Award winning Elwood artist Rob McKinnon is presenting his third solo showing of contemporary paintings in three distinctly different exhibitions titled Heart, Soul and Sea being held at Gasworks Arts Park, 9 to 28 February. The exhibition utilises all three gallery spaces at Gasworks.
Heart in the Foyer Gallery, is an exhibition of modern paintings inspired by some of the designs, motifs and carvings which are at the heart of tribal cultures throughout the world. The artist has borrowed from the dynamics of native art forms from various regions including totem poles from North West America, weaving and pottery designs from Central Africa, stone and wood carvings from Polynesia and body and bark painting from Australia and Papua New Guinea.
Soul, in the Hallway Gallery, revisits the simple fun of modern art in the 60’s and provides a glimpse of the soul of the popular culture of that time. The Pop Art revolution, led by Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, is the catalyst for this display of dynamic paintings which take their cue from the New York artist’s use of everyday items like soft drink bottles, cans, cars and comic book characters as their subject matter. All proceeds from the sale of these Pop Art paintings will be donated to the Gasworks Foundation.
Sea in the Angela Robarts-Bird Gallery is a collection of bright and breezy contemporary seascapes featuring familiar beachside locations. In this exhibition Rob McKinnon has exaggerated the elliptical form of bays, beaches and coves to create movement in the water and has distorted land marks , backgrounds and perspectives to emphasise this feeling of wave and water motion.
The artist developed this series of stylised seascapes after first exhibiting a painting in the same style at Gasworks in 20006 which led to a number of commissions and requests for the same look at different locations.
Heart, Soul & Sea
Opening Tuesday 9 February at 6 to 8pm
9 to 28 February, 2010
Gallery hours: 9am to 5pm, daily
Angela Robarts- Bird Gallery, Foyer Gallery and Heritage Hallway
Gasworks Arts Park, Corner Graham and Pickles Streets, Albert Park.
Enquiries: 8606 4200 or gasworks.org.au
Media Contact: Rob McKinnon 0417-662262
