Darryn George
b. 1970, New Zealand (Ngāpuhi)
Lives in Christchurch
Darryn George is a New Zealand artist of Ngāpuhi descent, and his work reflects the dichotomy of his cultural roots—having a Christian faith along with Māori heritage. Primarily working with geometric abstraction in a palette reduced to red, black, and white, his more recent works have included figurative elements in a bright palette. Although traditionally within art history the abstraction of form avoids cultural references, George’s ability to interweave them is what defines his unique style.
George’s latest paintings are playfully polychromatic and combine abstracted shapes with foliage and flowers to create dreamlike gardens of delight. In the aftermath of the Christchurch mosque shootings of 2019, the Christchurch-based artist witnessed diverse crowds gathering at the Botanic Gardens, coming together to join those affected in solidarity. This outpouring of love and support inspired the marked shift in George’s practice, and led him to formalise a new visual vocabulary he had been experimenting with since 2018. The resulting paintings are deliberately naïve, both in technique and palette, using oil pastels to combine illustrative depictions of gardens with cheerfully saturated colour. They are direct and joyful. They ask their viewers to revel in their exuberant innocence, but they are also grounded in a quiet and restrained composition. The vertical structure we recognise from previous bodies of work becomes both a pillar of strength, and the river flowing from Eden to nourish the crowds below.
George’s works are held in public collections in New Zealand, including The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū and the Chartwell Collection, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki. His work is the subject of the artist’s monograph Darryn George (Mihi Publishers, Christchurch, 2010). In 2013 George exhibited in Personal Structures, a collateral exhibition of the 55th Venice Biennale.
George holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Canterbury University, 1993) and a Diploma of Teaching (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, 1998). Based in Christchurch, he divides him time between teaching and painting.
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A River Flowing Out of Eden
Darryn George 30 Sep - 22 Oct 2020Taking its title from the Book of Genesis, Darryn George’s A River Flowing out of Eden marks a notable shift in the artist’s career. Where previous abstract works utilised a limited palette of blue, red, black and white, brought together in minimalist compositions, George’s latest paintings are playfully polychromatic and combine abstracted shapes with foliage and flowers to create dreamlike gardens of delight.Read more -
Hikoi
Darryn George 31 Oct - 24 Nov 2018Christchurch based artist Darryn George’s new exhibition Hikoi approaches history painting from a contemporary, New Zealand perspective.Read more
The namesake of the exhibition and the main focus is the seven-paneled work Hikoi (2018). At over seven meters in length, this work is an abstract representation of an aerial view over the Red Sea as the waters are being blown back. Combining gestural abstraction with the intricate patterning of kōwhaiwhai, George overlays Māori text onto plumes of painted canvas to depict the journey of Israel from slavery through the Red Sea to the Promised Land; a journey from darkness to light. -
Exodus
Darryn George 5 - 30 Jul 2016 Auckland CityEstablished Christchurch based artist, Darryn George, returns to Gow Langsford Gallery with his fifth solo exhibition, Exodus.Read more -
The Wrong Gallery
Group Exhibition 28 Jan - 28 Feb 2015 Auckland CityThe Wrong Gallery was conceptualized by Maurizio Cattelan, Ali Subotnick and Massimiliano Gioni in 2005. It is a 1:6 scale reproduction of New York’s smallest exhibition space of the same name, which they founded together in 2002. Subsequent versions have been shown all over the world including at Tate Modern (2005). Our rendition of The Wrong Gallery will be installed in our Kitchener St Gallery and will, fittingly, be filled with miniature artworks by gallery artists.Read more -
Register
Darryn George 23 Jul - 16 Aug 2014 Auckland CityDarryn George's new collection, Register, continues George's study in symbols as well as systems of filing and data collection. The new works are simplistic but bear reference to clipboards and card catalogue systems, as well as illustrating George's interest in playing matte and high-gloss finishes off against each other.Read more
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Darryn George and David McCracken Exhibitions Reviewed
October 8, 2020John Daly-Peoples has reviewed our latest exhibitions on NZ Arts Review. On David McCracken's Exalt in Transmission he writes: 'The size and precision of these...Read more -
Darryn George and Virginia Leonard Win at The 29th Annual Wallace Art Awards
September 29, 2020A big congratulations to gallery artists Darryn George and Virginia Leonard, who were both winners at The 29th Annual Wallace Art Awards. Darryn George was...Read more -
Artists Collaborate with Top Musicians to Raise Money for the Salvation Army
April 10, 2019Seven of our artists, Reuben Paterson , Darryn George , Dick Frizzell , Michael Hight , Max Gimblett , John Walsh and Karl Maughan have...Read more -
John Pule and Darryn George at KUNSTWERK Sammlung Klein
February 28, 2019German collectors Alison and Peter Klein recently visited New Zealand and acquired a selection of works from New Zealand and Pacific artists, in particular, Darryn...Read more -
Darryn George at Britomart Project Space
October 24, 2018A selection of works by Darryn George can now be viewed in the Britomart Project Space window at 26-28 Customs Street East, Auckland. George will...Read more -
Darryn George 'Prayer's and Progress' Open Now
February 28, 2017Darryn George's new solo exhibition Prayers and Progress opened last week at Ilam Campus Gallery, Christchurch. The show combines two series of works that have...Read more