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Derek Murphy Art
A catalogue of contemporary oil paintings 2
Biography Derek Murphy was born in Portland, Oregon in 1979. His mother (a local artisan) kept him busy with arts and crafts projects. Derek has always been fascinated with foreign languages and cultures, great books and painting. In 1996 he spent a year abroad in Argentina as a Rotary Exchange student, where he learned to dance Tango and play polo. In 1998 he graduated Tigard High School with a National Art Honor Society Scholarship, and began to travel the world. Derek studied classics, art history, philosophy and theology at the University of Malta, where he lived in a 200 year old townhouse with wood furniture, tile floors, a view of the Mediterranean and an orange grove in the backyard. After displaying his paintings in several local galleries, he moved to Italy to study classical painting at the Angel Art Academy in Florence. Later, he studied languages in Barcelona. For the last 6 years, Derek has been living in Taiwan, painting, writing and – more recently – finishing a Masters in Foreign Language and Literature.
Publications
Seety Magazine (2009)
Taiwan Journal (2007 XPat Magazine (2007) The Oregonian (2005) Valletta Post (2001)
Exhibitions
Gallery 102, Solo Exhibition, Tainan, Taiwan, 2009
NCKU Art Space, Solo Exhibition, “Absurd Visions”, Tainan, Taiwan, 2009 Chiayi International Artfest, Chiayi, Taiwan, 2007 Lake Oswego Festival of The Arts, Oregon, 2002 Living Enrichment Center, Wilsonville, Oregon, 2002 Art at Bay Street, Sliema, Malta, 2001
The Labyrinth, Valletta, Malta, 2001 The Gallery, Tower Road, Sliema, Malta, 2000
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簡歷 德瑞克‧墨菲 (Derek Murphy)1979 年生于美國奧勒岡州波特蘭市，出生時逢冬至以及星象學所言之預 言星降時刻。德瑞克於 1998 年從當地的泰格德中學畢業。縱然高中時 代時常翹課至美術教室繪製壁 畫(作品目前還陳列於母校)，他還是在畢業時榮獲全美藝術榮譽協會獎學金。畢業後他開始環遊世界， 十年以來他停留於美國的時間 恐怕還少於十個月。 德瑞克於停留在馬爾他期間開始作畫。那時他佇居於已有兩百年歷史的聯排屋，不僅有古意盎然的原 木傢俱及磚板地，還有橘林及地中海美景為鄰。他在當地 的大學 完成神學與哲學的課程，並順利於 畫廊展出作品，隨後更前往義大利佛羅倫斯的 Angel Art Academy 學院，學習古典繪畫(那時他的住處 距離著名的聖母百花大教堂僅是一投石之遙)。之後他至巴塞隆納國際語言學校修習了一些課程，並 且也曾為美 國波士頓地區一戶外環境課程擔任外燴掌廚。 最近這六年來德瑞克一直在台灣生活、創作、繪畫與寫作，並且近日他也即將完成學業，取得外國語 文學碩士學位。
出版
Seety Magazine (2009) Taiwan Journal (2007 XPat Magazine (2007) The Oregonian (2005) Valletta Post (2001)
展覽
Gallery 102, Solo Exhibition, Tainan, Taiwan, 2009 NCKU Art Space, Solo Exhibition, “Absurd Visions”, Tainan, Taiwan, 2009
Chiayi International Artfest, Chiayi, Taiwan, 2007 Lake Oswego Festival of The Arts, Oregon, 2002 Living Enrichment Center, Wilsonville, Oregon, 2002 Art at Bay Street, Sliema, Malta, 2001 The Labyrinth, Valletta, Malta, 2001
The Gallery, Tower Road, Sliema, Malta, 2000
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What I paint My paintings combine religious symbolism, images from pop culture and human figures in absurd or shocking compositions, in order to draw out contradictions in social ideology or limitations in personal belief systems. The best reaction to my paintings is laughter – after the initial confusion and surprise, when the rational mind shuts down its ability to comprehend and accepts the mystery or non-meaning of the painting, a spontaneous chuckle at the ridiculousness of the figures is appropriate.
Why I paint Mainly, I paint because it makes me happy. When a strikingly absurd images collects itself in my head, the process of developing the raw idea into a very specific painting is both a challenge and an adventure; I become immersed in the minute to minute challenge of realizing the idea to its greatest potential (limited only by my artistic ability).
