Platform Artists Group Inc., commonly known as Platform, is one of the longest operating Australian artist-run initiatives

Australian artist-run initiatives

Australian artist-run initiatives and galleries are found throughout the country. A few key spaces include Firstdraft, MOP , KINGS ARI, TCB , Clubs Project inc, West Space, Seventh Gallery, Platform artists group , Blindside, , Breadbox ARI and FELTspace...

. The organisation is run by volunteers who develop exhibitions of visual arts

Visual arts

The visual arts are art forms that create works which are primarily visual in nature, such as ceramics, drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, design, crafts, and often modern visual arts and architecture...

 by young and emerging artists from Australia and around the world. Platform consists of five separate spaces, all located in and under the busy Flinders Lane precinct in the heart of Melbourne

Melbourne

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

 city.

Most of the activities of Platform are located in the Campbell Arcade subway under Flinders Street and Degraves Street in Melbourne. A pedestrian poll conducted in 2005 by the Connex train company estimated that more than 35,000 people a week pass through the Platform exhibition sites, making it one of the most visible sites for public art in Melbourne.

Platform provides support for many young artists by enabling them to present solo exhibitions and the organisation often debuts artists to the general public. In its 16 years of operation, Platform has presented new work from more than 500 artists. Platform also runs a popular artist book and zine shop called Sticky.

History of Platform Artists Group Inc.

Founded in 1990 by Andrew Seward and Richard Holt, Platform's first location was a collection of glass display cases in the old Spencer Street Station pedestrian underpass. In 1995, the City of Melbourne

City of Melbourne

The City of Melbourne is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia, located in the central city area of Melbourne. The city has an area of 36 square kilometres and has an estimated population of 93,105 people. The city's motto is "Vires acquirit eundo" which means "She gathers strength as she...

 offered the group another underground space, Campbell Arcade, a subway located under Flinders Street and connecting Flinders Street Station

Flinders Street Station

Flinders Street Station is the central railway station of the suburban railway network of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is on the corner of Flinders and Swanston Streets next to the Yarra River in the heart of the city, stretching from Swanston Street to Queen Street and covering two city...

 to Degraves Street, Melbourne

Degraves Street, Melbourne

Degraves Street is a street in Melbourne, Victoria. It is named after Charles and William Degraves, pioneer merchants who settled in Melbourne from Hobart, Tasmania in 1849...

. The late Art deco

Art Deco

Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...

-style arcade was opened on 31 August 1955 and features black marble columns and pink-tiled walls lined with glass display cases. Platform expanded the exhibition program into this second space, running group and solo exhibitions at both the city's major train stations.

In 2000, visual artists Luke Sinclair and Simone Ewensen took over management of Platform, further expanding the organisation into one of the subway shops that they named Sticky. Promoting and selling Artist books and Zines, Sticky has since become one of Australia's largest sellers of zines, stocking work from the United States, UK, Germany, France, China, Japan and New Zealand.

In 2004, the Spencer Street site was destroyed as part of the redevelopment of the station, and the group expanded into the historic Majorca Building on Centre Place, Melbourne

Centre Place, Melbourne

Centre Place is a busy laneway and arcade in the Melbourne CBD, Australia. It runs between Flinders Lane and Collins Street.The laneway is home to several vibrant bars, cafes, restaurants, boutiques, sushi bars and shops, as well as some of Melbourne's best examples of street art and graffiti,...

. This Neo-Gothic building is one of the prime examples of elaborate Melbourne architecture from the early 20th century and houses private apartments above boutique shops. The entrance facade features large glass display cases that since 2004 have played host to monthly exhibitions of 2D artwork including photography, lithography, stenciling and drawing. The Centre Place laneway also features Citylights Project with some of Melbourne's most ambitious street art

Street art

Street art is any art developed in public spaces — that is, "in the streets" — though the term usually refers to unsanctioned art, as opposed to government sponsored initiatives...

projects.

In 2006, two new artists, Anita King and Din Heagney, took over management of Platform, also expanding the program into another large glass display window in the subway, to be opened in early 2007.

External links

• http://www.platform.org.au Platform Website (2000-2006)
• http://platformartistsgroup.blogspot.com Platform Blog (2006-)