The Thousands

Oh, to be 16 again. When the fear of getting laid was exceeded only by the prospect of it never happening. When future cigarette addictions were still in their infancy. When a good night out consisted of dexies at 20 cents-a-piece and random fondling. Training bras, stomach pumps, blowjobs, slags, stoners, Airwalks, bindis, butterfly clips, belly button rings, clear coloured sunglasses, boot cuts, boob tubes. And who could forget the pre-mixed alco pops – drunk when they weren’t taxed and beer still tasted bad.

New East Perth art collective Galleria haven’t forgotten, which is why they’re putting on a group exhibition to celebrate the core of their adolescence with a tribute to the almighty Pre Mix in the environment it suits best –the suburban shopping centre. Named after the Morley complex of the same name, Galleria applies the department store model to the creative margins in an effort to harness that which makes adults consumers and their children fuck ups. Talk about a bad idea.