Mekanarky

PROJECT: MEKANARKY STUDIOS: A RETROSPECTIVE

Mekanarky Studios was created in 2001 out of necessity when a group of ten artists were pushed to the city limits by over zealous real estate developers. In the search for affordable workshop space they discovered the old Streets Ice Cream factory in Turrella. In its heyday, Mekanarky Studios housed over 40 working artists and artisans and provided art, sculpture, metal, wood, multi-media workshop facilities and gallery space. Sadly Mekanarky Studios melted under the fierce glare of the developers’ sights, pooling disconsolately into the gutters of the inner west, still pulsing with promise. The Ice Cream Factory shut up shop and the members of Mekanarky Studios have set out to forge new artist run initiatives in smaller, less sticky premises.

Mekanarky Studios: A Retrospective seeks to recreate the rise and fall of this infamous artist run space, showcasing the talent and triumph of those involved. Exhibiting industrial sculptural art, raw footage of the life of Mekanarky projected onto the rusting remnants of the building, interviews with the artists, photography, art, and performance pieces, this project takes visitors on a journey through a factory brimming with talent.

Artists
Ran Stanton, H Morgan-Harris, Dillon MacEwan, Ed Horne, Terra Reeck (Terra Incognita), Pete Strong, Terry Archer, Hiske Weijers, Herbie Peppard, Vix Brown, Sarah Harvey, Tealia Scott and Anthony Sawrey