What are your paintings about? From an early age, people absorb very definitive ideas about the universe. They make mental associations and categorize the relationships between things into an overarching structure of „reality‟ that is almost never challenged. Those lucky enough to travel extensively (to very foreign countries) and experience the birth pains of culture shock are in fact going through the process of expanding or relinquishing their ideological structure. At the same time, there are countless examples of items in our everyday experience that our minds simply refuse to associate. Things like religious beliefs, fast food restaurants, technological gadgets and popular media pop up daily in a synthesized post-modern experience around us, but for all their geographical nearness, we make no ideological connections between them. My paintings serve two functions: the first is to break the ideological expectations of the viewer. Seeing familiar symbols or images – particularly ones with strong emotional responses – mixed with unfamiliar, base or vulgar scenes or experiences from daily life momentarily breaks the continuum of assumed beliefs and ideological framework. For a moment, the sky falls, all connections fail, the mind stutters. It‟s like shutting down a computer or jamming a paperclip into an electronic circuit. During those briefs moments, where the mind – reaching for familiar ground – stumbles over its failure to associate, there is an opportunity to see things fresh, in a whole new way, without our socially-biased reference systems. The second function of my paintings is to draw
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attention to relationship between common experiences that exist but are never cognitively recognized; symbols are blended and given equal weight, encouraging viewers to reevaluate their dissociative idiosyncrasies and appreciate the convoluted nuance of globalized society.
Are your paintings blasphemous? While toying with objects of great emotional investment, of course I will not avoid religious iconography. I was raised Christian, studied Theology in Roman Catholic Europe, and then moved to the polytheistic and rich spiritual diversity of Taiwan. Due to my experiences and interactions with members of various faiths, I have an enormous interest and respect for the diversity of religious practice. I understand why some people, who are uncomfortable with certain images, ask me “Why do you make paintings that seem to criticize or belittle religious images?” First of all, although it appears I‟m making a very direct attack on the sanctity of religion – I rarely support my paintings with a particular ideology; in fact it‟s the lack of ideology which I want to express. However, I cannot deny that I believe organized religion is too small for the concept of God, and „blasphemy‟ can be a step towards intellectual freedom
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2009
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One More Cup 在一杯 Oil on Canvas, 20”x24”, 2009
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Bad Omens 凶兆 Oil on Canvas, 46"x36", 2009
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Horny 性飢渴 Oil on Canvas, 46”x36”
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Duck Soup 鴨湯 Oil on Canvas, 46”x36
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Knockers 門環 Oil on Canvas, 28”x36”
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Conservation 對話 Oil on Canvas, 46”x32”
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Colonialism 狂熱信徒 Oil on Canvas, 46”x3
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Mao 貓 Oil on Canvas, 20”x24”, 2009
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Holy-day 神聖日 Oil on Canvas, 38”x64”
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Orange Juice 柳橙汁 Oil on Canvas, 20”x28”
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Rubix Girl 方塊女孩 Oil on Canvas, 24”x40”, 2009
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Early Works (1998 – 2008)
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Brown Fields 棕田 Oil on Canvas, 20”x24”, 2001
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Eucharist 最後晚餐 Oil on Canvas, 38”x64”, 2007
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Complex 複雜 Oil on Canvas, 16”x20”, 2002
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Café au lait 咖啡歐蕾 Oil on Canvas, 20"x24"
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Final Markdown 最後出清 Oil on Canvas, 30”x24”, 2003
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First Communion 初領聖體 Oil on Canvas, 20”x24”, 2006
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Gesthemene Oil on Canvas, 46”x36”, 2000
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Pier Support 諮詢輔導 Oil on Canvas, 30”x24”, 2002
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Cookies 巧克力餅乾 Oil on Canvas, 20”x24”, 2003
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Hand Tie 手領帶 Oil on Canvas, 16”x20”
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Handwich 手明治 Oil on Canvas, 20”x24”, 2006
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Happy Meal 快樂兒童餐 Oil on Canvas, 28”x36”, 2005
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Heart-break 心碎 Oil on Canvas, 46”x36, 2006
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Boy Trouble 男孩麻煩 Oil on Canvas, 46”x36”, 2007
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Idolatry 偶像崇拜 Oil on Canvas, 20”x24”, 2001
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Intimacy 親密 Oil on Canvas, 16”x20”, 2002
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Man Pot 盆中人 Oil on Canvas, 20”x24”, 1999
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Mary-Doody 傀儡 Oil on Canvas, 20”x24”, 2000
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Masked 罩面 Oil on Canvas, 30”x24”, 2001
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Red Girl Oil on Canvas, 16”x20”, 1999
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On the Throne 如廁 Oil on Canvas, 30”x24”, 2004
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Safe Sex 安全’性’ Oil on Canvas, 20”x24”, 2004
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Engineering 工程 Oil on Canvas, 20”x28”, 2003
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Sex Dispenser Oil on Canvas, 20”x24”, 2004
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Baggage 行囊 Oil on Canvas, 28”x36”, 2007
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True Love 真愛 Oil on Canvas, 20”x24”, 2005
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Baggage 行囊 Oil on Canvas, 28”x36”
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PORTRAITS
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Portrait “Funky” Oil on Canvas, 24”x28”, 2007
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Detail from “One More Cup”
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Portrait “Ting Mei” Oil on Canvas, 24”x28”, 2008
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Visit my website for news and current projects
http://www.derekmurphyart.com
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