Here’s what we’re about

“Culture isn't just a high society thing. It's not just art galleries, elegant soirees and lavish Broadway productions. It's also the weird, the wonderful, the trashy, the clumsy, the ramshackle, and the roughly-hewn carvings of a post-literate society. It's the grossest domestic product a community has to offer.”

—    Glen Seabrook-Benson, Founder

Founded in 2017 in response to a dearth of considered, insightful fringe arts reviews in the Western Australian scene, Gutter Culture is developing a reputation for excellence amongst creatives and creative consumers alike.

Fiercely independent, Gutter Culture accepts no paid promotion, be it from advertising or production teams.

Gutter Culture has rigorous selection criteria for both its reviewers and choice of art to cover. If a performance—be it in style or content—does not match the skills and experience of our review team, then Gutter Culture will not review it. Garnering mainstream attention, or free tickets, is of no motivation to the editorial team. To dissect and critique art is a privilege, and not one that Gutter Culture takes lightly.

Fringe arts are viewed by Gutter Culture not as a stepping stone to mainstream performance, but rather as an artform in their own right. Art being on the fringe is no reason not to take the review process seriously, as is evidenced by the nigh-academic approach the Gutter Culture team takes to their writing.

With a strong reputation for excellence in the creative community and a largely local focus, Western Australia’s fringe art performers can rely on Gutter Culture to write about their work from a place of understanding and contextual awareness, providing balanced and thoughtful reflections on the art forms and concepts being presented.