Remembering Emil

As a well known and liked artist, Emil had many friends across Australia and throughout Asia, his humour, vitality, inquisitiveness and energy have touched many people. Emil was based in Sydney for many years and had been instrumental in the development of 4A and Gallery 4A. In fact he was included in the very first exhibition at Gallery 4A at our first Sussex Street address in 1997, and later he joined the Board where his infectious optimism provided valuable insight and support to the organisation. I remember fondly his knack at meeting people and maintaining friendships across continents and timezones. He was always able to find good food in the small out of the way places in Chinatown, his enthusiasm helped us see how extraordinary the ordinary and mundane things in our city are. He was funny and kind and generous. Though he had been living in Korea for the last few years, his work in Australia, as an artist, writer and curator, played an integral part in the development of contemporary art in the Sydney scene.

This blog is in memory of Emil Goh. The news of his passing reminds me of how random life is, and also how he affected the development of 4A, but also the cultural life of Sydney. We have developed this site in his honour, with the aim of collecting stories from his many friends and families. We are working towards developing a small tribute show in the future