Artist Statement and Bio:
My painting is expressively graphic and narrative in its imagery. I paint symbols of my daily thoughts and feelings.
The persistence of darkness in my imagery is more suggestive of my Eastern European roots and a legacy of war and dislocation that coloured my childhood.
I am interested in exploring the possibilities and limitations of political art and the confrontations such dimensions pose. I draw from an acute but almost surreal sense of an apocalyptic shift taking place in world politics. At the risk of severity and didacticism I nonetheless engage with my work as a personal statement on the public/political.
I mostly paint on canvas making liberal use of oil colours to express my concepts. I take a Magic/Realism approach to render images inspired by daily musings, photographs, media and literature. Although mostly figurative, my paintings also include landscapes which exhibit the same tendencies toward the dominant aesthetic.
I contend with the tension between art and artifice, as I strive for cultural significance and integrity in a commodified, corporatised and consuming world.
Born in Osnabruck Germany in 1946
Migrated to Australia in 1950
Formal education in Adelaide
Diploma of Graphic Design, West Australian Institute of Technology in 1971
Diploma of Fine Art (Painting), National Art School in Sydney in 1991
First solo exhibition as part of the Adelaide Festival of Arts – Fringe Festival in 1992.
Won First Prize – Byron Bay Art Prize in 1993
Second Solo Exhibition held at Southern Cross University’s Next Gallery in 2007
Won People’s Choice Award – Tropical Fruits Art Showcase in 2018
Won First Prize - North Coast National Art Prize in 2019
Solo show as part of the Sydney Fringe Festival in Sept. 2022.
Third Solo Show at Serpentine Gallery February 2023