Meet Em Devers
Meet Em Devers - director of Waiting Room Gallery, artist, student, creative advisor, and entrepreneur. Em is part of our growing community at Studio Mav, and is our local feature artist for April.
Em’s practice is incredibly diverse, and while she primarily works with paint, to categorise her output as painting would be misleading. She has fourteen years experience as a commercial muralist (you might recognise her work on the exterior of Artisan’s South Brisbane facade), and while her practice now spans painting, collage, small sculpture and installation, she still feels most connected to the bodily act of painting at a large scale. Em’s work across media is characterised by a deliberate process of contrasting texture, form, colour and media to draw attention to the nature of the artwork as a constructed artifact.
Right now I’m looking at how urban (public) and gallery (private) imagery and textures might interact on the same surface. For years I’ve punished myself for working across multiple mediums and not having a style and approach set in stone, but as my practice develops, I’m really enjoying the opposite. Experimentation and play are taking me to some interesting places.
Alongside her personal practice, Em is undertaking her Masters at QCAD, and running Waiting Room Gallery, an inclusive roving arts space that features artworks from marginalised and emerging artists.
What does it mean to you to provide a platform for creatives in Meanjin?
In 2018 I opened The Third Quarter (a physical gallery in Petrie Terrace) to host marginalised and emerging artists alongside more established artists, so they could benefit from their mentorship and extended networks. I’m so proud of what was created there. We held over 200 exhibitions in a really short time, and our regular fundraising events and group exhibitions forged meaningful connections. Waiting Room is the post-covid iteration of this, and these values are still deeply important to me. Although we don’t inhabit a physical space, we do facilitate one-off exhibitions across Brisbane (Brisbane Powerhouse and Fish Lane Precinct to name a few).
Can you share some insights you have developed from being on both sides of the commercial arts industry?
The biggest thing I’ve learnt from hosting other artists is that as a practitioner, you’re always harsher on your work than the audience. It’s not a unique trait - every artist I've worked with expresses various levels of self-doubt. Surprisingly though, we never apply those same personal rules to others’ work — the fierce support and encouragement between artists in Brisbane is incredible.
You manage your own practice, study, as well as nurturing the practices of others — what keeps you so motivated?
I certainly have my off days, where I’m not managing it well and I question everything. But when it feels good, it feels euphoric, and I wouldn’t swap it for anything. Right now, my practice is undergoing huge scrutiny - by myself and by the university curriculum. It’s the most vulnerable position I’ve ever been in, but I’m proudly walking into it with all the expected fears.
What are you aiming for at this point — what do hallmarks of success look like to you?
The world is a deeply troubling place at the moment. It’s hard to think about your own success when you’re also witnessing global, social and political unrest, climate and warfare atrocities and more. Emily 5 years ago would have listed off a string of things I’m busting to accomplish, but right now I feel successful with a loving partner, studio, healthy little dog and a roof over our heads.
Down the track, I'd love to be exhibiting in galleries and running Waiting Room Gallery out of a physical space, but we'll see where I end up!
What would you like to see from Meanjin in terms of arts industry growth?
I would like to see commissioning bodies approach public art as an opportunity to propagate bold cultural signifiers, as opposed to bureaucratic box-ticking and budget balancing. Artists have a lot to say, if they don’t have to wade through extensive and uninspiring creative briefs. Aside from that, I think little old Brisbane is doing pretty well!
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Check out Em’s work at @emily.devers and arts space @waiting.room.gallery
Article by wonderful local arts writer Jessica McNicol @jemc & edited by @byfrances_
Photography by @rhiannajphillips