Assorted Writings
Somewhere it’s Dawn
On first glance there appears to be an aesthetics disconnect between the work of Tim Thatcher and that of Erica van Zon, Thatcher’s post minimalism has a coolness that is certainly not present in van Zon’s post pop approach but both are clearly colourists with a love of vibrant intensity, albeit more retrained in the work of Thatcher. Both artists also have a similar attitude to the traditions on their chosen craft. While these works have a sense of the handcrafted in them this is engaged with a healthy disrespect.
Thatcher plays with the illustrative by using gouache and woodblock print to construct his narratives, however his use of media connects these works more to colour field painting and the work of metaphysical painters than to illustration. Van Zon also uses the materials of traditional craft such as clay and embroidery thread; however, she too rejects the conventions of their use in preference of a more playful approach to object making.
The works in this show engage a sense of failed utopias, in both artists’ works the unwinding of a philosophical age is evident. Thatcher creates pictures of imagined minimalist sculptures located in domestic scenes, their idealised austerity arguably representing the end game of high modernism where formal investigation has become a commodified trope. In contrast, van Zon creates works that engage the now ubiquitous world of Chinese pop. These works produced during a residency in Beijing, speak of communism in post-Maoist China and the return to over 3500 years history of market capitalism.
Perhaps more correctly, through their use of the everyday materials of China, they show that Chinese culture still has its roots in the China that preceded 61 years of state communism. As with any aesthetic that is so young there is always an after image of what came before. However, Thatcher and van Zon are not oppressed by the weight of such historic ideals, in a world that has given up its Meta narratives as lost causes and where ideals are bought and sold as décor de jour. These two artists use a light touch and a wry smile to open a space where we might ask what comes next. Somewhere it’s the dawn of a new era….or perhaps the dawn of a recycled one.
Eugene Hansen, Engine Room Gallery, Wellington, 2012.
"Environmental issues also manifest in Tim Thatcher’s works - a large tree stump stands where a tree once was and plants are potted and placed within constructed environments.
Rooms, buildings, sculptures and objects appear from rough and raw oil paint. At times the illusionary space is clear, but the illusion is shattered when part of the space has been smudged out or painted over bringing attention to the surface of the canvas and the quality of the paint. In ‘Untitled’ (Room), a multifaceted room appears, but something is odd about the space, the perspective is skewed and the surface is ruptured throwing out one’s spatial perception and flattening the illusion of space.
Thatcher’s places may appear strangely familiar. Often motivated by a real space, Thatcher manipulates and changes the painted environment until the original space no longer exists. In ‘Void Memorial’ objects are carefully placed together, creating a shrine-like composition. Everyday objects that could well exist within real spaces have been moved, stacked and manipulated into strange and peculiar and awkward arrangements giving the works a sense of mystery and the viewer a feeling of dislocation. "
Vanessa Cook, Curator Milford Galleries, Dunedin.
“Space does not permit much description of his extraordinary imagery, Tree stumps can morph into volcanoes spouting empty word balloons; submarines hover in the sky above a snow-covered landscape; half-painted figures of animals are arranged in stage-like settings. ‘a dry surrealism’. (1)
“He values elements of roughness and awkwardness…He seeks balance between certainty and uncertainty. This reflects his working method, which is to start off with an image chosen more or less at random, then to develop it. At that point ‘things just happen’." (2)
“In recent work he depicts fanciful constructions made from small logs and twigs. These drawn objects themselves rarely come into existence as sculpture. "It’s not about making the objects,” he says, “it’s about making objects exist by just thinking about them. It’s your imagination that makes that happen. Drawing is a conversation between my mind and hand.” (3)
Tim Thatcher lives and works in Dunedin. In 2006 he gained a Master of Fine Arts with First Class Honors from Elam School of Fine Arts in Auckland. He has regularly exhibited work since 2005 both within dealer galleries and public institutions including the Christchurch City Art Gallery, Te Tuhi Gallery in Auckland, and in 2010 his work was exhibited at the Hirshfeld Gallery at the Wellington City Art Gallery. His paintings and drawings are in private and public collections including the James Wallace Trust.
1. Warwick Brown, Seen this Century, Godwit, 2009
2. ibid
3. Sue Gardiner, “Where to Draw the Line…”, Art News, Spring 2006
Courtesy Milford Galleries, Dunedin.
