For Lincoln Savage, Superordinary is the culmination of more than a decade of work in the Brisbane art scene. In some respects, it’s also the kind of venue that he wished existed years ago. From his early days throwing warehouse parties and curating underground shows and exhibitions, to more recent endeavours including the orchestration of multi-arts festivals Jungle Love and Yonder, Lincoln has always had to be resourceful – finding funding where he could and relying on grassroots community support to get ideas off the ground. Superordinary, a concept that reclaims urban spaces and turns them into multi-arts venues for artists to create, collaborate and exhibit, is a project rooted in accessibility. As Lincoln tells us, costs are as much a prohibiting factor for artists as they are for arts organisations. “Basically, people can’t afford to put on a show unless they’re doing pretty well,” says Lincoln. “Galleries are expensive.”
Lincoln founded Superordinary in 2020 as a cost-effective gallery and creative space for artists to showcase work. It initially ran from a space in The City, but an undercurrent of impermanence prevented it from blossoming in ways Lincoln hoped. “We had a 48-hour eviction timeframe,” Lincoln tells us. “We ended up being there for three years, but it meant we couldn’t build anything in, couldn’t plan ahead and couldn’t book exhibitions because it could be cancelled.” This uncertainty was a significant motivator for Lincoln to find a more secure long-term home where Superordinary could flourish. The ideal venue presented itself in Hamilton’s Northshore precinct – a cavernous warehouse space used in recent years as a creative nexus for the Brisbane Street Art Festival (of which Lincoln is creative director). Lincoln has secured riverfront site (which is earmarked for eventual redevelopment into the main athlete village for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games) for a five-year lease. It’s a timeframe in which Lincoln hopes to maximise the post-industrial location’s potential as a Brisbane-first melting pot encompassing galleries, artist studios, workshops, kitchen, bar, markets and live music. “It is kind of just a project built on a hunch of the dream space that I’d like to see,” says Lincoln. “With all of these things kind of co-mingling together and cross-pollinating.”
With a sizeable footprint to play with, the Superordinary vision has become grander, bolder and more ambitious. Drawing inspiration from the likes of NDSM in Amsterdam (a former shipyard now used to host multi-disciplinary festivals, performances, exhibitions and dance parties), Superordinary will boast the flexibility to host all manner of events. The warehouse’s internals will be arranged into a mostly open-plan layout subdivided by half-height walls and curtains, with gallery space at the front, kitchen and bar (currently being built by Lowry Group) in the middle, and artist studios at the rear. Superordinary can also be configured to host large-scale festivals, with room for stages inside in the outdoor courtyard. Lincoln estimates Superordinary’s artist studios will be available at a third of the cost of other studio spaces in Brisbane, and there will be no charge to host an exhibition – only a small commission. The Superordinary team will oversee a diverse calendar of activations, but the crew is also open to being approached by artists and organisations seeking a home for their projects. “That’s a core part of it, because I know how hard it’s to find a venue, how expensive it is and how much risk there is,” says Lincoln, who is no stranger to toeing the line of legality when it comes to hosting events. “We can offer a very cost effective, completely legal, safe and insured way of doing shows. It’s great because they save on stress and cost and we’ve get revenue by having people in the space.”
One such revenue stream will be Superordinary’s on-site kitchen and bar, which will operate as a cafe during the week and a drink-and-snack dispensing anchor point on exhibition nights. It will also host a fluid array of pop-up concepts – including some overseen by guest chefs from Brisbane and interstate. “I think the idea will be something that is really organic and flows and is different every week,” explains Lincoln, who cites Collingwood’s Hope St Radio as a loose source of inspiration. “It’s very much a market-based, on-a-whim kind of thing – we’ll put something on the menu and when it’s out, it’s out. Anyone that wants to put on an event – any chefs or cooks or Italian nonnas that want to come and do something in the kitchen – we’re keen as for that.” Artists will begin moving into Superordinary’s studios in November ahead of completion of the on-site kitchen by mid-month. A string of festivities are already planned for weekend of November 18–19 – including the venue’s official launch event, which will feature live-music performances, painting sessions and guided tours. The night will also coincide with the launch of Superordinary’s inaugural showcase Gallery 01 Exhibition 01 – an immersive experience including contemporary art, interactive installations and live performances. The next day, Superordinary will kick off Supermarkets, a weekly market experience blending fashion, art, jewellery, craft and food.
Superordinary will launch to the public in November. Stay abreast of the hub’s progress via the official website.
