Shotgun – Contemporary Art Tasmania

NEW WORK, INDUSTRY ACCESS AND CRITICAL ENGAGEMENT

Shotgun is a unique and flexible curatorial model. Described as a ‘shot in the arm’ or ‘fast tracking’ for artists, Shotgun sets out to enable development – that may take a number of years for individuals to self-organise – to occur over a short and concentrated period. The program has taken many forms, including: exhibition; mentoring; meetings with visiting industry professionals (artists, curators, producers, writers and gallerists); a residency at home model; workshops; discussion events; symposia; interstate visits and commissioned texts.

While we speculate that much of the value for participants is characterised by a ‘slow burn’ over a number of years there has been demonstrable benefits, most visible being the ambition and assuredness of work developed for the Shotgun exhibitions, an increase in individuals confidence and the numerous opportunities that have ensued post program. Harder to quantify, but perhaps of more importance in creating traction for artists over the long-term, are the industry relationships fostered through the project – yes, we are speaking networking opportunities. We acknowledge that these collegial relationships drive and sustain art practice today.

Archive and program information: shotgunonline.net

Alex Davern, The Clouds have cameras, 2021, installation view. Photo: Rémi Chauvin.

Shotgun 10

Selected in 2022, Georgia Lucy is our Shotgun 10 artist .

Based in nipaluna/Hobart, Georgia is a multidisciplinary experimental artist engaging in aesthetics of risk. Georgia likes to take pre-existing forms, architectures, systems and behaviours and reinvigorate them with humour, challenging the audience as witness to the transformative potential in the things that surround us.

Over the next year, Georgia will be developing ideas and new work through the Shotgun 10 program for presentation at CAT in October 2023.