Artist lashes out at urban explorers

Willoughby based artist, Patti Somerset, was disgusted to read students had broken into a derelict warehouse and taken photos of her art.

Somerset didn’t know some of her artworks remained in the Pyrmont warehouse and was outraged by the nature of the discovery that was published in City News last week.

“I went berserk,” said Ms Somerset of her reaction when seeing the photos of her artwork online.

Ms Somerset was concerned by vandalism and was angered by the actions of the students.

“People who come along and unlock buildings are despicable,” she said.

“I hope they get into lots of trouble.”

The organiser of the exploration into the warehouse responded by saying: “I do not condone vandalism, but I am against barriers that increasingly discriminate against fair access to and use of space… including where a person can and cannot walk.”

The organiser said urban exploring is both social and political.

“[It] challenges the way we look at our landscape, the way we define boundaries and the laws of property and the increasing encroachment of rules and regulations stripping us of basic freedoms,” he said.

“Urban exploration is a small attempt at reclaiming this freedom.”

While Somerset condemned the urban explorers, she was pleased to hear the whereabouts of one valuable artwork encased in Perspex.

“I would love to have the Perspex box back – it’s worth about $1000,” she said.

Somerset said she was going to contact Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority (SHFA) about having the box returned.

The warehouse the urban explorers had broken into had been used as a workshop by Somerset until it was bought by SHFA more than four years ago.

Somerset said of the artworks left behind: “I thought they had been thrown out.”

She told City News her artworks were more than ten years old and she was ashamed to have her mostly experimental artworks shown publicly.

“It’s the worst publicity I have ever had,” she said. “Anything I don’t like, I don’t show.”

* Corrections: “Urban explorers uncover ‘lost’ art” last week incorrectly stated Patti Somerset’s age as 72; she is 70. The article said her last painting was sold for $350; that artwork was a print not a painting. The artworks were stated as abstract depictions of the Pyrmont area, they did not represent the Pyrmont area.”

By Nicholas Jordan