Hi, I'm Caroline Rothwell. And I suppose I am a sculptor, but working across a range of media, from animation to casting to drawing, painting, walking. Yeah.
Question: What has been a turning point in your career?
I lived in New Zealand for a while. And there's a great institution called Art Space in Auckland. And I was in a great show in the year 2000. I think it was an emerging artist show. But I got a six-week old baby and I was doing these huge kind of ten metre wall drawings. And that was a really incredible opportunity just to, you know, be ambitious, be wild, be supported. And I think all artists need is a bit of support, really. A bit of affirmation and kind of opportunity to show their practice.
And then also getting a dealer gallery. When I moved to Sydney, getting the opportunity to work with a dealer gallery, which was Grant Perry that don't exist any longer. But again, being part of an ecosystem is really important.
Question: Is there anything you would like to see reshaped in the arts sector?
Such a big question, and I only got limited time. But actually within the arts sector, I think the act sector is generally a pretty amazing community within Australia. I think probably what I'd like to see reshaped is how the arts sector is viewed from outside. So that, you know, people actually could see the opportunities and what the art sector contributes to society. So rather than seeing it as something to be demonised and patronised and kind of abused, potentially it's actually to see the arts sector as this extraordinary industry that gives and creates and tell stories and actually creates a dynamic for, I suppose, the place. Because I think artists are high speed storytellers, you know, we can operate so nimbly and so quickly. And I think the political class and the, you know, the kind of powers that be of this place have just got used to this kind of paternalistic view of arts. They're actually seeing it as a force that is a really massive economic and philosophical force within this place. I think it's a really amazing sector that actually doesn't need change. I just think it needs support.
Question: How do you survive as an artist?
That's another big question. I've always juggled. So I've always, you know, generally kind of worked in a few jobs. I've been really fortunate in the past few years that I've managed to get some public art opportunities. And that came from me just relentlessly applying for things and being, you know, not... It took, I think it took me ten years of applying to actually finally get my first commission. And now I get those opportunities maybe every two or three years, and they actually can keep me solvent for a while.
Question: What advice would you give to future generations of artists?
Well, I would say be generous to yourself as much as to your community. Be kind and just don't get offended by the art world. Well, not even the art world, just I suppose you got to be so tough and thick skinned that you can just be tenacious and create community. Just create as big a community as you can, collaborate, get out there, talk, make friends. Yeah, I think again, be generous. Yeah.