Darryn George

Taking 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.

Christchurch based artist Darryn George’s new exhibition Hikoi approaches history painting from a contemporary, New Zealand perspective.

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.

Established Christchurch based artist, Darryn George, returns to Gow Langsford Gallery with his fifth solo exhibition, Exodus.

The 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.

Darryn 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.

Although primarily an abstract painter, Darryn George has frequently used letters and numerals in his compositions often offering a more figurative reading than his geometric abstractions may initially suggest. Broadly speaking George’s artistic practice is underpinned by references to his own Christian faith and the series title for these new paintings is Karakia, the Maori word for prayer. It is perhaps not surprising to learn that these works evolved, in part, as a personal response to Christchurch’s deadly earthquake in 2011 which George, a Cantabrian experienced first-hand.

Gow Langford Gallery presents Rarohiko an exhibition of new paintings by Darryn George. The exhibition brings together two bodies of works, Rarohiko and Countdown, and coincides with the launch of the artist's first monograph Darryn George.

Gow Langsford gallery is pleased to present the first solo show of its 2008 calendar with new works by Christchurch-based painter Darryn George. The occasion also marks George’s inaugural exhibition with the gallery having joined Gow Langsford recently in 2007.

Entitled Pukapuka this collection of paintings operates on numerous levels. George’s geometric forms may be read as book shelves, a collection of books or a library of sorts - the word ‘pukapuka’ being the Maori transliteration of ‘book’. Within these arrangements a basic assortment of symbols and iconography is interspersed- fragments of maps and bridges are enlisted as metaphors to encompass the notion of ‘salvation’. Within this context the idea of a ‘book of salvation’ naturally generates associations with the bible and by extension Christian theology. Whilst references to the Old and New Testament may be insinuated, George’s paintings are not bound by them, offering the viewer freedom to explore alternate possibilities. On another level, George fuses the traditions of customary Maori art forms with Western abstraction extending the dialogue first established by Gordon Walters in an innovative and thoroughly engaging way. The artist employs generic kowhaiwhai and moko motifs to enrich the layers beneath broad bands of colour. These customary curvilinear designs functioned as an expression of one’s whakapapa. In George’s paintings they become the foundation upon which he composes his own geometric interpretations motivated by the rhythms and cadences evident in traditional designs. In many cases George experiments with the axial orientation of kowhaiwhai so that text, letters or motif combinations are flipped, rotated and reflected. While these paintings acknowledge a formalist aesthetic, on close inspection they reveal surprisingly rich texture. Alternate bands of colour are often realised with a controlled application of thick impasto leaving three dimensional impressions that emulate the chisel ridges formed in Maori wood carving. Many of the patterns chosen by the artist signify ‘mana’ a concept which denotes characteristics such as power, strength and prestige. One particular recurring kowhaiwhai motif employed by George is the ‘Mangotipi’- a design influenced by a creature of formidable strength and resilience- the great white shark. George’s paintings represent a thoughtful consideration and consolidation of diverse cultural, artistic and theological dialogue.