“I guess it’s a cliché, but I cannot remember a time when I didn’t create,” says artist Mikey Freedom. “I still have the coffee table I drew underneath as a toddler.”
Born in Sydney and now based in Kiama, Freedom started producing the colourful murals he’s now known for when he was 16. Since then, his art has progressed into many different forms, encompassing murals, oil painting, graffiti, posters, advertising and more.
“I look for opportunities to expand what I do and see things anew, so when a door opens, I’m more inclined to walk through it than hesitate,” he says. Most recently that ethos led him to create works for the redeveloped bar at The Menzies Hotel on Margaret Street in the CBD. “That job had me doing mosaic tables, sculptures, paintings, murals and large collages, and also producing work that would be used in more design and advertising,” he says. “I’ve had the good fortune of being broadly across everything.”
Now he’s answered a call from Broadsheet to create an artwork inspired by iconic Italian aperitif Campari – and you can win it.
Based on a palate of colours Freedom says were often used in advertising during the 1960s, the poster meshes Campari’s history with Freedom’s own style and fondness for the drink.
“It’s a festive drink,” he says. “I felt like that’s what needed to be reflected in the poster.” It’s a nod to the brand’s long history with posters and advertising, and the connection to one of his favourite artists: the Italian futurist Depero. “Legend has it Depero invented the Campari soda bottle in 1932,” says Freedom. “If anyone was to look closely into the poster you’ll find in one of the bottles that the year is depicted.”
Freedom takes particular inspiration from Depero, a futurist from the early 1900s he says was always forward-looking and hopeful, trying to mesh art and culture with the future. “[We] should always look to be creating new things,” says Freedom of such inspiration. “There’s always a lineage and a history and something that needs to be maintained.”
Maintain your own slice of Campari’s history with modern art and enter the competition to win this unique artwork.
This competition is now closed. Read the full terms and conditions.
This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Campari.
