Grant Corbishley’s new show takes a new and interesting direction where Grant has completed a figurative series of works. One of the major works from this series was a Wallace Art Awards Finalist in 2007. This work is available for sale but is currently on exhibition in the touring Wallace Awards. As such we regret this painting is not on show at the Warwick Henderson Gallery. See the website to view this painting. This is an extremely interesting departure for Grant where he re-kindles the memories of boyhood escapades and fuses these with touchstones retraced from his childhood. A quirky edge reveals itself in this new series of work where the artist is depicted as a cowboy, an Arab soldier or a two-piece suited professional.

“The figurative paintings are based on my responses to the war in Iraq and global warming. I wanted to find a way to talk about these issues in my painting and so began making figurative work based on photographs taken of me dressed in costume. Painting myself twice in each work is a strategy to indicate implication - myself and the ‘other’ as being somewhat dubious and tacky. The other work continues to be based on persistent images/icons from the past (and not so past) that continue to resonate strongly as memory”. (Grant Corbishley 1 March 2008 - email to Warwick Henderson Gallery)

It is several years since Grant has mounted a one-man show in Auckland. This is a fine new exhibition from this skillful Wellington artist and well worth viewing.