art forum COMMUNITY

I have been working in art for most of my adult life and some of my childhood. That is an awfully long time.

One thing I can say with any certitude is that making art makes me feel safe. That is not to say that I don’t regard risk-taking as important, it means that if the risks I do take fail, it will not be the end of the world. It might spoil my day at worst.

I am drawn to artists who have either chosen to exist on the fringes of art practice or have been unfairly relegated to those positions. Ray Johnson, Paul Thek, Michael Buthe, all deceased gay men, have gotten under my skin and influenced my own thinking.

“Failure” as a strong possibility stalks my studio.

Lately I have augmented my work with humour. Nothing flirts with failure like humour does. Stand-up comics die onstage when the sound of laughter is missing. In a gallery situation an artist can seem to die when there is the sound of laughter. One can never be sure how such a visceral reaction should be taken.

I actually love to hear laughter in front of my work. My artist death-wish seems fulfilled. Who knows just whom the joke is on?

Peter Maloney has been exhibiting his work for over 25 years after studying in Canberra and Melbourne. He is primarily a painter but has also made photographic work, often used in collage or photocopy but rarely as fine-art prints.

His personal experience with the HIV and AIDS communities has informed much of what he does.