Invite

Benediction [ 2005 ]

‘Benediction’ appropriates the ‘Live Long and Prosper’ hand signal. It is used as a farewell gesture by the Vulcan People from the  program Star Trek It serves as a symbol for a fictional Vulcan race of logic-based humanoids that have repressed and subdued all emotional thoughts and feelings. This hand gesture is actually an abbreviated version of a traditional Jewish religious blessing. It is based on the ancient hand symbol used by the Kohanim and is symbolic of divine immanence. During filming of an early Star Trek episode actor Leonard Nimoy (who is Jewish) used the gesture while ad-libbing the line ‘live long and prosper’.

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Granny Doll (1999)

Go Green Vote Granny (2000)

Granny Smith ( 1996 )

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Continuing with my posting of earlier art works - that are old enough to make me feel like its someone else's work. Some of them I find embarrassing, but I have made them, so here they are ( including the previous 3 posts ).

Mustard ( 1997 )

BlackBird

Detail from painting 'Black Bird' (1998). From the same series as the previous post: Milky Bar White.

Milky Bar White.

Detail from a painting  - long since thrown out. From 1998.

Bridge of Remembrance.

This is pretty old - from 1986 when I was a student at Vis Com, Christchurch.  I've kept the photograph as its a great example of a warm toned, fiber based print. I think it was Brovira Speed  - which is a matt paper. The image sits 'in' the paper (instead of sitting upon the emulsion of a coated paper) with the warm tones of the paper coming through the image.

Extra Virgin

Codependency

From 2009. A luna type landscape constructed out of anti-depressant medication. More of this work can be viewed on my website, at www.aclinicalpractice.com

artwork copyright of the artist.

Conservative NZ

From 2004. Screen-print on paua shell laminate. Shown at Compact Space.

Work copyright of the artist.

Toilet Art

Above - 'I Think My Work is Kind of Crappy'. And below, 'I Want to be Famous & Exhibit at Gow Langsford.' Screen-print on toilet paper. Both of these were 'rejects' & never exhibited, they are from a body of work titled 'Learner Artist' an exhibition of 2004. ( to view this show go to http://aclinicalpractice.com/Site/Archiv_1./Pages/Learner_Artist.html )

A while back, I remember going to an art opening at the Gow Gallery in Kitchner Street, and needing to use their toilet; in which on the wall was a small framed piece. It presented the in-house joke line 'I want to Be Famous & Exhibit...' Regardless of its origin & context I thought this self parodying was certainly not self-effacing, but quite pretentious. I can imagine Gary Langsford sitting on the toilet & chuckling to himself about this line. 

In some ways the Dealer gallery /artist relationship is akin to Pimp/prostitute, meaning Gow Langsford is really just brothel. In line with this thought;

HOOKER / tired on peddling his wares on the street. 

seeks MEANING LONG TERM RELATIONSHIP WITH DEALER.

( & promises not to sleep around )

 

Work copyright of the artist.

Extra Virgin

These shown examples are from a body of work produced from 2002-03. Exhibited in two incarnations -'Your Place or Mine?'  And the latter 'Your Palace of Mine? (Ma'am). I felt much of the artwork too derivative from the sources they were appropriated from - brothel ads & vintage N.Z postage stamps. For me, the works presented in this blog were more successful (despite the kitschiness) because of their simplicity  - perhaps the inherent nature of paper cutouts.

All artwork copyright of the artist