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Artist Statement:
What lies behind the faces
that we show to the world is a
constant theme for Adelaide
Hills artist Chris Wake. Her
latest exhibition plays with
this idea in a carnival
setting, with jugglers,
acrobats and magicians, even a
nude opera diva, playing and
cavorting through circus and
outdoor scenes, with masks on
or at hand.
The effect is droll and
somehow disturbing. Paintings
are antipodean with characters
have Nolanesque eyes that
follow the viewer, or look
sideways in unease or alarm.
Tilted heads turn away from
each other creating a sense
that in spite of the festive
setting characters are caught
in their own private and
possibly nightmare universes.
Participating in the Singapore
Art Fair 2006 (showcasing
collectable contemporary
artworks from all over Asia) ,
Wake`s work was very well
received. Her work is in
private and corporate
collections around Australia
and overseas. Chris Wake was
born in Adelaide in 1960, and
has been painting since 1976
with her last three
exhibitions a sell out,
serious art collectors are
buying. Fine art galleries
representing Chris Wake :
Adelaide Kensington Gallery,
Sydney Maree Mizon Gallery,
Perth Stafford Studios, Hong
Kong Southern Art Exchange,
Singapore Opera Gallery.
Current exhibitions,
publications and biography
...
Further Information
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Artist Exhibitions:
RE: Sovereign Asian Art Prize
2008, sponsored by Barclays,
Cathay Pacifc & others
Chris Wake a finalist for
2008,30 Finalists out of over
1100 entries.
Judges Uli sigg
international advisory council
Tate Gallery London, Peter
Aspden Financial Times Arts
Writer, Pamela Kember Art
Historian & lecturer Academy
of Visual Art, Victoria ...
Further Information
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Artist Galleries:
Hong Kong
Southern Art Exchange
georgie@southernexchange.com.au
Australia
Sydney
House of Phillips Fine Art
Adelaide
Kensington Gallery, Norwood
kengall@bigpond.com
Perth
Stafford Studios, Cottlesloe,
ACGA member
artstaff@iinet.net.au...
Further Information
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Artist Reviews:
Coming Soon!
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Collections:
Chris Wake paintings are in
Private and corporate
collections including a
private art museum in
Australia, UK, USA, Hong Kong,
Singapore,India, Korea...
Further Information
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Commissions:
Coming Soon!
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Chris Wake Biography:
| Biographical information for Chris Wake can be found below. The artist may choose what information to display. Sometimes the artist chooses not to display personal information to the general public. |
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| Children |
99
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| Favorite Arthistory Movement |
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| Favorite Visual Artist |
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| Favorite Work of Art |
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| Biggest Artistic Inspiration |
"Theatre of the mind" explores the ability of the human brain to develop our imagination create our own play or story through a subconscious collection of memories and experiences. My theory is we all have the ability to imagine another reality if we create the time and get in to the right mindspace. Imagination is what totally absorbs me as an artist and I feel that I must take my viewers on a journey to another place that is not reality. My work expresses the freedom to create whatever comes into my head and encourages the viewer to ponder and discuss what the painting is about.
Some of the work is based on a well known play written by Samuel Beckett in 1948 called Waiting For Godot and first performed in 1952 on French radio. I studied the play while I was at school a long time ago and while many people see it as a play that is much ado about nothing, I feel it is still very relevant today. The play is essentially about a group of people who come together to amuse themselves and pass the time while they wait for the mysterious character Godot to arrive. Diversions such as arguing, sleeping, talking, eating, singing, exercise etc. fill the moments of the play with noise and Godot of course never arrives. I relate this concept to people who also wait for life to happen tomorrow without realizing that your life is unfolding in real time with every second. My last three solo exhibitions have been sell out shows with more serious collectors starting to buy which has kept me working furiously in my studio so that I might bring my paintings to Hong Kong to share them with art lovers beyond my shores.
Inspiration for my paintings comes from various directions I love to watch, absorb and ponder how people interact with each other everywhere I go whether it is at a gathering, beach or food market ,I am always observing. In Adelaide we have an arts festival called the Fringe which is an apt description because the performers are on the edge of convention and their art is a considerable distance away from conservatism. There are clowns, acrobats, comedians, musicians and extraverts providing me with fantastic fodder for my work. I find inspiration for my compositions in the theatre: operas, musicals, plays concerts evoke my imagination from a voyeuristic point of view, just as I hope to stimulate those who come to this exhibition. This eclectic mix of performance and behaviour pervades my thoughts and constantly swims around in my head.