More Available via www.melanierogergallery.com
On first glance there appears to be an aesthetics disconnect between the work of Tim Thatcher and that of Erica van Zon, Thatcher’s post minimalism has a coolness that is certainly not present in van Zon’s post pop approach but both are clearly colourists with a love of vibrant intensity, albeit more retrained in the work of Thatcher. Both artists also have a similar attitude to the traditions on their chosen craft. While these works have a sense of the handcrafted in them this is engaged with a healthy disrespect.
Thatcher plays with the illustrative by using gouache and woodblock print to construct his narratives, however his use of media connects these works more to colour field painting and the work of metaphysical painters than to illustration. Van Zon also uses the materials of traditional craft such as clay and embroidery thread; however, she too rejects the conventions of their use in preference of a more playful approach to object making.
The works in this show engage a sense of failed utopias, in both artists’ works the unwinding of a philosophical age is evident. Thatcher creates pictures of imagined minimalist sculptures located in domestic scenes, their idealised austerity arguably representing the end game of high modernism where formal investigation has become a commodified trope. In contrast, van Zon creates works that engage the now ubiquitous world of Chinese pop. These works produced during a residency in Beijing, speak of communism in post-Maoist China and the return to over 3500 years history of market capitalism.
Perhaps more correctly, through their use of the everyday materials of China, they show that Chinese culture still has its roots in the China that preceded 61 years of state communism. As with any aesthetic that is so young there is always an after image of what came before. However, Thatcher and van Zon are not oppressed by the weight of such historic ideals, in a world that has given up its Meta narratives as lost causes and where ideals are bought and sold as décor de jour. These two artists use a light touch and a wry smile to open a space where we might ask what comes next. Somewhere it’s the dawn of a new era….or perhaps the dawn of a recycled one.
Eugene Hansen, Engine Room Gallery, Wellington, 2012.
"Environmental issues also manifest in Tim Thatcher’s works - a large tree stump stands where a tree once was and plants are potted and placed within constructed environments.
Rooms, buildings, sculptures and objects appear from rough and raw oil paint. At times the illusionary space is clear, but the illusion is shattered when part of the space has been smudged out or painted over bringing attention to the surface of the canvas and the quality of the paint. In ‘Untitled’ (Room), a multifaceted room appears, but something is odd about the space, the perspective is skewed and the surface is ruptured throwing out one’s spatial perception and flattening the illusion of space.
Thatcher’s places may appear strangely familiar. Often motivated by a real space, Thatcher manipulates and changes the painted environment until the original space no longer exists. In ‘Void Memorial’ objects are carefully placed together, creating a shrine-like composition. Everyday objects that could well exist within real spaces have been moved, stacked and manipulated into strange and peculiar and awkward arrangements giving the works a sense of mystery and the viewer a feeling of dislocation. "
Vanessa Cook, Curator Milford Galleries, Dunedin.
“Space does not permit much description of his extraordinary imagery, Tree stumps can morph into volcanoes spouting empty word balloons; submarines hover in the sky above a snow-covered landscape; half-painted figures of animals are arranged in stage-like settings. ‘a dry surrealism’. (1)
“He values elements of roughness and awkwardness…He seeks balance between certainty and uncertainty. This reflects his working method, which is to start off with an image chosen more or less at random, then to develop it. At that point ‘things just happen’." (2)
“In recent work he depicts fanciful constructions made from small logs and twigs. These drawn objects themselves rarely come into existence as sculpture. "It’s not about making the objects,” he says, “it’s about making objects exist by just thinking about them. It’s your imagination that makes that happen. Drawing is a conversation between my mind and hand.” (3)
Tim Thatcher lives and works in Dunedin. In 2006 he gained a Master of Fine Arts with First Class Honors from Elam School of Fine Arts in Auckland. He has regularly exhibited work since 2005 both within dealer galleries and public institutions including the Christchurch City Art Gallery, Te Tuhi Gallery in Auckland, and in 2010 his work was exhibited at the Hirshfeld Gallery at the Wellington City Art Gallery. His paintings and drawings are in private and public collections including the James Wallace Trust.
1. Warwick Brown, Seen this Century, Godwit, 2009
2. ibid
3. Sue Gardiner, “Where to Draw the Line…”, Art News, Spring 2006
Courtesy Milford Galleries, Dunedin.
More Available via www.melanierogergallery.com
