Just One Week Left to Snag Free Artwork At Salon De Refuse In Enmore

Have a blank wall to fill? Or some dusty art to share? There is one week left to visit Street Bounty’s annual, free, community-led art sharing event in Enmore.

Running until 4 October on the backside of Young Henrys in Phillip Lane, Enmore, Salon de Refuse will display a collection of community-curated art, which visitors can take home for free.

What To Expect

Created by the Inner-West Street Bounty group, and curated by the community, Phillip Lane’s colourful, creative walls have been transformed into an exhibition of eccentric artworks. These pieces have been collected by locals for months in the lead up to the annual Salon de Refuse, with the driving force that everyone is entitled to engage with, own and share art.

Visitors can expect to find some rare gems from local and renowned artists alike in this year’s Salon de Refuse, such as art generously donated by Inner-West artist Georgia Freebody. These contributions from exhibiting artists have dissolved the financial obstacle that can prevent many people from owning original artworks.

The rules are simple: visitors can take anything they want, and there is no obligation to bring art to take art. The community is also encouraged to bring any artwork found on the streets, or artwork they no longer want, and hang it at Salon de Refuse.

Elske Barker, recruited to curate this year’s collection, picked up a cockatoo painting by Georgia Freebody, which has now found a very loving home with her mum, who loves native Australian birds. Elske has encouraged people to think of Salon de Refuse as a “street library, but for art – you can drop off art that has been sitting in storage and give it the chance to be loved again in a new home, pick up a new piece for yourself or a loved one, or just simply visit”.

Dog and family friendly, Salon de Refuse is a perfect way to spend a morning during the school holidays. As Young Henrys generously lends their back wall for the event, visitors are encouraged to enjoy the rest of their afternoon at Young Henrys afterwards.

Salon de Refuse’s Home Facing Demolition

This will be the last rendition of Salon de Refuse at its iconic venue, due to the redevelopment of Gladstone Street. Elske has confirmed to City Hub that due to the surrounding buildings facing demolition, the location will not be available for future years.

Street Bounty is scoping out accessible locations for the future, in the hope of keeping Salon de Refuse an annual event in the Inner-West to encourage the community to engage with art in an accessible, sustainable way.

About Street Bounty

Boasting 73.1K members, Street Bounty is a Facebook Community Group for locals to inform their neighbours of free stuff left abandoned on the streets or about to be sent to landfill. Books, furniture, appliances and clothing are all given a second life without cost.

Street Bounty was founded in 2016 by James Cottam to promote the recycling and reuse of materials, keep kerbs cleaner, reduce items going to landfill, and help people save money. James has been running Salon de Refuse for several years, following the abundance of artworks found on the streets across the Inner-West.