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Contemporary NZ artist

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Waterworld

Selected global finalist in Malamegi Lab11 Art Contest Venice Italy.

Family Portrait is a collection of stories about three figures. I wanted a classical and quasi-religious triangle composition of this family but inverted with the child in the foreground and everyone heading in different directions.

There is fourth figure resolving in red before the mother, the distortions of waterworld has her fleetingly shawled in light like a cliched Madonna - can anyone live up to that? It’s like her future is resolving in front of her and we can see her conflict. The father is less distorted like he is already half gone / out of place. The child is both unaware and hyper-aware carrying more weight than the green school bag on his back.

But of course, that’s all happening under the surface.

This painting is a caught moment of two couples. They are about to head to the park with their children in strollers.

The man in red is wrapped up in his phone. His partner has given up waiting and begun to walk off, hoping he will follow. The day, the sun, his child, his partner are all on hold while he posts breakfast.

The same thing is happening with the other couple. They are both checking their phones. Both physically present and miles apart. They are lost in the swirls around them, he is almost not there at all and her top half begins to literally dismantle.

On first glance it is a walk in the park, but this is about lost opportunities and about the way mobiles open the world up while closing people off.

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