Page 106 - World of Art magazine (2000)

Ken roBinson neW Zealand

ARTiST talK

The Work I am doing at the moment is one cannot think, but you have to decide work allowing accidents to happen rather
a long continuum of work done earlier. however, at what point those accidents than just to pre plan every thing.
All my work is in a continual process. are beginning to go beyond the nature of When I returned after a long time over-
Each exhibition evolves out of the previous enhancing the original work. seas, to New Zealand I came back at a time
exhibition taking some of those earlier works For me the act of painting and the deci- when N.Z. was like Australia looking for
to another level so any change for me is a sions made when in front of the work while a national identity. Like all new cultures
gradual change not a sudden one. the process is going on, are all part of the trying to find its own identity without the
I am a purely abstract artist who tries to work. The process of all these decisions in a influences of the older cultures of Europe
minimize external representation. sense are the story of the painting and take or America in some ways concocts its idea
For the artist to develop in the viewer a on that narrative of a work rather than any of nationalism. This particularly happened
more sensual understanding of the work story line as in more figurative work. in the arts and people like myself who had
and therefore possibly they will read those All artists are aware of other artists and over the years because we had lived in
configurations back into the real world. their work and in a lot of cases the way other different countries adapted lots of those
In my youth I was very involved in sports artists have solved their problems you can other cultures into our work. We didn’t use
-played senior soccer, represented my city in use too. So one is aware of previous work clique symbols and any those devises that
Swimming, Football, Diving, Gymnastics. done by other artists. were intended to identify with New Zealand
At the moment I play classical and Flamenco When one is young there is a natural sense so weren’t included in exhibitions that
guitar but to be realistic I dont’t have of wanting to be what one could call avant were thought of as New Zealand reflecting
the talent or the drive to become a profes- guarde - wanting to be part of the scene so the South pacific. This has now settled
sional. to speak. But as all artists are aware being down and some of those artists are not so
In an indirect way music does relate to avant guarde is a little like following fashion prominent now so my work is being looked
my work as I said I play guitar and the it is fairly fickle and one grows out of it. at as just ”art” to be good or bad as it should
piano. I have had a concert played where the However as trends come and go not only be. That self conscious nationalism so
composer composed five musical composi- in the new work produced by the different prevalent, in terms of being more represented
tions in responses to five of my paintings. artists but by the buying public you become in National galleries might have suffered
I fortunately haven’t had any really bad less worried by these and simply get on in the same way as the feminist movement
reviews. Anything negative mentioned I’ve with your own development and this in did in its heyday allowing a lot of less
found do have a slight element of truth, some ways makes you beyond fashion and adequate artist to be bought than should
which you have to consider. therefore slightly isolated. have been.
Generally I can say the work finishes In a recent article written on my work, a Personally, it would be nice to have your
when I feel that the painting is starting to critic called the gestures controlled spontane- work put up and be promoted by someone
explore aspects that have gone beyond what ity, which in a sense describes this type of so that the public could see your efforts
I intended and should be the subject of a activity well. I like the contact with the over a number of years and you having
new painting. All work has to allow those surface in the same way a sculptor is in the satisfaction of it being seen and being
important accidents to happen which gives contact with their materials as it also allows respected. But, however, should that not
the work that sense of unexpectedness that for a certain amount of unplannedness in the happen it wouldn’t worry me too much.

TumBLing
2000 cOLLAge
On PAPeR
16 x 20 cm /
6¼ x 8 in

104 WORLD of ART Special iSSue 2000