UP THE stairs, tucked away from the hustle and bustle of Fitzroy's Gertrude Street in Melbourne's trendy inner north, sits a minimalistic warehouse space where, for one weekend only, footy and art meet in the middle.
The dichotomy of footy's hectic, all-encompassing nature and the wholesome, unwinding nature of his art has always been something that fascinates Western Bulldogs ace Cody Weightman, and has led to Wednesday evening's launch party for his new exhibition Beyond The Game.
Among the surrealist canvas paintings, the redesigned skateboards and the projections beamed onto the walls throughout the gallery 'At The Above' are some of the biggest names in AFL and AFLW, showcasing their skills outside of the game.
"I thought the idea of the event was good and it was something that would appeal to AFL players. I did think that people would be keen to get involved and do a nice charity event, while promoting what they do outside of footy," Weightman tells AFL.com.au.
The artworks are Weightman's own, with a silent auction ongoing across the weekend to raise money for the 'Make A Wish' foundation. His Bulldogs teammate Liam Jones provides the tunes on his guitar, Melbourne superstar Christian Petracca is in the kitchen serving the food, Bailey Smith's 'Barry' drinks are being handed out, while Adelaide premiership player Abbey Holmes is the night's MC.
Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge is in attendance, almost every other Dogs teammate is also surveying the art, AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon makes his way down, Victorian cricketer Peter Siddle walks his way through the room, while friends and colleagues from across AFL and AFLW competitions also show their support.
Even the host venue has an AFL connection. 'At The Above' is a gallery and concept space owned by West Coast's 2006 premiership player Tyson Stenglein which, together with his creative agency 'Space Between', works with likeminded artists and brands using their in-house studio to collaborate on exhibitions and campaigns.
"Cody got talking to my business partner and he really loved his energy and vibe and he saw some of his work and just thought it would be a nice fit as an emerging young artist. It sounded like it was for a great cause as well with 'Make A Wish', so we were more than happy to get involved and help out," Stenglein tells AFL.com.au.
Weightman's dedication to his art grew from a hobby to a genuine passion when he began repairing damaged surfboards at the age of 16, covering the repair work with his own creations and re-selling the boards to be used as interior décor.
However, after being drafted to the Western Bulldogs as a first-round pick back in 2019, he soon realised that housing more than 20 surfboards at a time in his small apartment wasn't viable. He began using a smaller canvas in the form of skateboards, with some of his best work to be on display across the upcoming weekend.
"I can get pretty busy with my thoughts in those weeks where there's a lot of attention on my footy and stuff. I tend to shy away a little bit from that. It's something that's really helped me and given me something to fixate on outside of footy," Weightman says.
"When it feels like there's pressure externally and stuff, it's a nice escape for me to have something else to focus on and lock into and I can put my headphones on and do art for hours. It's probably the only way I've really learnt how to not think about footy or not think about what people are saying about me.
"I didn't really know that was going to be a thing, but it's certainly become a passion more than a hobby. It's what I had with footy when I was a kid and when footy was all innocent and well. As footy loses that innocence and the scrutiny comes a lot more and stuff, it becomes more of a job. I've found with my art that it's the thing now that gives me a release and gives me my innocence back."
Weightman is now hopeful other athletes – even those in sports outside of the AFL and AFLW ecosystem – will get in touch with their own passions, with the impressive goalkicker keen to build 'Beyond The Game' into a bigger annual event encompassing even more skills and projects.
"It's nice to have something else. I think a lot of players are getting to a point now where they do have other things. That's a big part of the exhibition, exploring that and getting other players involved with their passions and their hobbies," Weightman says.
"Hopefully we can build this into an annual thing where athletes of any sport can show what they do off the field or off the court and expand the awareness that there's more to footy or more to life than our sport."
'Beyond The Game' runs from August 30 to September 1 at 'At The Above', 198 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy.
