SIMON CLARK

SIMON CLARK

Knitting Patterns 2 - 27 Aug 2014 www.milfordgalleries.co.nz

Milford Galleries Dunedin 18 Dowling Street (03) 477 7727 info@milfordhouse.co.nz

Aotearoa NZ Knitting Patterns (2014) oil & 24 carat gold leaf on board, frame: 606 x 606 x 46 mm

1

Toy Boy (2013) oil & 24 carat gold leaf on board, frame: 611 x 610 x 46 mm

2

Try (2014) oil & 24 carat gold leaf on board, frame: 609 x 610 x 46 mm

3

Milk Bars Guns (2014) oil on board, frame: 608 x 608 x 46 mm

4

God Save the Queen !! (2014) oil on board, frame: 611 x 610 x 46 mm

5

7375 Things to Do (2014) oil on board, frame: 658 x 553 x 46 mm

6

New Zea land (2014) oil on board, frame: 610 x 609 x 46 mm

7

Comfortably Numb (2014) oil on board, frame: 617 x 553 x 46 mm

8

Wheat-Bix Kids (2013) oil on board, frame: 618 x 553 x 46 mm

9

Big Ben (2014) oil & 24 carat gold leaf on board, frame: 609 x 610 x 46 mm

10

Just Do It Yourself (2014) oil & 24 carat gold leaf on board, frame: 610 x 610 x 46 mm

11

Day Tripper 2 (2014) oil & 24 carat gold leaf on board, frame: 610 x 613 x 46 mm

12

It’s a Green Party (2014) oil & 24 carat gold leaf on board, frame: 653 x 558 x 46 mm

13

“I have been investigating patterns of language, in particular the language of advertising and the language of politics. I have been investigating patterns of gendered codes of behaviour and patterns of ideological systems of belief and patterns of everyday, lived cultural practices related to leisure, work, food and fashion. Through this exploration I am attempting to knit these patterns together to create a deeper understanding of history and of a sense of place.” (1) Knitting Patterns re-imagines modern-day nostalgia for the New Zealand of the 1950s and 60s. Referencing illustrative techniques from this period, Simon Clark questions if this yearning for the ‘golden weather’ of times gone by might not be misplaced as he plays with cultural constructions and the framing of what ‘Kiwi’ is.

Working from the maxim, ‘more is more’, Clark’s works demand immediate attention; gold leaf, optical patterning, repeated motifs, and high-contrast colours are all designed to attract the gaze. As the gaze lingers however, the subtle detailing and surface treatments tell more of the stories in which Clark is interested. As he layers images and composes space, he likewise layers ideas and composes his own historical constructs.

Big Ben, the face of a pie brand, is set against a background of gold and cobaltblue more commonly associated with illuminated manuscripts. Upon closer inspection, the gold looks a little battered, and the background worn and scratched: Clark deliberately ‘removes the gloss’ from his paintings, giving them a sense of time’s passing and untold histories. New Zea Land presents a blonde-haired, blue-eyed ‘Maori doll’, complete with piupiu, woven bodice, and tiara. Does the parade of moa circling her suggest this form of cultural appropriation should be as extinct as the bird?

Simon Clark has produced a series of works that seem strangely familiar. At a time when stylised tiki, retro advertisements and Crown Lynn swans adorn all manner of products in every design store, Clark queries the rose-tinted glasses through which this is viewed and asks how much are we buying into a history that never existed?

1. Simon Clark, Artist’s statement, June, 2014

EXHIBITION PRICELIST

1

Aotearoa NZ Knitting Patterns (2014)

3,000

2

Toy Boy (2013)

3,000

3

Try (2014)

3,000

4

Milk Bars Guns (2014)

3,000

5

God Save the Queen !! (2014)

3,000

6

7375 Things to Do (2014)

3,000

7

New Zea land (2014)

3,000

8

Comfortably Numb (2014)

3,000

9

Wheat-Bix Kids (2013)

3,000

10

Big Ben (2014)

3,000

11

Just Do It Yourself (2014)

