Art Melbourne 2012 - Melbourne's Affordable Art Fair

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The Australian Art Industry's Greatest Export

 

 

 

Interview with Rebecca Hossack

Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery

www.r-h-g.co.uk

It is easy to be in awe of Rebecca Hossack—she is a towering blonde with an old world elegance that exudes sophistication, a sort of Katharine Hepburn if you will. Born in Melbourne Rebecca maintains strong ties with her native land, championing Aboriginal and other non-Western artists in England since the late eighties. Having studied at Christies and worked at the Guggenheim in Venice, she ambitiously set up her own gallery in Fitzrovia in1988, where she has since developed a stellar reputation on the international art scene for her knowledge, passion, and unique style. We find out why, for arguably the Australian art industry’s greatest export, it’s not just about the money.  

                                                      

“Standing together were three of the most remarkable women of our time: Germaine Greer, Her Majesty the Queen, and the beautiful gallery owner, champion of Aboriginal Art and other cultures, Rebecca Hossack” A.N. Wilson of the Evening Standard

I have read that you originally came to the UK, law degree in tow, with the intent to study for the Bar to become a barrister! What changed when you arrived?

I did two degrees at University – Law at Melbourne University and an Arts degree at ANU– and the Arts were always my first love. I would have hated to be a lawyer, however – running a gallery – it is useful to have some knowledge of the law.

Do you consider yourself an Australian expat? Or have you adopted England as your own?

I still think of myself as an Australian, and do not even regard myself as an ‘expat’. I think about Australia the whole time. Working with so many Australian artists, indigenous and non-indigenous, I feel very in touch with the country. 

 

 

you signed the lease on your first gallery just days before the ‘Black Monday’ Stock-market crash of 87’—a difficult time for the industry not unlike now in some respects, why do you think your gallery survived or rather thrived in such a tough economic climate?

Passion and hard-work – they are the vital ingredients in any enterprise. I still work seven days a week, but I love what I do, and don’t even think of it as ‘work’. It is my life.

 

Throughout the years the gallery has been supportive of some not so well known artists from all over the world. How important is it to you to shine a light on these people, and in some cases, entire cultures?

It is hugely important. I love the diversity of human life and creativity, and the gallery tries to celebrate and support that – whether it is Bushmen artists from the Kalahari, women painters in tribal India, Aboriginal communities from the Central Desert, or western artists – with an individual vision – making art out of cardboard boxes, vintage papers, - or, indeed, paint on canvas.

  

 

Who are some interesting artists on your radar at the moment, Emerging or otherwise?

I’m very excited by a wonderful printmaker called Andrew Mockett, who does huge wood-cuts of popular icons – such as Batman and Top Cat – as well as making extraordinary sculptures out of cardboard.  Also, we have just has an exhibition of work by Rebecca Jewell, who has been working as the Artist in Residence at the British Museum. She has devised a way of printing on to feathers. The results are breathtaking, and very beautiful.

 

      

IMAGE (above left): Andrew Mockett, Master Dick and Master Bruce, 2 separate works, 2011  IMAGE (above right): Rebecca Jewell, Dodo, Printed And Gilded Label With Printed Feathers, 2011, 34.5 x 26 cm

 

 

Something I love about you is your belief that art shouldn’t be a commodity—that it’s not just about the money. How did this industry become such a passion for you?

Of course I don’t think of it as an ‘industry’. I suppose my love of art comes from a love of things – beautiful things, interesting things.  And I have had that since I was a child collecting shells on the beach at Anglesea.

 

 

 

You and your galleries have such a unique, eclectic style—does your home reflect this?

Yes. Do come for tea next time you are in London and see for yourself. Or you can look at in Australian Vogue – or the World of Interiors. Everything in it is made by hand.

 

 

 

I will take you up on that! I must say that you strike me as someone in love with every piece in your collection—if you HAD to choose a favorite, if only to represent the moment, what piece would it be?

Just now it would be my new Owen Yalandja ‘yawk yawk’ figure. It is a beautiful carved, and painted, water-spirit, a sort of aboriginal mermaid, made by a wonderful artist from Arnhem Land. We had a fantastic show of his work this summer, and he came over for the opening.

 

    

 

 

Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery

2a Conway Street, Fitzroy Square,
London W1T 6BA, UK
T +44 0 20 7436 4899
F +44 0 20 7323 3182

28 Charlotte Street, Fitzrovia,
London W1T 2NA, UK
T +44 0 20 7255 2828
F +44 0 20 7580 2828

262 Mott Street, New York,
Between Houston and Prince Street
NY 10012, USA
T (212) 925-3500

info@rebeccahossack.com

Maree Miller, Art Melbourne

 

Posted by Art Melbourne at 11:23 am