Milford Galleries Dunedin18 Dowling Street (03) 477 7727 info@milfordhouse.co.nz

www.milfordgalleries.co.nz

INTRODUCING MARC BLAKE & TIM THATCHER9th OCTOBER - 3rd NOVEMBER, 2010

MARC BLAKE

1. MARC BLAKE, Everything I've Ever Known (2009) acrylic, graphite, colour pencil, pigment ink & UVLS varnish on board, diptych; panels overall

acrylic, graphite, colour pencil, pigment ink & UVLS varnish on board, diptych; panels overall (v x h x d): 1203 x 2400 x 46 mm

1. DETAIL VIEW MARC BLAKE, Everything I've Ever Known (2009)

1. DETAIL VIEW MARC BLAKE, Everything I've Ever Known (2009)

2. MARC BLAKE, Waking Up [JC] (2010), acrylic, graphite, colour pencil, pigment ink & UVLS varnish on board, panel (v x h x d): 601 x 1201 x 47 mm

2. DETAIL VIEW MARC BLAKE, Waking Up [JC] (2010)

3. MARC BLAKE, Fucking Paradise (2010), acrylic, graphite, colour pencil, pigment ink & UVLS varnish on board, panel (v x h x d): 598 x 597 x 47 mm

3. DETAIL VIEW MARC BLAKE, Fucking Paradise (2010)

4. MARC BLAKE, Fleeting (2009), acrylic, colour pencil, pigment ink, posca & UVLS varnish on board, panel (v x h x d): 500 x 530 x 46 mm

4. DETAIL VIEW MARC BLAKE, Fleeting (2009)

5. MARC BLAKE, Look Out (2010)

acrylic, graphite, colour pencil, pigment ink & UVLS varnish on board, panel (v x h x d): 196 x 200 x 46 mm

6. MARC BLAKE, La Danse des Casseurs (2010)

acrylic, graphite, colour pencil, pigment ink & UVLS varnish on board, panel (v x h x d): 196 x 200 x 46 mm

Marc Blake 2010 CV Milford Galleries Dunedin www.milfordgalleries.co.nz

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MARC BLAKE b. 1974, lives Sydney, Australia

Waking Up [JC] 2010

“Memories of what was are left as shadows, rubbed out, scratched off, fuzzy and

disappearing into the coloured wood grain. In areas the background becomes the

foreground or the sea becomes the sky but all of the elements seem to work together, finding

grounding in the grain of the wood. The illusion of three-dimensional space is only suggested

by light stains in a natural grain or in the size of the specific elements in the work.” (1)

“All of my pictures come partly from my own life or experience, but I’m also influenced by

external or global media events too… it’s a combination of what is directly around me in real

life, as well as what we can hunt down intentionally or just stumble across accidentally.” (2)

“I have been predominantly interested during this period in my own local environment of Kings

Cross, as well as a reflection on New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific region during a period

of financial instability and relative future social, political and environmental uncertainty.” (3)

1. Eva Burns, Marc Blake- New Text, 2010 2. Marc Blake, 2009 3. Marc Blake, 2010

Marc Blake was born in Auckland where he lived and studied gaining a Bachelor of Arts in

English Literature from the University of Auckland. In 2002 he moved to Japan where he lived

for four years before returning to New Zealand and on to Sydney where he now lives and

works. Blake has exhibited regularly since 2002. He has participated in solo and group

exhibitions at private galleries and public institutions including the Kyoto Cultural Museum,

BankART Yokohama, and the Auckland Art Gallery. He has been a finalist in a number of

awards such as The Wallace Trust Award and Anthony Harper Award for Contemporary Art.

His works are in private collections throughout New Zealand and abroad as well as part of the

Wallace Trust Collection.

Marc Blake 2010 CV Milford Galleries Dunedin www.milfordgalleries.co.nz

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MARC BLAKE b. 1974, lives Sydney, Australia

EDUCATION

Bachelor of Arts (English Literature), University of Auckland

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2008 ‘Nothing Like This’, Backspace, Christchurch

2007 ‘Condensed History’, Aveia Gallery, Auckland

‘Where It All Begins’, Backspace Gallery, Christchurch

2006 ‘Watergarden’, Arts Council Koganecho, Yokohama, Japan

2000 ‘New Paintings’, EON, Auckland

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2010 Introducing Marc Blake and Tim Thatcher, Milford Galleries Dunedin

