Telling the stories of those without a voice

Mount Gambier artist’s debut exhibition opening this Friday at Little Blue Wren Gifts & Art

Forgotten Fables of the SouthEast is a collision between pop art, graffiti art and social commentary.

That is artist Tyson Jay Brant’s simple explanation of his debut solo exhibition which will be unveiled this Friday night at Little Blue Wren Gift & Art.

“I consider it a but of a study into the human condition,” Tyson said. “A lot of these people, for better or worse, have followed their own path.”

And ‘these people’ are 17 local individuals that Tyson has captured in his psychedelic style as he looks to share his work for the first time in public, having never exhibited before but also with a renewed confidence in his own work given his recent overall victory at the 2023 South East Art Society Open Art Awards.

“When I started the process of putting together the exhibition I did lose a little sleep but the closer it gets the more comfortable I get,” he said.

In truth, Tyson wasn’t looking to exhibit his work but encouragement from the Riddoch Arts and Cultural Centre’s Daniel Pearson and fellow artistic soul Kyra Sykes, who is one of Tyson’s subjects in the upcoming exhibition, saw him touch base with Gareth and Tabitha Williams at Little Blue Wren and before he knew it, the opportunity to have an exhibition as part of the South Australian Living Artists (SALA) festival emerged.

“I was pretty comfortable sitting at home just working,” Tyson said.

“In a way, a big part of this exhibition is feeling good about what you do, valuing yourself and your work.”

Tyson’s collection of portraits are framed around a focus on homelessness, mental health and other social issues and with that in mind, Little Blue Wren will be undertaking a collection of winter woollies, including NEW blankets, beanies, gloves and scarves, which will be donated to the Sunset Community Kitchen.

“The people I have painted are people in the community that I find interesting,” Tyson said. “They walk their own path and they do their own thing.

“The exhibition has been a form of therapy for myself. I’m a big believer in artistic freedom and artistic expression. Seeing your work up on a wall is pretty cool and gives you a bit of self esteem and confidence.”

Tyson paints characters from the region in such a way that the viewer is forced to really see the subject – to look at the person they might ordinarily walk past on the street. The subject of the painting is presented with both power and presence and it is impossible to turn away.

“Every single person has a story to tell, but many of the people’s lives who are recorded as part of this exhibition are much more extreme in both their complexity and their simplicity,” Tyson said.

“Interacting with and recording these fascinating local people’s stories is a privilege,” Tyson said.

“I wanted this exhibition to remind us that there are people in our local community facing complex and diverse challenges to long term safe and sustainable housing, as well as issues with accessing quality and timely mental health services.

“We as a community have a responsibility to ensure that their voices are heard, that our houseless neighbours are seen so that their needs can no longer be ignored.”

And that is why this Friday’s launch date and the associated winter woollies appeal is not coincidental. It’s first week will marry up with National Homelessness Week (August 6 – 12) and it will run until September

SALA deputy chair and Bordertown’s Walkway Gallery director Naomi Fallon is opening the exhibition with the launch kicking off at 6pm.

In Australia, there are almost 123,000 people experiencing homelessness on any given night.

Homelessness in this country is such an extreme form of inequality that it is often easier to ignore it, than to show empathy or find any real, tangible solutions.

The Forgotten Fables of the South-East is Tyson’s intimate examination and contemplation of the lives of our neighbours: people surviving in our local community while unhoused or with only temporary shelter.

“Tyson shines a light on the forgotten corners of our community, and the incredible people who live on the fringes,” gallery owner Gareth Williams said.

“This exhibition that Tyson has pulled together for SALA, is brilliant and confronting, it is bold and striking, and it forces us to confront our own privilege while also celebrating the beauty and presence of our houseless community.”

Tyson’s painting and animation is the latest chapter in just how he likes to express himself.

Music has always been a part of that and martial arts, Mount Gambier artist’s debut exhibition opening this Friday at Little Blue Wren Gifts & Art predominantly boxing, was also a pre-cursor to his visual artistic pursuits.

“I had so much respect for some of the people I was hanging out with from the artistic world and they had their thing and I decided I should have my thing,” Tyson said.

“I didn’t really embrace my love of art until I took up boxing and felt more confident. I went to school at Kangaroo Inn and boys didn’t really get into art.

“I was a bit of an outcast among my peers so it was later that I really started to get into it (art).”

Tyson, who is all but self taught as an artist and animator, credits morning cartoon shows and cover art from albums with influencing both his painting and animation.

He has been a semi finalist in Australia’s premiere animation film festival Animate.

Tyson was also recognised in Australia’s largest independent music, art and media production Happy Mag for animation, music and art projects, as well as the series Forgotten Fables of the South-East For the most part, the make up of the debut exhibition has been created in the past 12 months.

*Every individual represented in Tyson’s exhibition has consented to being featured **This is an official SALA Event.