Counihan Gallery in Brunswick

A public art gallery, Counihan Gallery is focussed on exhibiting and promoting contemporary Australian artists whose work is centred on the discussion or promotion of «innovation and diversity in the visual arts». There’s always a mix of established and emerging artists showcased, and there’s a few call outs for exhibit proposals from local and interstate artists each year.
Like everything else focussed on contemporary art, the art showcased varies considerably in theme, style, form, subject etc. and will inevitably attract a different audience from exhibit to exhibit. The space is designed to maximise flexibility and accommodate a wide range of installations, and cam be quite transformed from one exhibit to the next.
Like most public galleries, it’s free to view, so it’s a good way for the financially challenged art lover to get his or her fix. Some of the art can be quite political, so it’ll also appeal to people who like their art challenging or high minded and intellectual.

Next door to the Brunswick Town Hall building, this medium-​sized art gallery showcases established and emerging artists with new exhibitions each month.
I’m fond of the Counihan Gallery for giving me my first opportunity to see a Ron Mueck larger-​than-​life sculpture in all its looks-​so-​real-​it-​is-​spooky glory. That’s right — even before the NGV brought a whole gang of Mueck’s eerily human sculptures to the masses, the Counihan brought it to Brunswick.
The standard of the other works in the same exhibition was evidence of a talented and professional curator with his or her finger on the contemporary art pulse.
Lucky are we in Brunswick to have such a high calibre of art dropped in our laps like this. I’m looking forward to their annual Womens Salon exhibition showcasing the creations of women artists, designers and craftworkers from the Moreland area, which opens on 17^th November.

On Thursday I went to the opening event of the most recent exhibition at Counihan Gallery. The gallery is located in a building next the Brunswick Town Hall and is run by the Moreland City Council. It was named after a notable, local artist, Noël Counihan and the gallery has a large number of his prints and paintings in its collection — although these are rarely on exhibition.
It is a purpose built art gallery with movable walls that can divide the large gallery space into a few different configurations. Their exhibitions of contemporary art are generally of a high quality and professionally curated. The exhibitions often have a socially progressive theme to them; this time the art had a focus on sustainability issues. The gallery has a permanent staff and there is plenty of information about the arts in Moreland available at the gallery desk.
There is a new exhibition every month with free wine and some nibbles, so it is an event worth attending even if there are a few boring speeches, this time from the Mayor of Moreland. I look at it as an opportunity to get some value from my rates, meet other locals interested in the arts even if I don’t especially like the art on exhibition. Often there are other events associated with the exhibition: artist talks or workshops.