Amidst all the current unrest, stress, shit people, $5 lettuces that should be 30c, an entire war going off, climate change and the fact that Sam Kerr is still nursing an ACL injury even though the Olympics are only two months out - life sure isn’t looking up Milhouse.
And yet in times like these, when our backs are up against the wall, it is art that we turn to and it is art that is always there to help us through. When our hearts have been broken we put on a song, when we can’t sleep we pick up a book, when we want to distract ourselves from the noise of the world we flick on the television or go to the movies, and when we want to appreciate something nice for once we look at art. Not to mention the fact that in times of struggle, trust an artist to be the first person to put on a benefit concert or auction of their work to raise money to help (despite the government stripping all resources to help them back). There is no scientific explanation for how or why art heals us that I am aware of, and yet it is a tried, tested and fail proof method for making life a little more bearable since the dawn of time. And on that note - here are ten Australian artists that we wholeheartedly love and support...
Christopher Zanko is an artist based in the Illawarra/Dharawal region of the New South Wales South Coast where he draws inspiration from the mid-twentieth century houses that are emblematic of the region. Heavily influenced by architecture, Japanese woodblock carving and wood-relief printing Christopher seeks amongst the masses, the elements that made these houses into homes and turn them into his own. See him in Laid Bug gallery in Tokyo in July.
This interview has been shortened for length and clarity.
