Away from the Art Gallery of NSW Installation Manager and Delegate Nik Reith can be found at the back of the stage at gigs by ARIA Hall of Fame band the Hoodoo Gurus.

“My parents both loved music and parties,” said Mr Rieth. “They also encouraged my brothers and me to take up an instrument. So I started in school and local brass bands, got together with friends in a few bands that got gigs.”

In the 1980s, the pub rock scene meant you were never far from a night out.

His career as a drummer blossomed, and Mr Rieth played with what he calls “a few well-known bands in certain circles: The Celibate Rifles, Tumbleweed, Deniz Tek Group, New Christs, Radio Birdman.”

In 2014, he joined the Hoodoo Gurus.

As the Installation Manager at the Art Gallery of NSW, Mr Rieth finds parallels between music and visual art.

“To me the only essential differences are which senses are touched by it and how long it takes to get you,” he said. “Pop art is also really graphic eye candy.

“I was really fond of listening to records and reading the sleeves. I still have some records where the music is not as good as the visual art on it.”

Mr Rieth said he was “a bit of a handyman for artist friends and would help put up small shows”. A former bandmate, one he still works with, helped get him a few casual shifts at the Art Gallery of NSW. He received training at work and is now employed as a permanent member of staff.