Wallace Art Awards, Auckland

Anna Pappas Gallery, Melbourne

2008 Wallace Art Awards, Auckland

New Zealand Painting & Printmaking Award, Auckland

Anthony Harper Award for Contemporary Art, Christchurch

New Zealand Fashion Week, Auckland

2007 ‘Off The Wall Project’, Auckland Art Gallery, Auckland

‘Light and Dark’, Satellite Gallery, Auckland

Backspace, Wellington, New Zealand

2006 ‘In the Midst’ (with Jos Wheeler) (independent), Auckland

2005 3rd Annual Amuse Artjam, Kyoto Cultural Museum, Kyoto, Japan

FIVE (with Ko Masuda), BankART Studio NYK, Yokohama, Japan

AWARDS

2010 Finalist, Annual Wallace Art Awards

2008 Finalist, New Zealand Painting & Printmaking Award

Finalist, Anthony Harper Award for Contemporary Art

Finalist, Annual Wallace Art Awards

2005 Two month studio residency & exhibition, BankART NYK, Yokohama, Japan

Finalist, 3Rd Annual Amuse Inc. Artjam, Kyoto Cultural Museum, Kyoto, Japan

COLLECTIONS

The James Wallace Trust

Everything I’ve Ever Known (2009)

T IM THATCHER

1. TIM THATCHER, Void Memorial (2009), oil on canvas, stretcher (v x h x d): 1013 x 760 x 33 mm

1. DETAIL VIEW TIM THATCHER, Void Memorial (2009)

2. TIM THATCHER, Fortified with Ascending Arrangements (2010)

oil on canvas, stretcher (v x h x d): 1013 x 758 x 33 mm

2. DETAIL VIEW TIM THATCHER, Fortified with Ascending Arrangements (2010)

3. TIM THATCHER, Untitled (Room) (2010), oil on canvas, stretcher (v x h x d): 913 x 710 x 33 mm

3. DETAIL VIEW TIM THATCHER, Untitled (Room) (2010)

4. TIM THATCHER, Shelter (2010)

5. TIM THATCHER, Eternal Flame (2010)

oil on canvas, stretcher (v x h x d): 303 x 226 x 20 mm

oil on canvas, stretcher (v x h x d): 303 x 225 x 20 mm

6. TIM THATCHER, Untitled (Table with Flowers) (2010)oil on canvas, stretcher (v x h x d): 302 x 226 x 20 mm

7. TIM THATCHER, Platform (2010)oil on canvas, stretcher (v x h x d): 303 x 226 x 20 mm

8. TIM THATCHER, Untitled (Tree Stump) (2010)oil on canvas, stretcher (v x h x d): 303 x 225 x 20 mm

Tim Thatcher 2010 CV Milford Galleries Dunedin www.milfordgalleries.co.nz

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TIM THATCHER b. 1982, lives Wellington

“Space does not permit much description of his extraordinary imagery, Tree stumps can

morph into volcanoes spouting empty word balloons; submarines hover in the sky above a

snow-covered landscape; half-painted figures of animals are arranged in stage-like settings. It

is a mixture of Salvador Dali, late Phillip Guston and Ross Ritchie, ‘a dry surrealism’. (1)

“He values elements of roughness and awkwardness…He seeks balance between certainty

and uncertainty. This reflects his working method, which is to start off with an image chosen

more or less at random, then to develop it. At that point ‘things just happen’. (2)

“In recent work he depicts fanciful constructions made from small logs and twigs. These drawn

objects themselves rarely come into existence as sculpture.

“It’s not about making the objects,” he says, “it’s about making objects exist by just thinking

about them. It’s your imagination that makes that happen. Drawing is a conversation

between my mind and hand.” (2)

1. Warwick Brown, Seen this Century, Godwit, 2009

2. ibid

3. Sue Gardiner, “Where to Draw the Line…”, Art News, Spring 2006

Tim lives and works in Wellington. In 2006 he gained a Master of Fine Arts with First Class Honors

from Elam School of Fine Arts in Auckland. He has regularly exhibited work since 2005 both

within dealer galleries and public institutions including the Christchurch City Art Gallery, Te Tuhi

Gallery in Auckland, and in 2010 his work was exhibited at the Hirshfeld Gallery at the

Wellington City Art Gallery. His paintings and drawings are in private and public collections

including the James Wallace Trust.

Tim Thatcher 2010 CV Milford Galleries Dunedin www.milfordgalleries.co.nz

P a g e | 2

TIM THATCHER b. 1982, lives Wellington

EDUCATION

2009 Post Graduate Diploma of Education

2006 MFA (Hons),Elam School of Fine Arts, University of Auckland

Bachelor of Design, Unitec (Hons), Auckland

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2009 Stick & Stones, Anna Bibby Gallery, Auckland

2008 Nowherenow, Anna Bibby Gallery, Auckland

2007 A Decent Twitch, Anna Bibby Gallery, Auckland

2006 Nothing, Gallery East, Hamilton

2005 Pattern of Expectation, Anna Bibby Gallery, Auckland

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2010 Introducing Marc Blake and Tim Thatcher, Milford Galleries Dunedin

Hirshfeld Gallery, Wellington

2009 Cloud 9 , Christchurch City Art Gallery, Christchurch.

2008 A Generous Eye, works from the James Wallace collection. Toss Wollaston, Sarah Hughes,

Michael Parakowhai, Philip Trustum, Francis Upritchard and Tim Thatcher. The Dowse Museum

Painting In the digital age,. Te Tuhi, Auckland

2007 Painting In the digital age, Sarah Hughes, Andrew Mcleod, Darryn George and Tim Thatcher..

Pataka gallery, Porirua.

