Nigel Brown ‘Gaza’
NOTE: Work is not currently able to be purchased on line.
Enquires to Lynn Lawton: 021685737 or [email protected]
Medium: Oil on untrimmed loose canvas
If you look at a lot of books on NZ art there is a certain gap in the political area and no doubt Hotere painted Song of Solomon to boldly rectify that. My work mentions the woman’s point of view from the Song of Solomon but I use a severe poem by David Eggelton, Ashes Curse which is as far from religious forgiveness as you can get. It suggests if you persecute people and bomb them for years they will rise up. It’s a sombre idea. Not to forget Colonialism in NZ either. I also use other phrases of my own in the mix. Gaza Strip in my work is empty but the reality is rubble and human suffering. The long oppression of Palestinians has produced the inevitable result of Hamas and a peace process has been feasible long before this but has failed. Like many people I have protested the Gaza situation and the Palestinian situation has been around all my life time.
Nigel Brown
What makes Nigel Brown’s art practice so appealing is his direct and personal articulation of the realities of the human condition. He is profoundly aware of the relationship between human beings and their environment. In his hands symbolism is a powerful and evocative instrument. Born in Invercargill in 1949, between 1968 and 1971 he attended Elam School of Art, gaining valuable wisdom and inspiration from teachers Robert Ellis, Pat Hanly, Colin McCahon.
