Week #18
15th -  21st  November

Subdivision

Who can really say what meaning a painting carries? At uni we were told the viewer holds most of the power in deciding an artworks meaning. When asked, Kemi is begrudging towards explaining any concepts behind Subdivision. He just painted it, he says.

So maybe Niko can shed some light on it from her unique perspective – being close to the artist but not part of the process (in this case). It was painted in the months before Rhea was born, those blissful last days full of freedom that you now hold in such esteem but at the time spent dreaming of your future alien life as parents. The timelessness, or time-stillness, of the scenes in this painting speak to this feeling.


The juxtaposition of the two landscapes, both seemingly out of time and ancient. The ocean under a blank sky; infinite possibility, of such depth, such force to alter and destroy, while still relatively unchanging. A body unmoved by the activity within. A tussock landscape sliced to reveal a bed of river rocks. Once a river ran here, forever changing the lay of the earth, now stillness pervades and only blades of ochre grass move with the wind. An almost hostile environment until you get down on knees and see the insects scuttle, the intricate mosses flowering and the perfect coexistence of everything, no space wasted, no overcrowding or aggression.

Placed above all, the human element that cannot be overlooked. Centred on an alter of nature, carefully dissected and long abandoned. The attention to detail romanticises the materials but the structure hovers untethered by concrete foundations, a kind of violence avoided. Understood within this context Subdivision is an ode to nature that allows human contribution but ignores the impact of time. A peace pervades, felt high in the mountains or deep at sea, where natures power, the power to just be, overtakes any inclination to change.


Acrylic on board (salvaged), 2016. 300 x 410 mm framed. Prints on archival 310gsm Photo Rag paper, allow 10 working days.


Original 

$1200


Limited Edition Prints 

A3

$165

A4

$90



or make an offer on the original (barter welcome)

AotW Archive: #1  #2  #3  #4  #5  #6  #7 #8  #9  #10 #11  #12 #13 #14  #15 #16 #17 #18

Home    ︎︎︎     Our Story     ︎︎︎     Connect     ︎︎︎     Shop  ︎