ARTIST Ture Sjolander will spend $10.000 of taxpayers' money raising the ire of north Queenslanders.

Mr Sjolander, of Townsville, a Swedish expatriate, says he will expose the harsh realities of the social issues affecting the area i a series of two-minutes segments of "electronic art" to be aired weekly on television.

he will buy the air-time with a State Government arts grant.

"This is not a paint brush, it is a power tool," Mr Sjolander said.

"I will criticise all the things that people ignore or don't want to think about to make them aware through art. "So much art doesn't touch people anymore, or has no relevance."

Mr Sjolander, a passionate and outspoken man, has been involved in art from painting to videoproduction, since 1962.

He has written several internationally published books, including Garbo, a pictorial biography of movie star Greta Garbo, and was commissioned by the 70s Swedish rock phenomenon Abba to create a tapestry.

Mr Sjolander was also commissioned by silent screen star Charlie Chaplin to produce an art portfolio.

He recently held a public competition to create a new name for the combination Townsville city and Thuringgova shire under the Electorial and Administrative Review Committee's amalgamation recomendations.

The winner was Don Talbot, who received $500 for his suggestion of "QUEENSLAND CITY".

With the help of his Creative Development Grant, Mr Sjolander hopes to tackle a host of controversial issues; Townsville General Hospital's Ward 10B - subject of the Carter inquiry into the treatment of mentally ill patients, violence among Aborigines on Palm Island, X-rated videos, tattoos, politics and religion.

"These are all the things that happen in this area and they should be expressed in art to reflect the area," Mr Sjolander said.

He believes art in the modern world should be expressed using technology and says that paintings are out-dated.

He has even devised a plan to exhibit art on the walls of Townsville Airport terminal "for all the world to see".

The large vacant walls in the terminal should be used to hanf paintings and tapestries, and sculptures could adorn the flight deck, the first-class lounge and the departure lounge, he said.

His proposal suggest that the artworks be acquired on a six-montly basis and artists may have them on for sale.

Local artist paints picture of a unique airport environement

A PILOT project to display art on the vacant wall spaces at the Townsville airport has been proposed by local artist Ture Sjolander.

Acting Townsville airport manager Phil Roben said the suggestion was interesting and a meeting to discuss the matter would be held next week. " I believe such a display could complement the terminal very well," he said.

Mr Sjolander believes that as the airport is the first point of contact for businessmen, domestic and overseas tourists and returning residents, there was no reason why the airport itself should not become an attraction.

"I propose that the large vacant wall spaces be used for a semi-permanent art display which could include a number of large paintings and tapestries. " In addition to this, a small number of free standing sculptured piece could be easily be accomodated."

Mr Sjolander believed the flight deck, the first class lounge and the departure lounge were other attractive areas where graphic and smaller size artworks could be displayed.

"These could be accomplished with minimal installation of lighting and hanging equipment," he said.

"The pilot project for Townsville airport can be realised with very little outlay, mutually benefiting the professional contemporary artists of North Queensland and the Federal Airports Corporation".

From this experiment could evolve the creation of a unique airport environement which could become the blueprint for others, Mr Sjolander said. He also envisaged the formation of an art investment consultancy group under the airport corporation for future interstate exhibition exchange.

Support for the venture has been pledged by Perc Tucker Gallery director Ross Searle and artist and James Cook University art teacher Anne Lord, both of whom have expressed wish to join Mr Sjolander on the selection committee for the first exhibition.