“I wanted the curation to be a
true reflection of who Vincent is,”
says Keddie. “He is mid-flight in a
wonderful career, he’s a rebel and he’s
not precious about art. We’ve wrapped
doors with blown-out images, curated
photographic stories to complement
artworks and tried to make it a feast
for the senses, with few rules.”
Keddie and Fantauzzo married in
2014, when Asher became stepmum to
Fantauzzo’s son, Luca, then four. In
2015 their family grew to include a son,
Valentino. After years of partnership,
the couple were already practised
collaborators when they began working
on the hotel. “We’re able to appreciate
each other’s strengths and get on with
what we’re both good at,” Keddie says.
Fantauzzo works at fever pitch but
admits to disorganisation. Keddie,
however, is a methodical big thinker.
“She knows how to tell a story. [The
hotel] wouldn’t be the same if she hadn’t
pulled it together,” explains Fantauzzo.
Keddie’s involvement came about
pragmatically, when Fantauzzo
needed to comb through 25 years
of undocumented work. Throughoutthe long process, Keddie helped
Fantauzzo unearth 200 works
from around the world.
“We did laugh about some of
the work. It’s like looking through
old photos and thinking, ‘Did I really
have that hairstyle?’” says Fantauzzo. “It
was interesting to see Asher’s reaction
to early works and where my mindset
may have been. She is insightful and
knows the visual language so well.”
Without a doubt, the $100 million
hotel is a huge deal for Fantauzzo,
who is pinching himself over the
honour: “I still can’t believe it.” It’s a
natural fit, though, for a populist who
is passionate about stripping art of
elitism, taking it beyond the usual
gallery setting. “Art is for everyone
and all opinions are valid,” he says.
Fantauzzo hopes the hotel will inspire
creativity in others. “It doesn’t have
to be painting. It can be hair, clothes,
furniture or cooking. Whatever.
We are all artists.”
With more Archibald Prize People’s
Choice awards than any other artist (four
and counting), Fantauzzo has come a
long way since leaving school at age 14.“I’ d like our kids to see that their dad and mum
are a good team, that we work hard for our family
and that we have fun doing that together”ASHER KEDDIE’S
BRISBANE
ON MY BEDSIDE TABLE WHEN I TRAVEL?
My Kindle.
FAVOURITE BRISBANE HAUNTS?
The Fantauzzo, of course, and
anywhere along the river precinct.
The new Howard Smith Wharves
precinct is amazing – you feel like
you could be anywhere in the world.
MY ORDER AT THE BAR?
An espresso martini.A portrait of director
Baz Luhrmann features
in one of the suites.
BELOW The Georg
Jensen Mercy pendant
on the bedside table.(^178) | marieclaire.com.au
KEDDIE WEARS MARNI TOP, ASOS PANTS, CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN HEELS AND HER OWN JEWELLERY. FANTAUZZO WEARS BASSIKE BLAZER, JAC+JACK T-SHIRT, BALENCIAGA JEANS FROM HARROLDS.COM.AU, AND TOD’S SNEAKERS. PHOTOGRAPHY BY HUGH STEWART. STYLING BY KATHERINE GREEN. HAIR BY KIEREN STREET/VIVIEN’S CREATIVE. MAKE-UP BY ANDREA BLACK/UNION MANAGEMENT. TEXT BY ANNA MCCOOE.