L10 7-9 December 2018 Life&Leisure The Australian Financial Review | www.afr.com AFR

Natasha would go to the art centre to work. ART FAIR Eventually I began to get interested, and started doing dot , like her.’’ But it was when he began portraits of his great-grandfather, in 2014, APY artist’s take on power hits a nerve that Namatjira’s work really came into its own. Albert’s Story is a suite of 13 paintings depicting a narrative arc from Being Initiated in the Bush to in On his first trip abroad, Prison to Dies in Hospital, Broken Heart. Afurtherthreeseriesdepictothergroups Vincent Namatjira is of influence: the seven Australian prime ministers during his lifetime (up until 2016, exhibiting at Art Basel when they were painted); seven senior Miami Beach, writes Anangu men, artists and cultural leaders from the APY lands (Legends,2018);and Stephen Todd. the seven richest people in Australia – The Richest,2017. ‘‘All these works look at ideas of power structures and different concepts of ‘‘When you touch apaintbrush,itmakes leadership and influence,’’ he says. you bigger,’’ reckons Vincent Namatjira. ‘‘It After six years of showing at Art Basel makes you gigantic, really.’’ As the great- Hong Kong, the gallery representing grandson of Albert Namatjira unveils 10 Namatjira, This Is Not Fantasy, was invited new paintings at Art Basel Miami Beach, to Art Basel Miami Beach (which last year word is he’s about to become enormous. clocked up a record 82,000 visitors). Namatjira, 35, paints vivid portraits of ‘‘We have had a lot of feedback. Clearly world leaders, often featuring himself in the Vincent’s work hit a nerve,’’ says gallerist frame – shaking hands with Donald Trump, Dianne Tanzer. giving Kim Jong-un a buzz cut, waving from Namatjira’s work is appealing for the an old pick-up truck as he drives past a political savvy that underscores his shirtless Putin on horseback. Appropriating flamboyantly naive technique. popular newsreel imagery, his blocky One of the most striking paintings he’ll be figures on flattened backgrounds become showing in Miami Beach is Vincent & wry icons of power and wealth. Donald (2018), a 122cm x 155cm acrylic on Namatjira works from a studio at the canvas depicting the artist with one arm Iwantja Arts centre in the remote finally to Florida. This is the first time he’s spent his early years in the old Lutheran Vincent Namatjira around Trump’s shoulder, the other community of in the Anangu left Australia. mission town of Hermannsburg. After his in his studio in the wielding a knife. He’s just taken a slice out of Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) lands ‘‘My great-grandfather went to London mother’s death when he was seven, he lived APY lands: ‘A lot of ahugegateauicedwithagoopymapofthe in the far north-west of . and even met the Queen,’’ he says. ‘‘I’m in foster homes around . It was only my recent paintings world; his Republican-red baseball cap is ‘‘When I see politicians, world leaders, looking at this trip that way.’’ when he returned to live with extended are about the emblazoned ‘Make APY Great Again’. It’s royalty and other power players on the Albert Namatjira’s Western art- family in the desert, aged 18, that he learnt reversal of power unclear whether he wants to stab Trump or news, I see this huge disconnect between influenced watercolours of outback about his esteemed forebear. ‘‘I was kind of structures.’ feˆtehim,buttheironyislayeredasthickas their world and the day-to-day reality of life landscapes made him a household name shocked at the time to learn that I was the icing. in a remote Aboriginal community,’’ he said from the 1940s on. He was the first related to a famous Indigenous landscape ‘‘Trump and me share the same in a recent interview with Australian Aboriginal person to be granted Australian artist,’’ he recalls. ‘‘I became fascinated by birthday,’’ he says with a grin. ‘‘Isn’t that curator Natalie King. citizenship. Albert’s story and by his work, but I didn’t weird? L&L

‘‘A lot of my recent paintings are about Despite his art star status and oeuvre of immediately take up a paintbrush.’’ ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● the reversal of power structures,’’ he says. more than 2000 paintings, his final years It was his partner, the painter Natasha Art Basel Miami Beach is on from December 6 To get to Miami, Namatjira had to drive were tumultuous and he died in near Pompey, who introduced him to art. ‘‘At to 9. Vincent Namatjira is represented by This five hours north to , then fly poverty, in 1959. that time I was pretty much a stay-at-home is No Fantasy, 108-110 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy, east to Brisbane, then on to Los Angeles and Vincent was born in Alice Springs and dad, looking after our three girls while Melbourne. Tel: (03) 9417 7172

DESIGN MAKEOVER Cosmos of cool

Bassike’s boutique reflects the new chic aesthetic on Brisbane’s James Street, writes Stephen Todd.

