ArtBeat
Kekerengu Dreamtime is the final iteration of a ‘terrific body of work,’ by Simon Edwards that is sublime, yet grounded in the practical reality of days of sketching and driving to Kaikoura with ‘the Pacific on one side and the mountains on the other.’ Edwards acknowledges it is ‘sublime but not welcoming and that was my initial inspiration.’
Edwards began working with photographs and collage in 2013, its influence evident in his first year at the School of Fine Arts, looking at its tonal qualities and the work of Gerhard Richter. He comments: ‘I always had photography paper lying around and I would use it for my work. I decided to use printing ink and putting it onto the photographic paper and getting these interesting ink-block techniques that paralleled my landscapes. It gave me this nice mix of a traditional way of layering and a more intuitive way of working, taking accidents and layering and crafting an image. Those two processes came together. I have always been drawn to Petrus van der Velden’s painting, and his dark and light was a fundamental, and the works in Kekerengu Dreamtime are similarly about the importance of an actual experience.’
DETAILS: Kekerengu Dreamtime by Simon Edwards, The Central Art Gallery, 2 Worcester Blvd, The Library Building, the Arts Centre, 22 June – 23 July
IMAGE: Simon Edwards, KD#19 = Kekerengu Dreamtime #19, 2023, oil on ACM panel, 900 x 1220mm