Ahead of Darryn George's exhibition of new works opening at McLeavey Gallery on Wednesday 21 August Olivia McLeavey and Darryn caught up and spoke about what he's been working on, his practice and what inspires him.
What was the first work of art you saw that made an impact on you?
I was at High school and I saw a picture in a thick book on modern art, of Marcel Duchamp’s ‘Nude Descending a Staircase (No. 2)'. I loved the cubist forms and repetition. I thought the painting was beautiful. It was my first experience of abstract painting.
Patterning has long been a hallmark of your practice where do you draw ideas and inspiration from?
I initially drew designs from traditional moko and kowhaiwhai designs. But over time I have been developing my own patterns and forms that are derived from life, such as Butterflies nets and waterfalls.
Your practice has been moving and shifting in recent years and disrupting people's expectations of Darryn George, this is a brave move for a mid-career artist, how have these shifts come about?
I am at a point in my career where I wanted to experiment. It is a little bit like going down to the seashore and turning over a whole lot of rocks to see if there is life underneath. So, I turned over the figurative rock in the Garden of Eden series. I turned over the high key colour rock there too. I turned over a maximalist rock to see what complex compositions might look like, in contrast to the minimal abstractions that I made in the 2000’s. And so, I have been turning over rocks, and making discoveries for the next stage of my art practice.
The use of high key colour has been increasingly important to you in your recently practice, what does colour offer you as an artist?
For me I like the mood that you can create through colour. In recent years it has all been about creating joy.
How do you feel your Māori identity has impacted on you and your practice?
I am very proud of my Māori heritage. Within traditional Māori art, there are forms, patternmaking, textures and colour that ‘feel’ homely. I think the return to patterns and repetition is part of the Māori-ness coming out in me.
From an artistic point of view, I like the fact that I can tap into Maori symbols and language to tell my story. There is a richness in the story telling (essentially through abstraction), that has been a real help to me in developing content in my work.
If you could only see one more work of art before you die what would it be?
Tintoretto’s ‘Crucifixion’ 1565 at Scuola Grande di San Rocco, Venice. It is an incredible painting on an epic scale!
