The Counihan Gallery is twenty years old. The Oven’s Street Studios are twenty-one years old. And, the youngest, Studio 23A is nineteen years old. Together there are two exhibitions at the Counihan to review. “Twenty One Today” celebrates the Oven’s Street Studios with an exhibition of its four founding members. And “Endangered Space” celebrates Studio 23A with an exhibition of eleven of its current members.
Before the Counihan Gallery there wasn’t much in the way of galleries, or even, exhibition spaces in Brunswick. A room at the Mechanics Institute were used for irregular exhibitions and Moreland City Council had an arts officer. Having a dedicated, purpose-built gallery was a big improvement have a good curator was the next. Starting in 2006 curator, Edwina Bartlem made the Counihan Gallery something more than just a local council gallery and, the current curator, Victor Gris has followed through on improving the quality of the exhibitions.
Over the two decades since it was established I have seen many exhibitions at the Counihan Gallery. I have also seen many of the artists currently on exhibition in the gallery and in their studios (thanks to Brunswick Studio Walk).
I hadn’t seen the work of Doug Kirwan from the Oven’s Street Studios before and was instantly struck by their beauty and intensity. Geometric and organic patterns intersect and grow across Kirwan’s acrylic paintings. I was not surprised to discover that for eight years Kirwan was the in-house designer for a wallpaper company.
Essential to the “Endangers Space” exhibition were the two tables that assembled work, materials and inspirations from all eleven of Studio’s 23A current members. The most powerful work was Kasia Fabijańska’s magnificent drawing; this huge drawing of a dead tree is almost 3 metres tall and fantastically rendered in graphite, charcoal and pencil.
Happy Birthday Counihan Gallery! Cheers! Cheers! Cheers!
Black Mark 