With Euan Macleod based in Sydney and Gregory O’Brien in Wellington, the works in this exhibition are a continuation of a trans-Tasman conversation which began in 2009 when O’Brien was writing a monograph on Macleod’s art. Upon completion of that project, the exchange of ideas and perspectives migrated to what would soon become an ongoing series of collaborative works on canvas and paper. At times painting in the same room, at other times in different countries, Macleod and O’Brien relish their divergent approaches to art-making. As O’Brien writes, the collaborations set ‘a painterly manner (Euan’s) alongside my graphic approach, which is probably closer to drawing than painting. Whereas Euan conjures movement, my image-making is static; his work is visceral, mine cerebral. Such contradictions fuel our ongoing project, forcing both of us to step outside our comfort zone.’

Between 2011 and 2020, the two artists travelled to locations ranging from Waiheke Island and the Bay of Plenty to Ashburton and Gore. The resulting images are meditations on provincial, often far-flung places. During the period of the covid-lockdown, O’Brien and Macleod continued working in their separate studios on numerous works-on-paper. The two reconvened in Wellington in April this year to produce a number of new canvases–including On Collaboration–which will be premiered as part of the Ashburton exhibition.

Exhibition opening Sunday 9 October at 2pm. Free public event. All welcome.