WITH the State’s commercial art galleries selling $36 million of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artworks in the 1999-2000 financial year, it should come as no surprise that trade at two Perth galleries dedicated solely to Aboriginal art have skyrocketed.
The two niche galleries operate under the name Indigenart and are the brainchild of husband and wife team Dan and Diane Mossenson.
Since the first gallery was established in Subiaco in 1993, Indigenart has grown to the point where a second gallery was opened in Fremantle in 2000.
That Diane Mossenson gave up her role as a general practitioner to work at Indigenart full time is a sign of the business’s success.
Dr Mossenson was surprised by the growth of Indigenart, which she said was initially supposed to be more of a hobby.
“I had no idea of the industry or how time consuming or demanding it would be,” she told WA Business News.
Indigenart has now captured the interest of the national and international art market.
“We have had a strong repeat buyer from the US for six years,” Dr Mossenson said.
“As for the eastern States market, I think buyers in other States are more switched on [than local buyers] and familiar with Aboriginal art.
“They have had exposure to it and know what we [Indigenart] have got is competitive nationally and internationally.”
Indigenart’s staying power is not its only accomplishment – the galleries showcase work from more than 20 Aboriginal communities, and the business is a five-time finalist in the State Tourism awards.
Dr Mossenson said there was relatively little buyer interest in Aboriginal art when Indigenart first opened.
“I suppose looking back there was a potential for growth, although I wasn’t a market analyst who had predicted it, I simply believed in the product,” she said.
But Aboriginal art had not been a long-term passion for Dr Mossenson, rather it was the art of collecting that interested her.
It wasn’t until the Mossensons were driving across the Nullarbor from a relative’s wedding that a chance encounter with someone in the industry directed the couple’s interest to Indigenous art.
Now firmly established among the Indigenous art set, Dr Mossenson admits there is a lot about the industry she likes and dislikes.
“There is a lot of Aboriginal work out there of questionable quality – when artists are under pressure to generate more income, to be continually more productive and meet demand,” she said.
“Indigenart’s ability to differentiate between the real quality Aboriginal art and the rest sets us apart.”