Gil Gilmour, b.1987

Cypriot-Australian analogue and experimental lens-based artist. 

Gilmour’s work is concerned with the unconscious, cognition and memory as pertaining to the innate fluidity of The Image when perceived.

Interview for biography by Bill Davis.

GIL GILMOUR got his start by being thrown into the deep end of excess advertising - or what was left of it anyway - with the one of a kind “mentor and tormentor” the late and extremely notorious Mr. Eryk Fitkau. Gil “learnt the dark arts from the best” and ran Eryk’s studio with him until the tragic end of one of the industry’s true giants. After Eryk killed himself, Gil co-founded Superteam Studios and post six years of fashion, advertising, music and fine art, split with the studio to pursue his solo career.

Gil’s style is a uniquely fluid one. I mention that he was once described by David Alan Harvey as having “…a very unique eye” and that his work has been described by himself as “…like looking out the window of someone else’s car at the unsigned intersection of social documentary and poetic immateriality, unconsciously transposing passing vehicles to personal symbols while waiting for the lights to change.”

Gil seems pleased at the contrast of interpretation, he peppers a delighted laugh with extraneous detail:

“…at least some people get it, though it’s not often, now that images have been commodified by the social currency of quantified coolness, everyone is a silent voyeur - liking unqualified strangers in to positions of power, but hey, I don’t know, despite the current commercial landscape and for all my distaste, I’m still in love with the idea that somewhere out there exists a person in power who gets their kicks from things true… from that which is… felt” - his hand on his chest - “that full with feeling feels like you’ll spew excitement beyond the surface of things… young eyes old mind… I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’ll still gladly sell my mind for work, I love collaboration with impassioned people… I guess just so long as it doesn’t burn under a magnifying glass, y’know?”

He laughs again. I think he knows that I know he sees the line between nonsense and splendour is there only there to dance along and I feel like we’re playing dress-ups.

After a few more tangents I float the idea of discussing some awards and the like, seeing as we’re speaking for the purpose of a bio for his website (I think?) So I press him and I say that you need that kind of thing in the arts-world.

“Yeah I know, but I just can’t trust them you see, plus I don’t like paying to enter - especially seeing as some pedestrian bullshit voted bland by the purveyors of sameness always wins anyway - or at least here in Australia that’s the majority vote… No, wait… I’m only kidding… well, kind of - but look honestly I’d just like to see all awards become ‘blind submissions’ where only the images are viewed for finalist selection and thereafter the judges receive all other contextual information with which to inform their choice of the winners. Can someone make that happen please?

And now I’m laughing. I think we’re on the same page.

Despite Gil’s lack of appreciation for the institution, he did win the people’s choice award at the Centre for Contemporary Photography Salon show in 2016.  And when I ask him about it?

“...yeah, that’s all in the past though. Plus, you can’t trust the opinion of people, so what does it all mean anyway? As long as I’m making things, my world will continue to spin and that’s enough for me.” 

Fair enough Gil, fair enough. And with that we conclude one very strange conversation.

Words by Bill Davis.