Port Kembla's serving up a new exhibition space on Wentworth Street

The Servo in Port Kembla has launched its long-awaited gallery space.

The high-ceilinged converted mechanic’s shed now sports three plain white walls and captures the evening sun – the perfect backdrop to appreciate the current exhibition of native wildlife photography for Biodiversity Month.

Director James Spinks said the space leant itself to a variety of mediums.

“It’s going to always evolve and shift for the medium and practice of the featured artist,” he said.

“We’ve had a printmaker, photography, painting, Indigenous art from the Coomaditchie Aboriginal Coroporation.

“The next one planned for October is a multimedia exhibition, so digital art projection-based stuff, a really immersive floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall, shape-shifting installation.

“We’ve also got aerial acrobatic performance art planned for somewhere down the line.

“It’s about altering perception and transforming a space into something new, which ties into what we’ve done with The Servo.”

Originally an actual service station, built around the 1950s, sections of The Servo have previously been a gym and a cafe.

The food truck, bar and performance space of today began in 2018.

James said the transformation was a slow process.

“We’re doing things on a shoestring budget; it’s totally DIY,” he said.

“You’ve got to have either money or time, and we took the time approach.

“It’s been good. A big part of it is listening to the stories about what the place was, not just The Servo but also Port Kembla.

“Port Kembla has an amazing community around it; people are pretty on board and happy to go, ‘Oh, that’s a weird thing, let’s go and see what that is.'”

The Servo Sketch Club is a prime example.

A monthly life drawing session proved so popular it’s now a fortnightly event.

James said a studio adjacent to the gallery space would eventually be home to resident artists.

It’s all part of a broader plan from Port Kembla businesses to make the area flourish.

“Port Kembla is interesting and it’s got such a history,” James said.

“It’s got stunning coastline, that sort of post-industrial feel with a lot of the old buildings and old facades along Wentworth Street so it can feel like a bit of a step back in time. It has a sense of quirkiness.

“When I moved here it struck me how much pride people have about it, about what it has been, and everyone wants to see it come back and flourish.

“We know we can’t recreate the Port Kembla of the 1950s, but there’s this new energy of creative focus.

“Even in the past year there have been more businesses coming up and people moving to the area who are heavily involved in the arts or creative industries.

“We’re created a bit of a creative precinct and are working on events and strategies to bring new things into the town; it’s all really exciting and fun.”

James said there were a few events on the horizon, but first up was the Port Kembla street festival in October.

Wentworth Street will be closed off to cars, reminiscent of the old billy cart derby, and feature markets, music, food and performances, and The Servo will be right among it.

James said he hoped The Servo put as many smiles on dials as possible.

“When I was growing up, I would go to so many gigs and events and they would blow me away; I would just sit with that feeling,” he said.

“That became something I wanted to recreate for other people but for myself as well.

“It’s nice to provide something that’s exciting and positive and brings community together; it brings a lot of joy.

“As long as people keep supporting it, we’ll keep showing up and keep doing fun stuff.”