Monday night will hear us talking to Robbie about his art, his new commission Incremental Loss, and what’s it like to hack into old buildings and redefine their spaces and surfaces into works of fine art before demolition.

Commissioned by The Ballarat International Foto Biennale and Creative Director Fiona Sweet; Robbie’s new artwork called  Incremental loss is a sculptural site intervention in the former Union Bank in Ballarat that is to become the new National Centre for Photography and will be Australia’s only regional gallery dedicated exclusively to photography.

In Robbie’s words “There is something special about a site sitting at the threshold of change, whether it is transitioning towards loss or renewal. I began work at the former Union Bank site by simply sitting and experiencing each space, watching the light and, in a way, adjusting to its stillness and presence. There are obvious signs of its past, but I’m particularly interested in seeking out the layers beneath – in searching for unknowns, for quieter stories and moments through the process.”

If you aren’t familiar with Robbie Rowlands, Robbie is a visual artist based in Melbourne, best known for his sculptural interventions into pre-demolition buildings. Whilst studying at PRATT Institute in the nineties, he explored abandoned areas of Brooklyn, creating object and site interventions. These initial explorations have grown a body of work that has explored sites such as a 1950s bus depot, a 1900s wooden Baptist church in Dandenong, through to abandoned buildings in Detroit. His work explores notions of stability and vulnerability through the manipulation of objects and environments, reflecting the inescapable passing of time.

Join us on FORUM, Monday night at 8:30 – 10 pm.

Exhibition Details When: 23 February – 10 March 2019 Where:  National Centre For Photography – 4 Lydiard Street South, Ballarat Central, Victoria 3350 Opening Hours: Wednesday to Sunday 10 am – 4 pm Opening Event: Saturday 23 February 4 – 8 pm | Free entry

Robbie Rowlands: https://www.robbierowlands.com.au/

ballaratfoto.org/events/robbie-rowlands/

Art Review: https://www.artnewsportal.com/art-news/the-art-of-demolition

Photo Credit: Robbie Rowlands, Incremental Loss, Front desk and ceiling cut, Image 1, Former Union Bank, The National Centre For Photography Residency, 2019. Robbie Rowlands is represented by Blackartprojects.