3,000

12

Day Tripper 2 (2014)

3,000

13

It's a Green Party (2014)

3,000

All prices are NZD and include GST; Prices are current at the time of the exhibition

SIMON CLARK b. 1955, lives Auckland

New Zea land (2014)

"The past, which these paintings draw upon, is the past located around the early 1960s which is the period of my childhood living in New Zealand. The early 1960s is a period, which is being represented today under the connoted structure of “Kiwiana�." (1) "I am interested to understand the effects of the Kiwiana structure upon the culture. I am questioning why it has been so widely discussed and just why it has emerged. I am also interested to explore who is governed by the Kiwiana discourse. Who does it include? Who benefits from it? Who does it exclude? Who loses out?" (2) "His worlds shift between the practices of design - media culture and fine arts and these interests influence his concerns as a painter." (3) Simon Clark currently works as a lecturer in Design at AUT University. He has been painting since the 1980's and has exhibited throughout New Zealand. He has been a finalist in a number of awards including the Wallace Trust Art Awards and in 1992 he won the Auckland Savings Bank Award to visit the Swire School of Design, Hong Kong Polytechnic.

1. Simon Clark, Artist Statement, 2009 2. Simon Clark, Aritst Statement, 2005 3. Simon Clark, AUT Profile, 2010

Simon Clark 2014 CV P a g e |1

Milford Galleries Dunedin

www.milfordgalleries.co.nz

SIMON CLARK b. 1955, lives Auckland

EDUCATION Master Fine Arts (First Class Hons), University of Auckland Certificate Graphic Design, Auckland Technical Institute

SOLO EXHIBITIONS 2014 2010 2002 1996

Knitting Patterns, Milford Galleries Dunedin A New Coat of Paint, Milford Galleries Dunedin Happiland, Grantham Gallery, Auckland Fence, Auckland Society of Arts, Auckland

GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2013 2012 2009 2006 2005-06 2005 2003 2002 2002 2001 2001 2000 2000 2000 1999 1995 1994 1994 1991 1989 1988

Small Works, Milford Galleries Dunedin The Surreal, Milford Galleries Dunedin Journeys, MG, Auckland Essence, milford galleries auckland Object, Milford Galleries Dunedin Wallace Trust Art Award, Pataka, Wellington Wallace Trust Art Award, CoCA, Christchurch Group Show, Matakana Warkworth Gallery, Auckland Summer Hanging, Grantham Gallery, Auckland Happiland, Grantham Gallery, Auckland Artists’ Choice, Mt Eden Gallery, Auckland Masters Exhibition, Elam School of Fine Arts, University of Auckland Provenance, George Fraser Gallery, University of Auckland Masters Exhibition, Elam School of Fine Arts, University of Auckland Kare Kare, Lopdell House Gallery, Auckland Summer Hanging, Chiaroscuro Gallery, Auckland Nobby Clark: Simon Clark, Auckland Society of Arts, Auckland Staff from the School of Art and Design, Morgan Street Gallery, Auckland Staff from the School of Art and Design, Morgan Street Gallery, Auckland Gallery 1, Auckland Society of Arts Staff from the School of Art and Design, Russian Gallery, Auckland Beecham Laboratory Art Award, Auckland Society of Arts Gallery, Auckland Beecham Laboratory Art Awards, Auckland Society of Arts Gallery, Auckland

AWARDS & FELLOWSHIPS 2005 1999 1992 1990 1989 1988 1983

Finalist Wallace Trust Art Awards Finalist Wallace Trust Art Awards Auckland Savings Bank Award to visit the Swire School of Design, Hong Kong Polytechnic, Hong Kong, to study Tertiary Art and Design Management Bronze Medal for services toward the design of the 1990 New Zealand Commonwealth Games Winning Entry Beecham Research Laboratory Art Award (National) Highly Commended Beecham Research Laboratory Art Award (National) Album Cover of the Year Award, The New Zealand Music Awards

Simon Clark 2014 CV P a g e |2

Milford Galleries Dunedin

www.milfordgalleries.co.nz