Outside Melbourne

BACKGROUND Outside was a dynamic exhibition that showcased the work of ten artists from new migrant communities, postered-up throughout the streets of Melbourne and exhibited in a digital display on the large screens at Federation Square over two weeks from 17th - 31st October 2014. A dedicated exhibition website featured profiles of all the artists involved. This exhibition played with the idea of "outside" in the context of issues of social inclusion and exclusion, access and participation in the visual landscape of Melbourne's city streets. The exhibition coincided with, and formed a visual dialogue with the Contemporary Outsider Art: The Global Context Conference, presented by Arts Project Australia and the University of Melbourne from October 24th-26th 2014. CONTRIBUTION The featured artists in Outside bring to their practice a wealth of knowledge and technical skills drawing upon the visual and material cultures of their home countries, yet their work and practices often fall outside of the conventional space of the gallery and Museum. Outside created a bridge between contemporary art practice in Melbourne, which already challenges these conventions, and the experience of artists from diverse cultural backgrounds, for whom art may be understood as inextricably linked to daily life, utility, trade and cultural expression.Outside presented over 1000 works through the streets of Melbourne, utilizing the guerrilla marketing tactics of postering as a strategy to break the pattern of habitual consumption of advertising in public space. SIGNIFICANCE Outside provided a platform for visual communication and storytelling for new migrant artists to permeate the visual landscape of urban Melbourne. The exhibition was funded by Arts Victoria ($20,000), it was included in the curated program of exhibitions affiliated with the Contemporary Outsider Art: The Global Context Conference and was presented in a digital exhibition on the large screens at Federation Square.