Sequel Gallery to close soon

GEELONG arts scene newcomer Sequel Gallery will close its doors next month, as its young owner reconsiders her priorities.

Since its opening in February last year, the Newtown gallery has supported almost 150 emerging creatives, offering, what has been for many, the first opportunity to exhibit their work publicly.

The gallery’s 27-year-old director Molly O’Hara – who describes the venture as a “passionate project” – has, over the past 18 months, both managed the arts space and maintained a full-time job.

She said the “bittersweet” decision to close the gallery was motivated by several factors, including the economic climate, a desire to create more space for her own artistic practice and her upcoming nuptials in July.

“I feel comfortable leaving it where it is,” Ms O’Hara said. “I’ve done all I can with Sequel as it is and [I’m] ready to try something else.

“Running a gallery is really about supporting others and their practices and I’ve been pretty lucky to share the space with lots of emerging creatives and help their practices flourish, but this doesn’t leave a lot of space to do anything of my own.”

She’s hoping to use the extra time to enjoy more time with her partner, get back to her creative roots and enjoy a sleep-in or two.

It was Sequel Gallery, under its former management and name, where Ms O’Hara first staged her own debut exhibition, an opportunity that encouraged her to consider pursuing art as more than just a hobby.

When the chance later arose for Ms O’Hara to take on the space herself, she jumped and has worked tirelessly to guide the region’s up-and-coming talent through the process of presenting their work.

“I thought it was really important to have a space like this in Geelong. Everyone’s goal is to get into Boom, but you need the stepping stones to get there.”

While she recognises Sequel’s closure will leave a gap that may take some time to fill, Ms O’Hara said she was confident the ongoing efforts of Liminal Gallery and Untether would ensure artists can still get a foot in the door, as long as the community is prepared to continue supporting the industry.

“It’s a tough economic climate, certainly, but there’s a lot of non-monetary things people can do. It’s just coming in, coming to the exhibitions, coming to the openings – even if you don’t know the artists exhibiting, making those connections with people.

“It’s supporting with your presence, even if it is just a like online or a share of the events that are coming up. With commercial galleries, people often feel a bit of pressure to spend money while you’re here, and that’s absolutely not the case.

“It’s important to still show up and if that’s the only way that you can support, it still makes a world of difference.”