Belinda P.

Tell us about yourself and the art you are interested in.

Over the last 15 years I’ve eased myself out of the commercial environment into the art world as a collector, artist, art advisor and occasional art tour guide.

My husband and I started buying art about 20 years ago, the first pieces were by artists we have personal connections with, then from travels in the Asia Pacific region where we worked for many years. We’re particularly interested in Australia’s place in the region and its layered, evolving culture. We have always bought works that appeal to our heart, with stories and ideas that resonate with our interests. Never thinking about where things might go, or even if they’ll fit, it always resolves as we bring new pieces into our lives. It’s particularly enjoyable the way narratives develop in conversation with other works as we move things around.

An example is Ken and Julia Yonetani’s uranium glass chandelier from their Crystal Palace series, a response to the Fukushima earthquake. There is a chandelier for each nation with nuclear capability, ours is ‘Japan’. It’s currently positioned alongside bark paintings by Louise Dinguwanga and Anna Wurrkidj from Maningrida, not far from where uranium is mined.

Tell us about the artworks you have purchased with Art Money and how you came to discover them.

I understand we were Art Money’s very first clients with Hiromi Tango’s ‘Crazy Heart’ bought from Sullivan+Strumpf at Art Basel, Hong Kong. Having first seen Hiromi’s work in Sydney a few years before, it left quite an impression; not only was it tactile and beautiful, somehow it generated a sense of happiness.  It was wonderful to be able to take some of this magic back home to our apartment in Hong Kong.

Since then there's been many works bought with Art Money. A favourite is Adelaide artist, Hossein Valamanesh’s ‘Seven Steps’ from GAGPROJECTS | Greenaway Art Gallery, a poetic and spiritual work that takes the viewer on an unexpected journey. Another is ‘Timber with Inlays, slab of wood and cinder block’ by Irfan Hedrian, an Indonesian artist who constructs elements sculpted from layers of paper. Most recently Prue Stent and Honey Long’s 'Red Simp II' from ARC ONE Gallery that we purchased at Sydney Contemporary has found a place at home.

We’ve got a few ideas for what will be next, looking at video art in particular. We feel that now, more than ever, is time to support artists and to allow them to open our minds beyond current reality.

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Why do you choose to buy with Art Money?

It allows us to access work that would normally be beyond our budget, of course being able to pay it off gradually relieves financial pressure, it also gives us confidence to expand our horizons. Just as importantly we love that the artists are paid up front.

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Photography by Daniel Boud.