From curated exhibitions to wine bottles wrapped in original paintings, hospitality and art converge in many of Western Australia’s most creative bars and restaurants – making every visit a multi-sensory feast. WAGFG contributor Rosamund Brennan talks to four experts – a curator, publican, artist, and interior designer – about how they put art on the menu.
The Curator: Annika Kristensen
As curator of the art collection at members club Lawson Flats, Annika Kristensen had a clear brief: to create a space that was centred around culture and creativity. Inspired by institutions like New York’s Chelsea Hotel and Berlin’s Paris Bar, this meant not only filling the walls with high quality art – but engaging with artists in meaningful ways. At Lawson Flats, artists are honorary members, and many are part of the club’s daily life.
Across the venue’s three levels, Kristensen curated an expansive collection of painting, photography, installation and sculpture, entirely by Western Australian artists. Many of the artworks illuminate latent stories within the building’s walls or playfully interact with its usage, from Gian Manik’s paintings referencing its history as the Karrakatta Club to Toni Wilkinson’s humorous portrait – Denise with Jam Doughnut (2003) – peering out from the ladies’ powder room.
“When well selected and curated, art can help to create the personality of a venue, going beyond mere decoration to contribute to the stories and mythology of a place,” she says.
Image: Duncan Wright
The Publican: Marcus Canning
Today, The Rechabite is a four-storey venue that oscillates between a pan-Asian eatery, basement club, cocktail bar and soaring music hall. But 100 years ago, it was occupied by the Independent Order of the Rechabites (IOR), a movement dedicated to sobriety. Subsequently, it has been a photographic studio, independent theatre, and a 90s squat.
For director Marcus Canning, this wild and chequered history informed many of the building’s artworks. Among them, Canning tracked down the photographer from the 1980s and displayed his portraits in the Double Rainbow Bar. He commissioned Josh Webb to create a light installation that reflects the IOR symbol, and Michaela Gleave for the text work ‘We Are Made of Stardust’, which honours the venue’s century-long spirit of creativity.
An ever-changing collection, Canning says there are some exciting new works “on the backburner” to be installed soon. His advice to those looking to invest in art? “Be brave and adventurous, and if you can’t find a good dealer, then go straight to the source – dig deep and find artists on Instagram that interest you and start a conversation.”
Image: Luke Carter-Wilton
The Artist: Rina Freiberg
Years before Rina Freiberg started hanging her artworks in restaurants across Perth, she would visit them as a patron, armed with paint pens, often scribbling her signature abstract figurative works on weathered menus.
As someone who worked in and frequented hospitality venues, it was a natural progression that Freiberg’s art practice would lead her back there. Today, the independent artist has collaborated with a rollcall of establishments, including Fleur, Pep’s Wine Bar, Republic of Fremantle, Bar Vino, Dandelion, Busselton Pavilion and Powell’s.
While her colour-soaked paintings are undoubtedly the star of these partnerships, she has also run art workshops at Pep’s, designed wine labels for Parker Group and decals for the wine glasses at Bar Vino. Recently, she created the interior styling for Busselton Pavilion – sourcing artworks, vintage umbrellas and the enormous mainsail unfurled above the public bar, gifted by the Commodore of the Royal Perth Yacht Club.
“I work by instinct, much like the way I paint; standing in the space and feeling what it needs, then pushing beyond what is expected,” Freiberg says.
Image: Supplied
The Interior Designer: Elaine McElroy
Few interior designers in Perth have curated art for hospitality spaces as extensively as Elaine McElroy. Currently the interior designer for AMB Holdings, McElroy has worked on the State Buildings (including venues like Post and Wildflower), Alex Hotel and The Leederville Hotel.
Among them, she commissioned Valerie Sparks to create large-scale custom wallpapers for Wildflower featuring soaring eucalypts. For the State Buildings, she sourced sculptures by prominent artists Antony Gormley and Akio Makigawa, as well as paintings and photography by artists including Eveline Kotai, Brad Rimmer and Paul Uhlmann.
While her role is to corral both art and interiors, McElroy insists there’s much more to it than simply matching colours or styles. “Artwork and interiors are not meant to ‘match’. Artworks are a separate layer and can add or detract from the space depending on the mood that they invoke,” she says. McElroy recommends sourcing art from Art Collective WA and says their expertise has been crucial in her many hospitality projects.
Image: Supplied
Cover Image: Toni-Wilkinson, Denise with Jam Doughnut (2003), Photo by Trainos Pakioufakis
