Grace plans to do a bachelor of business at QUT and her long-time dream is to open her own restaurant. In her spare time she loves art, cooking, reading, and writing, and her favourite school subject is Study of Religion as all different religions, their origins and beliefs fascinate her.
Since its opening in 2018, the Revival Art and Design Gallery has been a coveted gem for art lovers, locals and visitors alike.
For founder and curator Pauline Elphinstone, the charming converted warehouse space was not a quiet retirement project, but rather the culmination of things that make her happy and the consequent achievement of her long-held dream.
“I always wanted to own my own business, and my husband is an artist who had experience running a gallery in West End, so when we found this beautiful property, it just made sense,” she explained.
“What started as a collection of vintage mid-century modern design quickly became quite centred on the arts, with so many artists coming in – hence the name ‘art and design’.”
Unlike some other traditional art galleries, Revival is unique in the sense that it features artworks that are contemporary and abstract, often with the focus on unusual or quirky subject matter.
“We have artists working with everything from wax and collage to oils and figurative and landscape abstraction… some focus on realism, and others on surrealism.”
When choosing which art and artists to feature, there is no specific criterion Ms Elphinstone typically looks for.
“Art elicits an emotional response from people so it’s difficult to pinpoint what curators specifically look for,” she said.
Her advice to emerging artists is: “Enter as many competitions as you can.”
“The prize money is great, and whilst not many people win, your work will be seen by lots of people from different galleries.”
However, despite its thriving success in their longstanding location, in Ms Elphinstone’s words, “everyone who has lived in a building for five years is familiar with its shortcomings… our warehouse was impacted by the floods and the heat of summer without aircon.”
So, when one of their clients told them of an old fish and chip shop in Albion that he had fully renovated above the flood line and equipped with air-conditioning, “we snapped it up,” she said.
Revival’s move to Albion was preluded with an exhibition: Colour Between, the curatorial debut for Llewellyn Skye, who was “given the keys to the gallery” fresh from her art residency in New York and full of new ideas and inspiration.
Ms Elphinstone said this gave recurring clients to the gallery a “fresh perspective… and the opportunity to see artists from around Queensland that haven’t been featured before”.
Adding to the excitement was the grand opening night on October 4, where all the spectacular art at the Revival gallery was on display.
Speaking before the exhibition, Ms Elphinstone said it would be a “chance to support Queensland artists in a beautiful new space”.
So as Revival Art and Design Gallery enters this exciting new chapter in Albion, it will continue to “revive the arts” by uplifting and celebrating contemporary and unique art.
