Excitement for Adelaide’s most entertaining period of the year is ramping up as we reveal the 2019 Adelaide Fringe‘s official poster. Fringe is not only a beloved staple in Adelaide’s social life but it’s also the merging of culture and entertainment and this years poster embodies that essence.
Warnambool painter Matthew Clarke’s design has been named the winning design for next years Fringe. Matthew’s creation was chosen from 357 entries, and is a self-portrait of himself as a Fringe performer.
Here’s the 2019 poster in all its glory:
Matthew, who identifies as having an intellectual disability, started creating art in 2005 and works with acrylic on linen.
“For me, painting is about wanting to express my happiness to others. I like using bold, bright colours so it attracts people and makes them feel happy about art,” he said. “I have a disability, so I’m quite proud to show there’s no barriers between that and making artwork.”
Matthew was commissioned to create a painting for the prestigious Melbourne Art Trams project last year, and his work is set to appear on Adelaide trams as part of the marketing campaign for next year’s Fringe.
“I’m excited to see my poster displayed all over Adelaide. It really means a lot to me,” he said.
Adelaide Fringe Director and CEO Heather Croall said this year’s poster design was a move away from the graphic prints of recent years and a nod to some of the iconic Fringe posters created by painters in the past.
“We chose Matthew’s entry because of the striking, fiery brush strokes that convey a sense of risk-taking and adventure and the vibrant colours that encapsulate the energy of Fringe. It all comes together to create a stunning self-portrait of the artist putting on a Fringe show. We love the story behind the poster and the way it celebrates the performer in all of us,” Ms Croall said.
“Matthew’s work has a fabulous abstract style that is sure to catch people’s eye and get them excited for next year’s Adelaide Fringe.”
In keeping with Adelaide Fringe’s open access nature, there is a long history of the official poster being chosen from a design competition that anyone from around the world can enter. This year saw 357 entries submitted.
Want to see the poster in giant form? As part of today’s announcement there’s a large-scale reproduction of the poster design on Union Street in the East End which was completed by Clarke himself earlier this week.
The 2019 Adelaide Fringe is on February 15 to March 17. For more info, click here.
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