By Maddie Adams
From an early age, Lily Power had a special interest in the natural world and was curious about her place in it. However, Power felt she could not create or express herself at home.
For many young creatives who grow up on the Northern Beaches, an artful sensibility feels out of place and rarely appreciated. It’s too queer, too sentimental, too poignant and does not fit into the normativity of the Beaches’ archetype and limited allowance for creative output (see all our successful, masculine surf rock bands).
However, Power and other young artists are challenging this rigidity through their decision to not leave, or, for some, return home from their share houses in the creative safe haven and cultural heart of Sydney’s Inner West.
Although these choices are somewhat motivated by the current cost-of-living crisis, and Sydney’s grossly unaffordable housing situation, moving back home can feel equally difficult, shameful and restrictive for any young person.
For artists, who struggle to make money from their work and have multiple jobs to support themselves and their art, moving back home and away from openly creative and queer spaces can feel even more demoralising.
Like her peers, Power left home to pursue her art and surround herself with like-minded people. Although returning home was daunting, with it came an opportunity to connect with other Beaches artists and create a safe space to celebrate each others’ work.
Thus, Emergence Exhibitions was born.
Talking about Emergence and its significance for young artists on the Northern Beaches, Power said that it was important to “support one another through opportunities”.
“Emergence came from recognising that there’s not really a space that exists right now [for artists here] and I want to create it,” she explained.
For her first show, Power chose the theme In Reverence of Magic, reflecting the “enduring artistic spirit that is in all of us”.
Encouraging local artists to send in applications to feature in her exhibit, she wanted the theme to inspire artists to “be in touch with a sense of hope … no matter what hard times we are in, the wonder of everything is a reminder of hope that no matter how bad things get, there is always magic”.
When looking through the applications, Power was blown away by the thought and effort put into the responses. She was amazed by an unspoken, mutual connection between the artists and the environment.
“Hang on, everyone has work that is exploring the natural world – it’s resonated in such a way, a reverence for the natural world.”
Running off Lily’s own funds and taking no commission from the artists and their sold work, Emergence Exhibitions had its first show in October at the Newport Community Centre, to much success.
Speaking to some of the featured artists about their artistic choices and engagement with the theme, it became clear that growing up in a naturally beautiful and largely undisturbed, dramatic coastal landscape gave them all an innate connection to the environment which manifested, sometimes subconsciously, in their artwork.
Although she has since relocated to Marrickville to pursue her career, Kasey Cramer, a ceramicist originally from Avalon Beach, said the exhibit prompt made her realise that where she grew up “was in my art all along”.
“My depictions of fruit, wildlife, landscapes and celestial bodies are all influenced by my upbringing here,” Cramer said.
For young creatives, making art here can be a struggle. Power hopes to change that through more Emergence shows, artist-centred networking events and lobbying for financial investment from the local council through creative arts grants. There is no doubt that Emergence is worthy of such support.
Artists create culture and in the canon of great Australian art, a handful have grown up or lived on the Northern Beaches (Reg Mombassa, Adam Cullen, Wendy Sharpe and Phil Meatchem for example). Emergence Exhibitions is as much an opportunity for young up-and-coming artists as it is a celebration and preservation of Northern Beaches culture.
Featured image: Guests and artists mingle at the Emergence exhibit. Photo: Shane O’Neill