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Boys and girls come out to play at Artstation
6 August 2007
Boys and girls come out to play at Artstation
Contemporary figure painters revisit an early nursery rhyme in Boys and Girls, an exhibition at Artstation from 15 August to 4 September.
Artstation staff members and artists John Eaden, Andrea Gaskin, Damien Kurth and Claire van der Plas use the nursery rhyme "Boys and girls come out to play" to develop new work in their varied figurative styles.
The rhyme is a reflection on child labour practices at the beginning of the eighteenth century. During this time, before the Industrial Revolution, most children had to work with little or no time to play.
Each of the four painters responds to the rhyme using their own figurative painting practice, drawing on notions of gender, human behaviour and childhood.
John Eaden investigates the male head in profile. Inspired by figurative motifs on ancient and contemporary coins, he creates an evocative series of small-scale paintings, dominated by a silhouette within a deserted landscape.
In the three-metre high painting of a small boy called "Big Boy Now" by Claire van der Plas viewers are forced to look up at the painting, much like a small child might look up at everything.
"This painting humorously plays with notions of who is big and who is small, and our feelings about being a child or being grown up. There are the moments when we all wish we were not so big and not the one that has to be the big girl or big boy," says Ms van der Plas.
Damien Kurth looks at the themes of play and hope in his still life paintings. He considers the ways simple children's games such as hopscotch and marbles can create opportunities for human connection and enjoyment, particularly during difficult times.
Photographic imagery from diverse sources such as National Geographic magazine, knitting patterns and photo albums make up the material for Andrea Gaskin's paintings. In her work, imagery of boys and girls is reconfigured into unusual and unsettling scenes.
For more information about upcoming exhibitions or art classes, please contact Artstation on 09 376 3221 or visit www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/artstation
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