Pari

Visitors to Parramatta’s new artist-run initiative can expect a tasty serving of Western Sydney culture. By Ben Neutze

OPENING A CONTEMPORARY art gallery comes with plenty of challenges, but it’s fair to say that dealing with hungry visitors in search of a sandwich is not one of them. Except at Pari. The former commercial space rented from Parramatta City Council is now an artistrun initiative, packed with art and new gallery walls, but the original menu board, hanging over the area where a counter used to be, is still in place. Some folks are disappointed when the Pari team are unable to fill their order for a “Burger w Lot”. Rebecca Gallo, one of the five directors behind the space, which opened in October, says it’s not entirely out of the question that they might one day add coffee to their arts offering. That’s because Pari is devoted to doing things differently and figuring out new ways that an artist-run space can serve artists as well as its surrounding communities. And given that it’s currently the only artist-run initiative devoted to contemporary art in Western Sydney, it makes sense that the Pari team might want to explore new avenues.

“People had been talking for a long time about the fact that a lot of infrastructure money and development was happening and being poured into Parramatta, but there was still this lack of music venues and spaces for art,” Gallo says. “There were lots of people making art out here, but not many places to present it.” Apart from its unconventional premises, Pari has a program that extends well beyond exhibitions, opening its doors to community events, screenings and live music, and will transform the former kitchen space into an artist workshop. The gallery has just wrapped up its first exhibition,

Ten Degrees Hotter, featuring artists from across the west, and will be programming predominantly group shows, all via public call-outs. “We’re interested in building up people who haven’t even shown once or twice, and getting them to meet other people in the show,” director Kalanjay Dhir says.

Located in Parramatta’s CBD, Pari is attracting all sorts of curious visitors: businesspeople on weekdays, sports fans on their way to games at Bankwest Stadium on Saturdays, and churchgoers using the car park above the gallery on Sundays. “It’s been really good, watching people slowly find out about it,” Dhir says. “Older people are coming and saying, ‘Oh my god, I wish we had this when we grew up.’ And we’ve got kids in art school from the area coming to volunteer.”

While Pari is already being celebrated by locals, it may have to contend with some of the image issues Western Sydney has as a cultural centre. Despite the fact that this enormous region is home to almost 2.5 million people and many cultures and communities, art infrastructure tends to be built mainly in the more economically advantaged parts of inner Sydney.

“Those ideas are fuelled by media representations,” Gallo says. “And even using the term ‘Western Sydney’ is weird, because it’s not one region.” Dhir, who lives in Parramatta, says the truth about the west is far more complex than people in the inner city might believe. “If you’re a creative in the west right now, you know there’s something really special going on. I’m in the music world as well, and Western Sydney is the centre of hip hop. Sometimes I’ll chat to my friends who are architects and they’ll say people in their office were complaining about having to do a site visit in Parramatta. There’s still that image of the west, but I actually forget because I’m just so staunchly proud of it.” ■ 11 O’Connell St, Parramatta 2150. pariari.org. Wed-Fri 11am-6pm; Sat, Sun noon-4pm.

“Older people are saying, ‘I wish we had this when we were growing up’”