2006 Collections, George Fraser Gallery, Auckland

Group show, Anna Bibby Gallery, Newmarket

2005 Bring your Caddy, Elam Masters, Stanbeth House, Auckland

Guernica, Custom’s Street gallery. Auckland

AWARDS

Finalist James Wallace Trust

COLLECTIONS

The James Wallace Trust

BIBLIOGRAPHY 2007 McNamara, TJ. City and suburbs bathed in colour, NZ Herald, Tuesday, April 24, 2007

2004 McNamara, TJ. The galleries: Trivial ornaments seen in new light, NZ Herald, Tuesday, April 27

2006 Gardiner, Sue. Where to draw the line…Drawing is enjoying a renaissance in biennales and

exhibitions worldwide, Art News, Vol. 26, No. 3, 2006, pp. 74-79

2007 Kedgley, Helen. New Painting: Digital Age, Pataka Gallery, 2007

2007 Amery, Mark. Good Hard Work, Dominion Post, Friday May 25, 2007

2009 Brown, Warwick. Seen This Century, Random House, Auckland, 2009

Two young contemporary artists’, each with a distinctively unique practice are showcased in

‘Introducing Marc Blake and Tim Thatcher’. A surrealist element is prevalent in both, from Marc Blake’s

interrelating animals, natural elements and figures, to Tim Thatcher’s sculptural constructions of items

and objects each artist presents strange and wonderful collections of thought and spaces on painted

surfaces.

Marc Blake’s figures are grounded in the illusionary space created by shaded wood grain. Mountains,

clouds, lakes and grasslands appear as if apparitions from the wood creating a landscape for his

characters and objects to exist in. Golden manicured trees sprout from and balloons glide across the

painting surface in ‘Everything I’ve Ever known’, where a large bright and vivid rainbow joins two

opposing panels together. A myriad of figures (mostly wearing face masks) play part in a futuristic

‘shoot ‘em up’, creating scenarios that are all too common in the media of today.

The title ‘Fucking Paradise’ is both verb and adjective and the subject matter of the work has strong

connections to the Pacific. What is tourism really doing for New Zealand? A lone yellow eyed penguin

makes his way across the waterfront while a generously sized figure dressed in board shorts looks

towards the sea, perhaps thinking about his afternoon swim, or dinner? The ghostly figures of bungee

jumpers wearing gas masks plummet through the middle of the canvas. Will tourism still be a major

draw-card when the landscape is not?

Environmental issues also manifest in Tim Thatcher’s works - a large tree stump stands where a tree once

was and plants are potted and placed within constructed environments.

Rooms, buildings, sculptures and objects appear from rough and raw oil paint. At times the illusionary

space is clear, but the illusion is shattered when part of the space has been smudged out or painted

over bringing attention to the surface of the canvas and the quality of the paint. In ‘Untitled’ (Room), a

multifaceted room appears, but something is odd about the space, the perspective is skewed and the

surface is ruptured throwing out one’s spatial perception and flattening the illusion of space.

Thatcher’s places may appear strangely familiar. Often motivated by a real space, Thatcher

manipulates and changes the painted environment until the original space no longer exists. In ‘Void

Memorial’ objects are carefully placed together, creating a shrine-like composition. Everyday objects

that could well exist within real spaces have been moved, stacked and manipulated into strange and

peculiar and awkward arrangements giving the works a sense of mystery and the viewer a feeling of

dislocation.

From precise and translucent graphite and acrylic wash to thick, expressive oil paint, both Marc Blake

and Tim Thatcher offer us unique and thought-provoking paintings, showing the calibre of two of New

Zealand’s most exciting emerging artists.

All prices are NZD and include GST; Prices are current at the time of the exhibition

E X H I B I T I O N P R I C E L I S T

MARK B LAKE

1 Everything I've Ever Known (2009) 8,500

2 Waking Up [JC] (2010) 4,000

3 Fucking Paradise (2010) 2,500

4 Fleeting (2009) 2,250

5 Look Out (2010) 500

6 La Danse des Casseurs (2010) 500

T IM THATCHER

1 Void Memorial (2009) 3,500

2 Fortified with Ascending Arrangements (2010) 3,500

3 Untitled (Room) (2010) 3,250

4 Shelter (2010) 950

5 Eternal Flame (2010) 950

6 Untitled (Table with Flowers) (2010) 950

7 Platform (2010) 950

8 Untitled (Tree Stump) (2010) 950