Beyond the studio by the MAPgroup

MAPgroup has been working on an exciting new project, Beyond the studio – a collection of over 90 portraits of the artists of Castlemaine, captured by 18 documentary photographers in the MAPgroup (Many Australian Photographers Group). The images will feature throughout the town's walls as large-scale, black-and-white paste-ups. The exhibition is part of the Open Studios program which is a component of the Castlemaine State Festival.

The innovative exhibition transforms the streets using large-scale paste-up portraits which provide a snapshot into the amazing diversity of the artists of Castlemaine. Paste-ups are a form of street art where images are printed onto paper and pasted directly onto walls and buildings, resulting in an accessible way for people to experience artwork.

With over 90 local artists, spanning diverse mediums including painting, installation, printmaking, writing, dance, music, and circus performance, the project only just manages to scratch the surface and is the first installment of an ongoing series documenting Castlemaine’s artists.

MAPgroup will install the large-scale, black-and-white photographs as 1.8 metre panels throughout the town. The work marks the quickest route between the town’s two key performance spaces, from Mostyn Street near the Castlemaine State Festival Hub at Theatre Royal to the Phee Broadway Theatre on Mechanics Lane as well as further exhibition sites at The Mill and Lot 19.

Images will be on display at the following locations: Mechanics Lane, Bendigo Bank, Frederick Street including the Town Hall, The Mill, Lot 19.