Luke Cornish was interested in art from a young age, but growing up in Canberra, didn't think it was something you could make a career out of.
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"I remember my grandmother teaching me how to paint when I was very young," he explains.
He went on to do art at high school but after leaving school, worked in a number of jobs, including construction.
"It wasn't until my early 20s that I saw art as something I could do full-time and make a career out of," he said.
After dabbling in street art in Canberra, he relocated to Melbourne, where his career really took off. After 10 years of hard work, he became the first stencil artist selected as a finalist in the coveted Archibald Prize (more on that later).
Now, Cornish is putting the finishing touches on a new art gallery opening in Wollongong this week.
Black Box Artspace will officially open Friday, December 2. Its first exhibition, Stamp duty blues, features Cornish's own stencil art created under the pseudonym ELK.
The exhibition's name was inspired by his recent relocation from Sydney to the Illawarra, but is also a nod to the current housing crisis and the government's inaction.
The gallery itself is, as its name suggests, a "black box" and the antithesis of the conservative "white cube institution" look of most galleries.
He plans to run the gallery using a not-for-profit model in order to give a leg-up to aspiring artists and give them a platform to exhibit their work.
Cornish might have only moved to the Illawarra this year, but his love affair with the region began long before that.
"I have always spent a lot of time around Bulli and Stanwell Park. It is my favourite part of Australia," he said.
"Then one day my fiance and I were walking our dogs on McCauley's beach and the mist was rolling down the escarpment and we thought, let's just move here."
After a stint renting in Woonona, they bought a house in Russell Vale.
Once settled, Cornish started looking for somewhere to hold a pop-up exhibition, before he happened across an empty shopfront in Church Street, Wollongong.
"I just thought, why not have a full-time gallery?" he said.
He has poured blood, sweat, tears and money into the space, which he hopes will be embraced by the already thriving Illawarra arts community.
"There are amazing things going on here, such as the Wonderwalls Festival," Cornish said.
"The plan for the gallery is to bring a high calibre of Australian/international artists to exhibit in Wollongong.
"Fortunately, I can make a living from my art so the space will be set up more as a not-for-profit model as opposed to a commercial gallery, negating the exorbitant commissions usually taken from artists.
"I'm hoping this freedom from reaching financial quotas will entice quality and eliminate mediocrity.
"I'd also like to use the space to hold group shows of local artists as a platform."
Cornish's own artwork incorporates his background in urban contemporary art and street art. He uses materials such as canvas, aluminium, board and glass.
Each artwork is constructed from up to 1000 sheets of acetate stencils and 243 different colours of layered aerosol paint, until they take on a photographic quality.
Stencil art was one of the earliest forms of social and political activism, and each of Cornish's works represent either a first-hand experience or part of a broader narrative on the human spirit.
But it is perhaps his portrait of Father Bob Maguire that is perhaps best known. In 2012, Cornish became the first stencil artist to be selected as a finalist in the Archibald Prize.
The media attention saw him suddenly taken seriously in the art world, and launched his career internationally.
The portrait of Father Bob went on to set a new auction record for a work by an Australian stencil artist when it sold for more than $34,000 the following year.
Since then, Cornish has continued to refine his craft, and strives to push the limits of his medium.
He has also made multiple trips to Syria, Lebanon and Iran to document the profound effects of war, economic sanctions and the refugee crisis in his "documentary artworks" - in much the same way as fellow Illawarra-based artist George Gittoes.
"One of the first exhibitions I ever saw was George Gittoes," he said. "He was a massive inspiration."
He is also committed to giving back to those communities. In 2017, he co-founded the charity, For Syria's Children, which raises funds for Syrian children affected by conflict.
He has won numerous awards for not just his artworks, but a short film he made documenting the creation of his portrait of Father Bob. Me- We was shortlisted for the prestigious Tropfest Film Festival.
Details: Black Box Artspace, official opening, Friday, December 2, 6pm-9pm, 81 Church Street, Wollongong. The gallery will be open Wednesday-Saturday, 11.30am-5.30pm, and Sunday by appointment.
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Merryn Porter
Journalist with more than 25 years' experience in print and digital media who has covered most news rounds, including health, education, politics (local, state and federal), police and courts, with a special interest in women's and family matters. Highly-skilled interviewer and storyteller.
Journalist with more than 25 years' experience in print and digital media who has covered most news rounds, including health, education, politics (local, state and federal), police and courts, with a special interest in women's and family matters. Highly-skilled interviewer and storyteller.
