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Name: Guy Louden
Job Title: Collections Officer and Art Consultant, Perth
What year did you join the Artbank team: 2024
Describe your role and what you enjoy about working for Artbank:
At Artbank I manage the leasing of the collection to WA and NT clients, as well as a bit of registration and collections work. I am based at our new collection store in central Perth. It is a privilege to work with Artbank, because it plays a crucial role in supporting and stimulating contemporary art in Australia.
Favourite artwork from the Artbank Collection: #16574, Dan McCabe, Marlock Tiger, 2019
Short explanation of your artwork selection:
Part of the way Artbank supports Australian artists is by making really thoughtful, impactful acquisitions. It doesn’t always buy artworks that are easy, simplistically pretty, or readily bankable.
This artwork from Dan McCabe is good example. This is not a "conventionally pretty" piece – though it is elegant and beautifully-made. It is genuinely contemporary, experimenting with new materials to make its meaning. It is also a conceptually challenging work, with dark and serious themes. And, like many good Artbank acquisitions, it was bought at a pivotal early point in the artist’s career, thereby stimulating and encouraging their practice.
The artwork itself turns out to have been prescient. This is a work about looming violence, techno militarism, and fascist masculinity – but it was produced through the 2010's, years before these themes became so obviously apparent in our society. I should admit that I am also sentimental about this artwork because Dan is a friend, and we shared a studio while it was being made. Which apart from being all about me, just goes to show that Artbank is actually connected to the culture of living working artists – which is how a contemporary arts institution should be.
