes Anderson art shows, which is crazy; there’s so much in his colour theory, his art fundamentals and design aesthetics.” The interest from artists and from guests has drawn attention to the appetite for this sort of work. “This has been a really good trial,” says King.”I’m going to be doing Wes Anderson 2 and do a big one in Adelaide. I’ll be looking for a bigger space, like Queen’s Theatre.” With the interstate interest, too, King is hoping the show might travel. Wes Anderson; A Group Exhibition will open at 9pm, Thursday March 5 at Sugar (Level 1, 274 Rundle Street). The exhibition closes on April 1.

Exhibiting artists

Peta Alannah Driller Jet Armstrong Donovan Christie Dave Court James Dean Fredrock Lisa King Tiffany Rysdale Gary Seaman Nickas Serpentarius Lauren Sutter Julia Townsend Chuck Whittiger