Save Kings
24.11.2008
Kings Artist-Run Initiative is a gallery, studio complex and artist collective located in the west end of Melbourne’s CBD. Kings ARI is a not-for-profit arts organisation which operates on a shoe-string budget and is primarily staffed by a core committee of professional visual artists who offer their services and expertise on a voluntary basis.
Kings ARI aims to support the best in contemporary arts practice by showcasing young emerging artists and providing a venue for established artists to exhibit experimental and innovative work. Kings ARI is the only currently operating gallery/studio complex in Melbourne’s CBD.
On Thursday 19 November Kings ARI received notification from its estate agent that the owner of the premises of upstairs 171 King St Melbourne, a superannuation fund, wishes to sign a new lease at a commencement rate 48% higher than the current rent. This massively high rental increase is completely unsustainable by Kings ARI.
Since its inception in 2003 Kings ARI has made a vital contribution to the contemporary art scene and vibrant cultural life of the city of Melbourne. Over this period Kings ARI has endeavoured to provide access to the experience of contemporary art for city users, visitors and residents; contributing to the development of Melbourne’s rich cultural texture and creative capital. In doing so, Kings ARI has helped to raise Melbourne’s national and international cultural profile.
Kings ARI has nurtured many outstanding contemporary visual artists who have risen to prominence including Brendan Lee, Starlie Geikie, Daniel von Sturmer and Daniel Crooks. Kings ARI is committed to being proactive and viable in the support and development of a vibrant, local contemporary arts sector.
The proposed rental increase is tantamount to the demise of Kings ARI as such a rental hike soars far beyond its annual operating budget. The repossession of vacant and derelict buildings by developers has seen many once thriving artists’ initiatives and studios in the CBD closed down: the Flinders Lane studios is a recent example. Artist-run initiatives and studios will continue to be forced out of the CBD unless progressive urban policies are put in place to guarantee their continued existence.
