I curated and organised this show celebrating the bandanna.

Bootlegger was a fine art exhibition exploring the bandanna’s potential as an art object. Seeing the bandanna as an element of outlaw style, we wanted to celebrate its aesthetic, its cultural roots, and its history. The selected artists were invited to express their ideas in the form of an original drawing, painting, or print. The images created by the artists were then printed onto fabric and made into bandannas, which were shown and sold at the exhibition. The editions were strictly limited to 20.

Bootlegger was a self-funded independent production. Ten months from conception to fruition, this project was the result of thousands of emails, hundreds of phone calls, a lot of hair-pulling, and of course many long nights. Local small‑scale producers with artistic sympathies in line with our own were used. In aesthetic terms the bandannas themselves are modeled after the type you might find in importer shops, however attention has been paid to sourcing quality materials and skilled makers.

Artists: Josh Petherick AUS, Andy Sargent AUS, Dylan Martorell AUS, Vitché BRA, Anthony Lister AUS, Nuroc AUS, Matthew Chapman AUS, Nathan Gray AUS, Lach Conn AUS, Kill Pixie AUS, Phibs AUS, D|CIDE GER, Bonsai AUS, Nails AUS, Christopher LG Hill AUS, Sean Bailey AUS, Braddock AUS, Two AUS, Krsn FRA.

Until Never Gallery
Melbourne, Australia
6-30 June 2007