From Brief to Installation
Sourcing contemporary Aboriginal art from Australia involves more moving parts than sourcing locally, but the opportunity to find a work that is truly right for the project makes the wider search worthwhile. Studio Australis manages those practicalities as one coordinated process, allowing clients and design teams to remain focused on the project and the works.
1. Establishing the project brief
The strongest selections begin with the space: its function, proportions, material language and wider design intent. From there, the brief considers scale, palette, spatial context, budget and programme, together with practical requirements such as lighting, access and installation timing.
The brief can be developed remotely or on site and does not need to be fully resolved at the outset. A clear direction is enough to begin.
2. Developing a focused selection
Against the brief, Studio Australis sources on the ground in Australia, actively reviewing available works with artists, Aboriginal-run Art Centres, studios and selected galleries.
This first pass is usually broad enough to establish the creative direction before being refined into a focused shortlist for the designer and client.
3. Reviewing the shortlist with imagery, video and digital mock-ups
High-resolution imagery and video help communicate colour, surface and texture. Accurately scaled digital mock-ups place shortlisted works within project photography or renders, allowing their proportion, placement and relationship to the interior to be considered before a final decision is made.
4. Confirming availability or exploring a commission
Availability is confirmed directly with the artist, Art Centre, studio or gallery as the shortlist develops. Works remain with their source until secured, so it's best to consider this early within the approval programme.
Where the right work is not currently available, a commission may be explored. This may require a longer lead time and allows the artist to respond within their established practice to an agreed scale or broader creative direction.
5. Private viewing and final selection
A final selection may be made from the digital shortlist or, for substantial projects, shortlisted works are brought to London for private viewing.
6. Export, freight and customs
Whether one selected work travels following digital approval or several are brought to London for private viewing, Studio Australis coordinates professional packing, export documentation and insured international freight.
Customs clearance and applicable import VAT taxes are managed as part of the same process, with the timing and cost considered from the beginning rather than introduced later in the programme.
7. Framing and installation
A work can be supplied rolled for the design team to frame and install within the wider project programme. Alternatively, Studio Australis can arrange professional framing in London once the work has arrived.
Each proposal clearly sets out the artwork price and what is included, covering transport, insurance, import charges, applicable taxes and local delivery. Framing and installation are identified as included or priced separately, according to the project’s requirements.
Framing at destination reduces the risk of damage during international transit and allows the treatment to respond to the interior itself. Delivery and installation can also be coordinated to align with site readiness and the build sequence.
What is helpful at the outset
The process is most effective when it begins with a clear picture of the space: its dimensions and available wall area, lighting conditions, material and colour palette, budget, programme and intended installation date.
None of this needs to be final. Even early information gives the search greater focus and helps the right selection emerge with fewer rounds of revision.
Begin sharing your Project Brief with us or contact us.