Brisbane’s new Calile hotel dubs itself an finely honed manner, offsetting hard ‘‘urban resort’’, a kind of one-stop R&R shop industrial edges with beautiful finishing. with all the buzz of inner-city living. Within the structural concrete shell, a The $100 million building, a white brick screen of customised breeze blocks filters and concrete composition of zigzag daylight through double-height glazing; geometries and elegant barrel vaulting was while pale oak floors and bespoke timber designed by local architects Ingrid Richards counters are softened by French linen and Adrian Spence, who are carving out a drapery. It feels grand but approachable. niche for themselves as purveyors of an ‘‘We wanted the James Street store to be edgy subtropical modernism. Located in the chic, but very urban,’’ says Sams. newly groovy James Street precinct five The Bassike boutique was designed by aboxwithanamazingcourtyard’’. James Street, once a downbeat light Clockwise from kilometres from the CBD, The Calile is architect Kelvin Ho, principal of Sydney ‘‘Having worked with Bassike since the industrial zone is now abuzz with slick main: Bassike’s store rigorous and crisp, confidently breezy – practice Akin Atelier, who also did the beginning I have a good working knowledge new cafes and bars. The foot traffic is on James Street; signalling a new Queenslander chic. fitouts for the Dion Lee and Camilla and of its core values,’’ says Ho. ‘‘The challenge is conspicuously well-heeled, peppered with the fashion brand Richards refers to the style of the seven- Marc shops along the same block. His skill is to translate those and apply them to tradies who lunch (in drawstring shorts designed staff storey, 175-room hotel as ‘‘gentle brutalism’’. in conveying the essence of each brand different contexts, creating a unique and baggy tees evoking prototypical uniforms for ‘‘There’s a very distinct feeling about this while creating a strong united front. experience no matter the location.’’ Bassike attire.) The Calile Hotel; part of Brisbane these days, which is In fact, Ho has designed all of Sams and Bassike’s early collections were, as the The transformation began 15 years ago swimming pool at heightened by the vibe at the hotel,’’ says Ryan’s interiors since they opened their name suggests, all about wardrobe essentials: when developers Michael and Cal Malouf The Calile. PHOTOS: Deborah Sams, co-founder with Mary Lou first Bassike pop-up in a weatherboard the jersey T-shirts and loose separates with decided to leverage Brisbane’s burgeoning SAVANNAH VAN DER Ryan of clothing brand Bassike, which cottage in Avalon, an hour’s drive north of which the brand made its mark. food culture to open the James Street NIET, SEAN-FENNESSY devised The Calile’s staff uniforms. If Sydney, in 2006. That one has a distinctly Twelve years and 11 stores later, Bassike Market, a savvy roster of some of the city’s uniforms is quite the right word for ‘‘beachy vibe, not too elevated’’, according produces four fashion collections a year – finest providores. elegantly crumpled Italian cotton shirts and to Sams. The Balmain store in a heritage two for the northern hemisphere, two for This hangar-like complex designed by linen chinos, as neutral in gender as in tone. building ‘‘feels more inner city’’; while the southern – and each month drops new Cox Rayner Architects (with a young Only a tiny brass collar pin, arced like the the store in Venice Beach, California, trend pieces into store and at overseas Ingrid Richards as project architect) soon hotel facade, suggests who holds the key to designed by Ho in collaboration with Los stockists such as Lane Crawford, Hong spawned specialty shops and food and ●i the cocktails cabinet. Angeles studio Brook&Lyn is ‘‘almost just Kong. ‘‘Consumers have an insatiable beverage venues, often in neglected Bassike is one of a dozen fashion brands appetite for new product,’’ says Sams, who warehouses reconfigured and rebricked by Need to know to take up tenancy in the street-level arcade also commissioned Ho to design her Whale Richards Spence. The Calile Hotel around The Calile’s lobby, a new In the store’s interior, Beach house. By reworking the precinct in increments, 48 James Street, rendezvous spot for visitors and locals alike. hard industrial edges ‘‘Bassike already had a loyal customer using a consistent material palette and a Fortitude Valley, (The 26-metre swimming pool and private base in Brisbane, many of whom would fly constant, blocky architectural program, Brisbane cabanas for guests only are on the elevated are offset with down to Sydney to shop or find us online. So Richards Spence have created more Bassike open-air podium at level two.) when the opportunity arose to open our than just a series of sexy leaseholds; Shop g/02, 48 James Like the hotel spaces, the Bassike store beautiful finishing. own store in such a vibrant new Brisbane they’ve coaxed a new neighbourhood Street, Fortitude interior employs elemental materials in a precinct, we leapt at the chance.’’ into being. L&L Valley, Brisbane AFRGA1 L010