Collector Profile:
Sally Sojan
Brisbane-based collector Sally Sojan spoke to VAULT
about the way in which her childhood memories of art have motivated and inspired her expanding collection.
For Sally Sojan, a radiologist by training, art offers respite from the life-and-death precision with which she is trained to read images. She is interested in the narratives of Australian contemporary artists held in her collection, observing their development and progression over time. In her two homes, she constructs artist narratives, enjoying contemporary arts ability to show her something different every day.
What media are you predominently
attracted to?
Predominantly paintings, and I have a few sculptures – a whole variety of different things.
I have been collecting for a long time now,
and they are spread out between my places.
I am a doctor and work in Toowoomba. I come to Brisbane on the weekend: two homes for beautiful things!
How did your collecting journey begin?
When I was young my mum would take me to the Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art. We used to go to small commercial galleries in Brisbane on the weekends, so when I started work, I began
to buy. My mother and I used to go to Cintra House Galleries [in Bowen Hills]. When it closed [in 1987] some of those artists went on
to be represented by Philip Bacon Galleries.
I started to visit Jan Murphy Gallery as well. More recently I became involved with the QAGOMA Contemporary Patrons group. It offers opportunities to go to art fairs and biennales to be exposed to different things.
Does your collection have a particular
focus or strategy?
I buy mostly contemporary work, and mostly figurative. And predominantly Brisbane-based .. Subscribe to read this article in full
