Mint Condtion

Jugglers Art Space hosts Mint Condition: an Exhibition of Brisbane Comic Art from July 21 to August 2.  The exhibition, which will feature over 150 pages of comic book art from more than thirty local artists, will launch with an opening night celebration on Friday July 21.  On the following Sunday July 23 the gallery space will be transformed into a comic market where the exhibiting artists will sell their publications and prints.  Throughout the exhibition’s run the majority of the comic pages will be available for sale as will a variety of publications from which the works originate. Comic book artists from Brisbane will come together to exhibit an array of approaches to the comics medium.  The range of styles and genres that are represented will highlight the breadth of influences on creators in Brisbane.  The popularity of the comics medium across the world is at an all-time high, leading some to speculate that a new ‘golden age of comics’ is upon us.  The rise of digital art tools, coupled with the ease of printing has generated a new wave of comic artists who are intent on using the form to express personal narratives using idiosyncratic visual systems. There are more Brisbane artists self-publishing comic books than ever before.  The strengthening of infrastructure around comic making activities in the form of comic book stores and comic conventions, provides more opportunities for artists to sell their publications and engage with readers.  As government bodies invest in big budget films based on their humble comic book origins, local comic book artists utilize the potential of the print object to hone their own world building skills.  Mint Condition hopes to spotlight the comic book’s potential as an art form in and of itself. The assembled comic pages in Mint Condition will be an installation that will cover the gallery’s walls.  The many works on paper are artifacts that will form a survey of the culture of contemporary Brisbane comic book making.  Much like an online image gallery the assembled works will encourage the viewer to zoom in and out of pages resulting in a lateral reading of narratives throughout the show.  A ‘spinner rack’ of publications will be available for viewers to peruse throughout the exhibition, giving context to the surrounding works. Extra programming around the Mint Condition exhibition will come in the form of The Mint Condition Markets on the Sunday afternoon after opening night.  The laid back style of these markets will be in contrast to the hustle and bustle of comic cons, pulling the focus away from the competition for sales and towards the community of talented comic artists.  Over thirty artists will take part in the event including; Adam Rose, Brad Daniels, Brendan Foley, Camila Duran, Dan Gibbs, Dan Gilmore, Dan Watts, Danikah Harrison, Darren Fisher, Floating Disc, Giles Kilham, Honey Elizabeth Randall, Jase Harper, Jon Weber, Kay Leanne, Mic McConaghy, Nick Rees, Peter Yong, Rob Corless, Rob O’Connor, Ruby Black, Shaun Craike, Skim Knob, Sober Bob, Stephanie Ochona, Stuart Rumbel, Tatiana Larkin, Tim Roberts, Timothy Robert Delaney, Tom Caffrey, Tom Magee and Will Kelly Mint Condition is presented by Will Kelly, with the help of Jugglers Art Space, Copy and Destroy and Ashcan Comics. The Exhibition is open to the public Monday to Friday 10am – 4pm until August 2.