Simon Kerr Hole in the Wall Gang

A lot of water has flowed under the bridge in the year since Simon Kerr, member of the notorious ‘Hole in the Wall’ gang, prison escapee and activistheld his last exhibition at the Depot Artspace in Devonport. In August, 2015, Simon was unable to attend his own opening as he remained behind bars at Ngawha prison, preparing a new submission for parole, which he was eventually granted.

This year Simon is a free man, and will not only be present at the opening of his second Depot exhibition, but will be giving an artist talk the day after. His new series of paintings, continues on the allegorical road to redemption and greater self-understanding. The exhibition is titled ‘eddie ramshackle and the blackboard series’ http://depotartspace.co.nz/event/simon-kerr-eddie-ramshackle-and-the-blackboard-series/

“eddie ramshackle is a raw and basic representation of myself (Simon Kerr). I have found that, in general, it is more acceptable to people to be confronted with the views of a fictional character rather than those of an actual person.

I am comfortable with eddie but I hope that he has room for development and growth. This blackboard series reaches out to those who view it and asks them to be a part of that growth. But eddie has strong views that seem black and white and I recognise the challenge of showing distortions of his views. eddie is my mirror.”

From having been denied parole because the Parole Board expressed "considerable reservations about his future risks given his history", Simon is now a committed and successful artist, described by art critic Mike Nettmann as a ‘remarkable talent, with a refreshing honesty and sincerity which is counterintuitive to the kind of overly produced art that seems to rule many of today’s galleries”.

Kind regards,

Linda Blincko

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