Floating Goose Studios, 2 August 2024
Ten years ago, thirteen artists — recent graduates and students from Adelaide Central School of Art — banded together to set up a cooperative studio space, initially occupying part of the vacant former Trims building at 9 Carrington Street, Adelaide. Floating Goose Studios was born.
As co-founder Nick Hanisch recalls in his foreword to Floating Goose’s magnificent tenth anniversary publication, Golden Goose1,
‘We wanted to make our own path, not turning away but adjacent, new branches. We were young naïve doers. Speaking loudly about our radical ideas. Unknowingly to most of us at the time, retreading the tracks of our forebears with much stomp.’
In the decade since its establishment, Floating Goose Studios has become a vital element of Adelaide’s visual art scene, a dynamic and creative space for artistic development and experimentation. Floating Goose moved to its current location in Morphett Street in 2016, where it has what they describe as the best shop window of any CBD gallery. In that year, the Goose moved to an open call exhibition program to complement members’ exhibitions.
The exhibition mounted for the Goose’s tenth anniversary comprises 100 exemplary works, in a variety of media and addressing a rage of themes, by artists currently and formerly associated with it.
Golden Goose Tenth Anniversary Exhibition, installation photo © Barry Magazinovic
Many artists have established themselves professionally through their association with Floating Goose. Two of the most notable exhibitors at the Goose have been Jasmine Crisp and Ida Sophia, both of whom have gained significant awards and recognition. Crisp is well-known for her murals such as the eye-catching example on the eastern wall of the Rockford Hotel in Hindley Street, and she showed two compelling exhibitions of easel-painting at the Goose gallery: Home X Habitat in 2019 and Nature X Nurture in 2022. Ida Sophia presented her emotive performance-installation Regret in 2021, in which she sat motionless in the gallery for the duration of the exhibition surrounded by floral tributes, and invited viewers to leave notes expressing their own regrets.
Adelaide Central School of Art lecturers Mary-Jean Richardson, Anna Gore and Johnnie Dady have also exhibited.
Life drawing sessions, entitled Life Drawing Saturdays, have been held at the Goose and former member Melanie Cooper remembers that the sessions were free, the (clothed) models sat as volunteers and the sessions, which were untutored, were available to the broader arts community. These sessions were important socially as well as for stimulating artistic interest and development.
From 2018 to 2022, the Goose hosted an emerging curator program thanks to support from the University of Adelaide’s Art History and Curatorial Alumni Network, and in 2023, the Goose hosted the Inuntji exhibition of artworks by artists associated with the Iwiri Arts group of Port Adelaide, building connections with another important artist group.
Golden Goose Tenth Anniversary Exhibition, installation photo © Barry Magazinovic
The Goose runs fund-raising events, entitled Keeping the Lights On, to which artists donate small works for sale. When it was established, the Goose received some private financial support and it has recently gained some government support, but has relied largely on members’ voluntary efforts, enabling it to remain artistically independent.
Over 40 artists have occupied Floating Goose’s studio spaces over the decade and it has hosted 140 exhibitions in that time. The widest variety of visual art, including much experimental work, has been shown. There is no artistic philosophy governing the selection of exhibitors, although the number of artists wanting to exhibit can exceed the available exhibition timeslots. The members decide the exhibition program, and consideration is evidently given to the quality and the experimental nature of the work and to the use of the gallery space.
Golden Goose – Ten Years of Floating Goose Studios Inc., photo © Barry Magazinovic
The celebratory volume Golden Goose – Ten Years of Floating Goose Studios Inc., edited by Nick Hanisch, Barry Magazinovic and Nicole Clift, contains a beautifully illustrated exhibition history and insightful commentary by former and current members and outside observers. The book even contains recipes, such as rabbit paella and studio pasta, presumably enjoyed by members and guests.
Many of the written contributions to the Golden Goose publication attest to the personal growth as well as artistic development that the encouraging environment of the Goose has provided. Members Gabrielle Sirocco and Leah Craig state in its pages that,
‘Over the past decade, the Goose has seen countless projects come to life, late-night brainstorming sessions, and the evolution of many artistic journeys and careers. It has been a sanctuary for growth, experimentation and mutual support.’
Also reflecting on its ten years, Floating Goose chair Cassie Thring says that,
‘The longevity of our group studio and gallery relies on its ability to shapeshift and mean many things for many artists. It’s a space full of original genius, laughter, angst and ongoing support… There is a unique joy in seeing a diverse group of creatives come together to produce their work and share it with the world.’
Floating Goose has no formal manifesto and is concerned simply with promoting art and supporting its members and the artistic community. How it evolves in future is difficult to predict, but there is no doubting the commitment, energy and productivity of its members. The success of Floating Goose studios demonstrates how valuable a mutually supportive ARI (artist run initiative) can be in fostering creative development.
Chris Reid
When: 2 to 25 Aug
Where: Floating Goose Studios, 271 Morphett Street, Adelaide
More info: floatinggoose.com.au
1. Golden Goose – Ten Years of Floating Goose Studios Inc., edited by Nick Hanisch, Barry Magazinovic and Nicole Clift, published by the members of Floating Goose Studios Inc., Adelaide, 2024
