In late 2003, artist Lily Hibberd was at an exhibition opening in a long-gone artist-run space when a friend opined about the hopeless situation of ever getting press coverage of their shows. “The complaint of my artist friend at the opening was in fact one in a series of conversations I’d had over several months, but it was definitely the final one,” Hibberd says. “I went home that night and decided that we’d just have to start one.” Two decades later, that publication is still thriving: un Magazine.

Back then, says Hibberd, the artist-run scene was blossoming with new and exciting spaces, but the local publishing landscape was bare, having seen a series of experimental art magazines rise and fall, including Arts Melbourne (1976-77), Lip (1976-84), Art and Text (1981- 2000), and Agenda (1988-95). “As is the way of all things quasi-independent, each of these had come and gone, though not entirely forgotten,” she says. “In 2001, the most recent art magazine, called Like, had been folded by its institutional host, RMIT. This occurrence was at the root of the widespread despondency in the Melbourne art crowd, not only for artists hoping to get reviewed but for curators and critics wanting to share ideas or prompt debate.”

into the desire of artists and curators to write about art in more experimental ways, but to also draw on the art world’s collective capital without relying on an institutional framework or “for someone powerful to throw money or influence” at the problem. “I guess I had to thank my childhood growing up among the madcap theatrical world of The Pram Factory, which remains Melbourne’s main paradigm for grassroots cultural collectivism.”

Within months, Hibberd and others had compiled a list of authors for the first issue, Brendan Lee worked on a design, and the first un Magazine committee was formed. Others, such as Phip Murray, Andrea Bell, Amelia Douglas, Anusha Kenny, and Bill Gillies came aboard and, as Hibberd recalls, without them “there would have been no un, let alone the outrageous fun we had for the next two years.”

“In the spirit of un, it was more about what we were trying not to become. We wanted to be free from institutional rules and whims. We wanted to avoid being predefined by themes or theories to give the community a space to come up with their own ideas.”

Audrey Pfister, the current general manager of un Projects—the umbrella body for the magazine and its related ventures—is celebrating the 20th anniversary with a special ‘best of’ publication, an art-print fundraiser and a series of talks at the Meat Market in North Melbourne. Pfister says the magazine’s longevity is indebted to the vision Hibberd and her colleagues forged. The magazine has continued its focus on emerging artists and experimental writing, and she notes that some of the many guest editors (selected for an annual term) have been especially interested in developing the craft of fearless, insightful art criticism—something that can be difficult to attract given the way so many people in the visual arts know each other socially, professionally or both.

“We recently recruited new board members to come on at the end of the year, which is exciting,” Pfister says. “Audiences have also changed over the years. Last year, when the board had a strategic planning meeting and a chance to reflect on the organisation, they noted that as the magazine ages, so does the audience. In recent years we have been trying to engage with younger audiences and universities and to branch more out of Melbourne and Sydney, to be more national.”

Hibberd says there was no thought of targeting particular audiences in the early days; rather, it was a matter of embracing the community the founders already moved within. “Without being arrogant about this achievement, the longevity of un Magazine attests to something stronger and deeper than the audience model,” she says. “A lot of this momentum came from the commitment of artists and the dynamic artist-run gallery community all over Australia.”

As for goals, the magazine founders were wary of anything too concrete. “In the spirit of un, it was more about what we were trying not to become,” Hibberd says. “We wanted to be free from institutional rules and whims. We wanted to avoid being predefined by themes or theories to give the community a space to come up with their own ideas.”

This gave un considerable flexibility, adapting and reflecting the community as it continued, even while it remained committed to some core principles such as paying writers and artists while also being freely accessible to readers: the print-version of un now has a cover price, but the digital issue on the un Magazine website (live from the first issue) remains gratis—and notable, says Hibberd, as the first Australian art publication to be offered online. “While un has been carried and cared for over two decades by so many different people, its independent ethos remains strong and will hopefully keep it going for many decades to come,” she says.

un Magazine celebrates 20 years of publishing across Friday 6 December and Saturday 7 December.

This article was originally published in the November/December print issue of Art Guide Australia.