Avid Reader bookshop in West End has always had a special place in the literary life of Brisbane. It has nurtured writers over the past couple of decades, made space for them to work, employed them and created a book events schedule that is busy and impressive.

So, it has always been a destination bookshop and now it is more so, with the advent of Charcoal Stories.

This landmark public artwork by globally recognised and Brisbane-based contemporary artist Vernon Ah Kee is a welcome addition to the Boundary Street streetscape.

Seeded in late 2020 by that dynamic duo Bec Mac and Carmel Haugh of Chrysalis Projects, its aim was to employ artists and help revitalise the struggling Boundary Street shops during Covid, bringing the West End community together.

Now complete, this incredible mural wraps around the bookstore and celebrates a curated list of Brisbane authors whose names fill square tiles in Ah Kee’s signature bold black-and-white text. This mosaic of word play is overlaid by dark surfboard shields with the names of Aboriginal Brisbane authors in Ah Kee’s handwriting.

The work is a testament to the power of art in place.

“It’s a match made in heaven,” Mac says. “Vernon is a globally recognised contemporary artist and a founding member of proppaNOW, an internationally respected and award-winning artist collective which had their first studio in West End, just behind Avid Reader on Boundary Street.

“Avid Reader is an iconic independent bookshop that for many is the cultural heart and soul of 4101. This mural is a powerful artwork to mark the store as a place that’s unique and loved by its community in Brisbane.”

As part of the process, Haugh and Mac initiated Chrysalis Projects and drove a campaign encouraging the community to invest in their place, particularly the valuable community hub that is Avid Reader, through meaningful public art.

To fund the project, by early 2021 they had raised $62,000 from almost 300 donations during Covid. The finished mural looks spectacular.

Mac says the project is a demonstration of the power of collaboration with the enduring support of artist Ah Kee “who never lost faith”, Avid Reader’s Fiona Stager and Kevin Guy and the West End community.

The project received pro bono assistance from Drakos & Company Solicitors and Gadens along with Tim Bennetton Architects, Urban Art Projects, the late Cameron Eaton for engineering design and panel manufacturer Daron Hodder.

“The moral support by our friend and donor Anne Fardoulys – our local dentist – and Lindy Johnson can never be underestimated,” says Mac.  “Also, the team at Milani Gallery were always available for advice and support.”

The installation covers 100sqm with 52 artwork panels meticulously handpainted by the team from All City Walls, artists Yannick Blattner and Benjamin Werner. It was a monumental feat under the artistic direction of Ah Kee.

The team worked on an innovative architectural facade cladding design. However, the installation required an 18cm depth of the façade system, which meant the public art hangs vertically across private property boundaries, requiring complex negotiations with neighbours.

“This project has demonstrated the powerful impact of collaboration, respectful negotiation and the resilient determination needed to see meaningful public art in the world,” Mac says.

She says the heart of Chrysalis Projects is proving the value of quality curated art in public places. The project was co-funded by Arts Queensland and the fundraising platform Australian Cultural Fund.

Ah Kee describes the project as “a perfect balance of desperation and passion”.

“It’s a leap of faith and we need more of this kind of risk and courage,” he says. “I thought, these people have trust and faith in me, I may as well go with it and see where we go.”

Mac says the result “reveals the power of artist-run public art projects”. “It is place-making in its finest form,” she says. “We are immensely proud.”

Haugh says the mural “moves public art beyond art for art’s sake”.

“And it proves the enormous organising force needed to see quality, site-specific art installed in private and public spaces,” adds Haugh. “I am very happy it is finally able to be enjoyed.”

Avid Reader co-owner Fiona Stager says “authors are our eyes, ears and heart”.

“Charcoal Stories pays homage to them – as we and our communities are nothing without them,” says Stager.

chrysalisprojects.net