SCREEN GRABS
Launceston cafe Urban Espresso is offering a shot of culture with your daily brew, with a TV screen showing video art installations now a permanent feature.
Cafe co-owner Nick Puklowski first set up the screen as part of Mona Foma in January, displaying video art by Launceston artist Kim Lehman.
Puklowski says the response was so great that he decided to keep the screen as a permanent feature, showing the work of a different artist every month.
“It gives people something to look at while they get their coffee,” he says. “I show the work of other artists here as well, paintings and the like. It’s just a way for them to have their work seen.”
Puklowski is a practising artist himself, and has had his paintings shown in 20 solo exhibitions, so he understands the value in having a place to simply let people see your work.
He is also a board member of Sawtooth ARI gallery in Launceston, where his contacts have allowed him to reach out to accomplished artists both from Tasmania and internationally.
Currently the screen is showing the work of Darryl Rogers, creator of the popular Hypnocave installation at this year’s Mona Foma. His hypnotic video work, Takayna Anima, features images from the Tarkine Wilderness (takayna), celebrating its isolated beauty and vulnerability.
“I want to maintain a theme of cafe culture and sustainability,” Puklowski says. “Taking care of the environment while also enjoying the environment of having a brew.”
At the same time, Puklowski says, he is not looking to turn the cafe into a gallery and there will never be price tags on any of the work on show.
“I’m happy to put people in touch with the artist if they’re interested, but I’m not interested in running a gallery. It’s just about having really good quality art for people to view when they’re here, because of my own background having owned a gallery and as a practising artist,” he says.
“Since becoming involved with Sawtooth I’ve made a lot of amazing contacts, and I’m keen to help people expose their art to new audiences, and this is one way of doing that.”
Urban Espresso (previously Roasted Coffee House) is at 99a St John St, Launceston.