21 July 2011

19th August - 23rd October 2011

‘Travel can be described as a kind of ‘invasion of the mind’ by outside influences. I come home with a mind shifted in subtle ways. And from one journey to the next, you are no longer the same.’ – Nigel Brown

From historic Russian cities to the expanse of Antarctica – via Europe, Japan and the Pacific – Nigel Brown’s artistic response to overseas travel is captured in a new exhibition at the Southland Museum and Art Gallery.

The 46 works in Travel to Travel come from Nigel Brown and partner Sue McLaughlin’s private collection. They include paintings, lithographs, monoprints and one woodcut – featuring nearly 30 years’ worth of travel.

The works include art created while travelling (sometimes in trying circumstances, such as Antarctica’s sub-zero climate) and also show overseas influences absorbed, discussed and processed in Brown’s work back in New Zealand. In some works the exotic and the familiar jostle for attention.

This is an exciting exhibition, bold and colourful, giving an insight into the influences and inspiration that make Nigel Brown one of New Zealand’s most stimulating figurative artists.

Brown’s relatively short stints overseas have resulted in significant bodies of work. Travel has been an extension of New Zealand experience, involving learning new things, deepening appreciation of other societies and embracing the work of certain artists. Sometimes the exposure to new influences has brought a new direction that informs Brown's work for years to come – such as recent paintings that embrace the vibrant colour of German Expressionism.

Travel to Travel runs from 19th August to 23rd October at Southland Museum & Art Gallery, 108 Gala Street, Invercargill. After its Southern show, the exhibition will travel north to Auckland’s Lopdell House from 8th December to 12th February 2012.

ENDS

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