William Nuttall
Owner and Director of Niagara Art Gallery
“If you collect contemporary art, you are supporting the art and the artist. Artists are lateral thinkers of our community and culture. Everybody should collect art”
Niagara Art Gallery sets itself apart from its contemporaries, not because of its bold and flamboyant building at 245 Punt Road, but mainly due to its owner, art dealer and curator extraordinaire William Nuttall, who is one of Australia’s most important art visionaries. Bill, as he is fondly known, sees art with heightened awareness. Like a prophet, he is emboldened by the artists’ creative fiefdom and quite fearless in taking us beyond mundanities, conventions and self-censorship.
Modestly, the suave and articulate Nuttall puts it down to representation. “We have interests in historical and modern movements in Australia. We engage with the rest of the world by showing exhibits from American artist Michelle Grabner, British painter Tony Bevan, to name a few. We cover all bases, shall we say?”
Niagara Art Gallery is 38 years old. “It began with two partners and after four years, I was the last man standing. I continued on for more than three decades.”
Psychology and a general arts degree set young Nuttall in a world of opportunities. “I’ve always been fascinated by artists and people.”
A part time job as a landscape gardener, did not do much in the way of inspiring Nuttall. “I did not want to teach, but I’ve always wanted to run my own business. It’s much easier to be the master of your own destiny than to be tied to a nine-to-five job.”
Niagara represents more than 50 top local and international artists and has an impressive band of collectors to its name. “A lot of contemporary artists exhibit with us for a long time, heading the same direction together. Other galleries may have a higher turnover, letting some young artists go, to pursue the more sought-after names. Whereas we like to go through the life cycles of our artists. The satisfaction I get out of that connection with the artist, is priceless. I love going to their studios, seeing new body of work or a shift.”
“The world-renowned artists are much more expensive. A small population with a small buying community takes prices down. Collecting art in this country is still doable for a wide range of people.”
In a world fraught with political, financial and social issues, the art industry is not as staunch as before. “In this time-poor society, people don’t come to the galleries like they used to. The younger generation don’t seem to be as interested in arts as their parents. They are much more engaged in electronics and gadgetry but I think people are going to come back to the aesthetics. At the moment, they are just a bit distant.”
People collect art because they love to own things that make them feel good. Collecting can be altruistic as well. “If you collect contemporary art, you are supporting the art and the artist. Artists are lateral thinkers of our community and culture. Everybody should collect art.”
Australia constitutes a small art environment. “The world-renowned artists are much more expensive. A small population with a small buying community takes prices down. Collecting art in this country is still doable for a wide range of people.”
For those about to embark upon the journey of art ownership, Nuttall prescribes certain dynamics. “Do a little bit of research, buy things that you enjoy and respond to. There’s got to be an element of passion. I never tell people what they should buy. What I can do is to put worthwhile things in front of them. They make their own choices. Do a bit of homework before you launch into it. Get exposure by looking at public spaces and galleries. Go out of your comfort zone a little bit. That is how we evolve anyway.”
“如果收藏当代艺术，即是支援艺术和艺术家。艺术家是社区与文化的横向思维者，也倡导每个人收集艺术。”
尼亚加拉艺术画廊(Niagara Art Gallery)所展现的非同凡响，并非因为它在245号Punt Road拥有一栋大胆而华丽的建筑物，但主要是因为它的拥有者、艺术品经营商和馆长 William Nuttall，他是澳大利亚关键性的艺术梦想家之一。而昵称Bill的他认为艺术具有高度意识，这是他熟知的领地，像一位先知一样，他被艺术家们的创造力所鼓舞，并无所畏惧地引领我们超越了世俗、习惯和自我审查。
Nuttall秉持着谦虚的态度，温和而清晰的表达想法。“我们对澳大利亚的历史和现代文化运动有浓厚兴趣。而通过展示美国艺术家Michelle Grabner、英国画家Tony Bevan的作品来与全球各地区进行接触交流。可以说，我们希望把所有的基地都全面覆盖。”
尼亚加拉艺术画廊已成立38年。“画廊是由2名合伙人开始，而在4年后，我是唯一站着的人，持续坚持了30多年。”
“尤其在实践前先做一点功课，多接触公共展出空间和展览馆。让人们稍微走出安逸区，这就是我们极力推进的方向。”
而心理学和文学艺术学位让年轻的他置身在机遇的世界中。“我一直着迷于钻研艺术家和人们。”
至于兼职担任园景美化师，并未成功激发Nuttall的灵感。“我不想教导，但我渴望经营自己的事业。而自由主宰命运要比朝九晚五的工作更舒适。”
尼亚加拉代表了逾50名当地和国际顶级艺术家，并拥有著名的收藏家团队。“许多当代艺术家与我们并肩举办了很长时间展览会，大家是朝着同一方向的共同体。其他画廊组织可能会有更高的营业额，让年轻艺术家追求更受欢迎的成功之路。而我们更偏爱历经艺术家的生命周期，另外，从与艺术家维系交流中获取的满足感是无价的。我喜欢探访他们的工作室，亲眼目睹崭新作品或者细微转变。”
在一个充斥着政治、金钱和社会问题的世界里，艺术行业不若以往那般纯粹坚定。“在分秒必争的现代社会，人们不会像过去一样参观画廊。”年轻一代似乎不像他们的父母那样对艺术感兴趣。他们更热衷于电子产品和游戏玩意，但他认为人们会回归美学上，只是目前看来有点遥远。
“人们收藏艺术品是因为想占有美好感觉事物的欲望驱使。收藏也是具备利他性，如果收藏当代艺术，即是支援艺术和艺术家。艺术家是社区与文化的横向思维者，也倡导每个人收集艺术。”
澳大利亚是小众格局艺术环境，纵然世界闻名的艺术家身价高昂，不过一个小众目标群体和微型购买力也会造就价格下降，在这个国家，收藏艺术品的概念仍然被广泛接受。
对于那些即将踏上拥有艺术品所有权之旅人士，Nuttall也总结了一些心得。比如事前做些研究，买一些你喜爱和有共鸣的物品。激情的元素是必须具备的，我从不告诉人们应该买什么，我能做的就是把有价值的东西摆出来，他们自行做出选择。
by Billie Ooi-Ng Lean Gaik
EZ AUSTRALIA.NEWS 