I usually jot down some notes or sketch ideas, I then choose the characters I want to cast and paint the scene. Recently one of the characters of previous paintings has resurfaced and will be appearing in this exhibition. Constable 712 ( constable Fitzpatrick) who was the sly manipulative fox involved in the infamous Australian story of Bush ranger Ned Kelly`s death in 1880. The nude opera diva makes regular appearances in my paintings. She is an extrovert and demands to be the center of attention, so talented is the diva she does not need clothing to enhance her presence nor does she care about her breasts swinging at the table because to her it is just the skin we are all born with. There are clowns and quite often they will have masks to further deceive their true identity and usually there is a sinister character lurking in background I am not really sure why he is there but it may have something to do with a dysfunctional relationship I had with my stepfather as a child.
I always paint on linen as I think the weave and slub adds character although it is much more expensive, it is better than any other type of canvas as it lasts for hundreds of years. The paintings start with notes or sketches in a visual diary, then I move onto the canvas and sketch with paint a rough composition before I paint the first layer. There is a lot of walking to and fro from the easel so you can see what you are doing, the layers go on quite vigorously and I sculpt on generous quanities of luscious paint. The work is deliberately neutral with some strong colour accents to avoid confusing the eye of the viewer. The whole exhibition will be on my website for convenient viewing at www.artcw.com.au
I live on a patch of paradise in the Adelaide Hills next to the Mt. Lofty Botanic Gardens, the local area lush and green with many wonderful vineyards and commercial vegetable gardens nearby and because of the abundance of trees we are privaledged to live with many different birds. These birds make their way into my paintings just to celebrate nature Blue Wren, Finch, Black Cockatoo, Parrots, White cockatoo, Magpie, Honey Eaters, Crows, Kookaburras, Water Hens and Wood Ducks. These birds just go about their business, sing their wonderful songs and live their life in relative harmony and this brings me to a deep concern of mine about our natural environment that is the main reason why a bird, flowers or a eucalypt branch may appear in a painting as it is my subtle way of reminding people about our responsibility to leave the planet in good order to future generations of all species flora and fauna it does not belong soley to homo sapiens. Sharing a meal and a glass of wine is a constant theme in my paintings and it is also reflected in my real life as I love to bring people together and cook for them. Gathering together and sharing food is a human trait and it practiced one way or another in every culture on our planet and so I believe life should be celebrated as we are here for a good time not a long time.
Recently I have spent 10 weeks traveling to Tokyo, Russia and Europe and the trip was very inspirational and It would be very beneficial to my art practice to continue journeys to different countries to soak up culture and nature. To be able to live and paint for a while in different cultures would be enriching and expanding.
While building my art career I have been working in a similar capacity to a landscape architect.
I have worked on various types of large and small scale commercial and residential projects over the years with my partner running the construction side of the business. Together we have won several awards for our work and the business still continues but I am no longer involved as painting has totally dominated my life. One of the most enriching activities in my small amount of spare time is to get dirt under my fingernails. I love being close to nature and I have worked steadily over the past three years to convert our sheep paddock into a garden. With help I have planted a formal rose garden with mainly French and English roses, a pleached Persimmon walk, a Zen garden, a butterfly garden, an orchard and my most favorite place is the conversation pit with the wood oven and chiminea under the vine. To sit by the fire at night with a glass of red wine and good conversation is one of the most enjoyable things in life quite often the simple things are the best. My next project is to build productive vegetable garden as there is nothing to compare with picking your own old fashioned scarlet runner beans, tomatoes or broccoli.
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| Why Did You Become An Artist |
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| Your Personal Biography |
What lies behind the faces that we show to the world is a constant theme for Adelaide Hills artist Chris Wake. Her latest exhibition plays with this idea in a carnival setting, with jugglers, acrobats and magicians, even a nude opera diva, playing and cavorting through circus and outdoor scenes, with masks on or at hand.
The effect is droll and somehow disturbing. Paintings are antipodean with characters have Nolanesque eyes that follow the viewer, or look sideways in unease or alarm. Tilted heads turn away from each other creating a sense that in spite of the festive setting characters are caught in their own private and possibly nightmare universes.
Participating in the Singapore Art Fair 2006 (showcasing collectable contemporary artworks from all over Asia) , Wake`s work was very well received. Her work is in private and corporate collections around Australia and overseas. Chris Wake was born in Adelaide in 1960, and has been painting since 1976 with her last three exhibitions a sell out, serious art collectors are buying. Fine art galleries representing Chris Wake : Adelaide Kensington Gallery, Sydney Maree Mizon Gallery, Perth Stafford Studios, Hong Kong Southern Art Exchange, Singapore Opera Gallery. Current exhibitions, publications and biography go to www.artcw.com.au
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contact artist
