The thriving art space hidden in suburban Brisbane

“They came to me and said they had a space where I could stretch out a bit, and that’s been an absolute godsend, because I like working large-scale, so now I just staple the canvas to this massive wall and work on it.”

Hookey was part of an initial group of about 10 artists who were invited to take up residence in the space, which also included figures such as Richard Bell and Judy Watson.

Almost all that initial group was still at the paint factory, and more had arrived, with about 20 artists now based in the space, which Hookey said gave it a fantastic sense of community.

“There’s actually quite a bit of activity here now, it’s not just the resident artists, but photographers come here, and filmmakers, there’s lots of music…