Curating Collections.

Philomena Heinel X Michael Schwarz

“Painting and art are important to me. I really like Michael’s collection, it's very varied and I like figures and animals. I also like the old objects. Some of them don't look their age at all. For example, the Star gazer is 1,200 years old. I didn't know that art could be that old.” – Words from artist Philomena Heinel on why she selected these artworks

Curating Collections commissions disabled or neurodivergent artists to curate projects with artworks from an established international collection.

“In late 2023, early 2024, Swiss artist Philomena Heinel connected with Australian collector Dr. Michael Schwarz over Zoom, with a shared interest in animals and nature. It often seemed like the art took a back seat as we heard about the adventures of each person, most notably Michael’s trip to Antarctica and the many penguins he encountered along the way! Sharing their interests and family life helped to create a lovely bond, alongside delving into Michael’s extensive collection at home of mainly Australian and New Zealand based artists. He shared that really, he doesn’t collect art, he collects artists and bodies of work by each. And that he buys at least one artwork a week! We also learnt that the name Philomena means lover of strength – what a lovely description.

By the end of the second session, it was decided Michael would go away and search out artworks that fell into three main themes, and that Aboriginal art was not something that was of interest to Philomena for this project. Philomena agreed she would get to work making an artwork in each of those themes too, but by the end had created many more. The themes were:

1. Animals, but not dead animals. This was based on some taxidermy that was initially shown that Philomena was not so keen on.

2. Flowers, including those in vases

3. Things that are a bit scary with dark colours, but nothing too sinister! Ghosts are fine.

It was clear that Philomena selected works based on things she likes, but also things that reminded her of her own artworks. She was very clear in her likes and dislikes, sharing opinions of each image seen. In-between sessions, she wrote little stories/descriptions about those she connected with the most, that were shared at the next session. These have been included in the final e-booklet, to give you more of an insight into Philomena’s world.”

– Jennifer Gilbert, co-Founder Art et al.

Explore the e-booklet, and a couple of Philomena’s selections below that we have featured alongside her short poems. With thanks to Sophie from Atelier Rohling for supporting this collaboration. If you’re Melbourne based, you will see some artwork from Michael’s collection, alongside some of Philomena’s artwork inspired by this collaboration, in an exhibition at ResArtis in June 2024.

This project is generously funded by an International Grant from Creative Australia.

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Philomena Heinel

Philomena Heinel (b.1995) is at the beginning of her career and is full of creative drive. She has only been attending Atelier Rohling for six months in Switzerland. Her current theme is the coexistence of man and nature. Her pictures, some of which have a schematic structure and are created in series, illustrate complex relationships between living beings.

Atelier Rohling is a non-profit studio and laboratory for artistic productions and interactions. It has been supporting artists with disabilities since 2012. It demands and promotes a contemporary and equal concept of art.

Dr. Michael Schwarz

Dr. Michael Schwarz is a retired Adolescent and Family Psychiatrist living in Melbourne, Australia. During his 35-year working life, Michael was impressed with the creativity, enthusiasm and passion of young people and he actively supported patients in their creative endeavours - including purchasing artworks from them.

On his retirement in 2016, Michael was able to pursue a ‘post-retirement career’ in arts philanthropy. Having amassed a substantial collection of artworks over a 25-year period, Michael became aware that he not only collected art, he collected artists. Michael and his partner David have now ‘adopted’ around twenty artists, provide gallery space for two not-for-profit local arts organisations, award an annual month-long residency opportunity in rural France, and are actively involved in the longterm support of metropolitan and regional arts organisations in the state of Victoria. In a more direct way, Michael is also a volunteer guide at the National Gallery of Victoria and a volunteer and past board member of Arts Project Australia.

Here is a photo of Michael with a sculpture by ‘Greatest Hits’ (a collaborative group of three Melbourne artists who were awarded the French residency in 2022)

Michael’s Colourful and Bold Art World

Above is the e-catalogue designed by Studio Mono, featuring all of Philomena’s selected artworks, her written poems about each work, a selection of her own artwork inspired by the conversations, and Michael’s text about his collection and how they worked together. If you click on the button on the bottom right it will make it full screen. You can also click on the PDF here instead, if that is easier for you. This will open as a downloaded document.

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Excerpt from Philomena about what she was thinking when she selected the works, from the e-catalogue:

"Through this project I got to know different ways of creating art, such as drawing a dark picture with a pencil. Even though I don't really like dark, art allows you to come out of yourself and beyond yourself and learn. And that also takes courage. I really enjoy these pictures. They showed me that you can learn so much more in art and that everyone sees pictures differently. Suddenly someone comes along and finds a picture beautiful, or it can take years and nothing happens.”

Excerpt from Michael taken from the e-catalogue:

“I have a recurring dream. I am at a meeting where a dozen or so people are seated in a circle. It is my first time there and I am asked to introduce myself. I can feel my heart race as I shakily say: ‘Hello. My name is Michael, and I was a doctor before I retired. I am here because I have a problem. I am an art-addicted collector’. The group nods sympathetically and the convenor says: ‘Welcome to Collector’s Anonymous, Michael’.”

Michael’s Colourful and Bold Art World

Below are two artworks that Philomena chose from Michael’s collection, alongside the accompanying poems that she wrote to go with them. There are also three artworks that Philomena created inspired from her conversations with Michael about his collection. Left to right they are: A Lamp that is alive (2023), The dog (2024), A bee on a rose (2023).