Visual Arts
Peter McKay
ARTIST'S STATEMENT
''For about three years I have been planting strawberry plants in cracks in the pavement and guttering of the city of Adelaide. I like strawberry plants because I think they are particularly generous plants, especially considering their size.
Sometimes these plants are documented photographically. More importantly the plants always recorded on a map of the city. Plants can live either a surprising long time or a surprisingly short time depending on the weather, the various modes of traffic around and on them, and random acts of generosity toward them. From a distance I have seen a good number of people 'discover' a strawberry plant for themselves, and from what I can tell they seem to think their encounter borders on the miraculous.
Please take a strawberry and plant it in a crack in the bitumen if you feel so inclined. Digging tools are available for too, but please return them for others use.' Peter McKay, 2006
BIO
Peter McKay graduated from the South Australian School of Art UniSA in 2003 completing a Bachelor of Visual Arts with a major in History and Theory.
In 2004 he participated in ' Surface Tension' curated by Alasdair Foster and Reuben Keehan at the Australian Centre for Photography in Sydney. In 2005 Peter's solo exhibition 'No Regret' at Downtown Artspace in Adelaide featured the currently exhibited work ' SP (Strawberry Project) ' which was particularly popular with the public for its inclusive/interactive nature.
Peter has been an active participant in the Adelaide Art scene since 2000. He has worked at Greenaway Art Gallery, was administrator of the 2004 SALA Festival and currently holds the position of Program Manager at the Contemporary Art Centre of SA.
Peter's work can also be seen in the Spring 2005 issue of Photofile magazine. In April 2006 Peter will exhibit in ' Slide ' Gallery at Gertrude St in Melbourne.
Peter has exhibited as part of Carclew's Fifth Floor project.
