The Art Gallery of WA’s rooftop space is set to open this weekend, featuring a sculpture walk, bar, 500-capacity event area and a 34-metre mural by Aboriginal artist Christopher Pease.
The Art Gallery of WA’s rooftop space is set to open this weekend, featuring a sculpture walk, bar, 500-capacity event area and a 34-metre mural by Aboriginal artist Christopher Pease.
From Saturday November 6, the bar will be open Friday through to Sunday nights and the event space will be available for venue hire on weeknights, accessible from a lift outside of the main gallery.
The rooftop offers views of the Perth Cultural Centre, the city skyline, Northbridge and the Perth hills, which provide a backdrop to the sculpture walk, displaying works from the State Art Collection.
The central artwork, by Minang/Wardandi/Bibbulmun artist Mr Pease and called Targets, wraps around three walls of the rooftop and is the largest work the gallery has ever commissioned.
Minang/Wardandi/Bibbulmun artist Chistopher Pease created the Mural titled Targets.
The project was designed by Perth-based TAG Architects and Sydney firm fjmt and built by ADCO Constructions.
As part of the redevelopment, AGWA’s conservation labs were moved to lower floors to make way for a new indoor gallery on the rooftop.
The refurbishment of the hospitality venue at the front of the gallery, which is estimated to be completed in the third week of December, will include a shop, a cafe, and a bar, and will be used as a pop-up events space.
The rooftop was originally planned to open in January 2021, but supply chain issues and abnormalities in the way the building was originally built caused construction to be delayed.
The state government contributed $10 million for the rooftop and committed a further $2 million for the ground floor renovations and the foyer.
Art Gallery of WA director Colin Walker said the Art Gallery of WA Foundation also contributed about $3 million to the project for the commissioning of several works, including Mr Pease’s and other minor renovations outside of the rooftop and foyer.
The rooftop features a sculpture walk.
Mr Walker said the renovations meant the gallery would have a lot more to offer.
He said the rooftop provided a new entry point for the gallery to expose a broader range of people to its work.
“If we are trying to introduce new people to the gallery who are sometimes intimidated by galleries, and by art, then we need to make that a welcome experience,” Mr Walker told reporters at a launch of the rooftop this morning.
Culture and Arts Minister David Templeman said the project would contribute to the revamped Perth Cultural Centre.
“We have our new museum Boola Bardip across the way, we have a $20 million commitment through the City Deal to reimagine, relandscape and make the cultural centre of Perth here much more functional, much more accessible, much more open and inviting,” Mr Templeman said.
The opening of the rooftop coincides with a new exhibition celebrating Western Australian art called The View From Here.
It will be the gallery’s largest exhibition of WA art, featuring 230 artists and 361 artworks.
Mr Walker said the exhibition aligned with its new vision to create a gallery that celebrated local art and artists, alongside works from the rest of the world.
