Artists

Liam Gerrard

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Liam Gerrard

Wigmore Driveway, Hahei, New Years Day, 2020, charcoal and pastel on paper , 965mm x 965mm

Biography

Gerrard is an artist whose practice offers a contemporary take on the 17th century still life vanitas. Closely related to memento mori still life, vanitas gently remind us of the fragility and transience of life.

Most recently Gerrard has explored this theme through the depiction of plants and flowers, and other aspects of wildlife that one can find in a garden. The artist has become known for his depictions of the hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) in various states of blossom and decay. In recent months the artist has started to explore the moth as subject matter, an insect which has the average lifespan of one to six months, but in many cases lives for only one to two weeks.

Gerrard is known for the exquisite, meticulous detail with which he paints and draws. Notions of the passing of time are made apparent not only through his chosen subject matter but by the very processes that he employs.

In the case of his floral works Gerrard titles each work by the location in which the flower was discovered. In doing so Gerrard ensures the works embody a sense of place; an insight into the artist’s travels as he encounters each of his carefully selected subjects at specific moments in time.

 

BIOGRAPHY

BORN: 1984, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland

LIVES: Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland

EDUCATION: Bachelor of Fine Arts, Elam School of Fine Arts, University of Auckland

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY: ‘Liam Gerrard – Wilt & Wing’, VIVA Magazine, NZ Herald, Sept 22, ‘Five Minutes with Liam Gerrard’ Denizen Magazine, Spring Issue, pg 221, ‘The Right Head Space’ by Fiona Ralph, Viva, Feb 2015; ‘Visions of life and mortality’ by Terry McNamara, The New Zealand Herald, Feb 2015; ‘Surreal portraits of familiar faces’ by Terry McNamara, The New Zealand Herald, Apr 2014; ‘Beginner’s Luck’, Denizen, Issue 8, Spring 2013, p 32; ‘Startling & Surreal’ by Sophie Burton, Denizen, Issue 6, Autumn 2013, p 44; ‘An ocean of talent’ by Terry McNamara, The New Zealand Herald, Jul 2012; ‘A Necessary Evil’ by Will Pollard, Presence, Nov 2012; ‘Hazy space obscures its artists’ by Terry McNamara, The New Zealand Herald, May 2011; ‘Artist/Musician/Metalhead’ by Fiona Ralph, No Magazine, Issue 10, Winter 2010, p 106; ‘Project’ by Paul Flynn, Artist Profile, 2010, Issue 11, pg 130; ‘Talent Show’ by Rose Hoare and Sarah Murray, Sunday, May 2010, p 21

AWARDS: Craigs Aspiring Art Prize – Winner (2018); Parkin Drawing Prize – Finalist (2017), Walker And Hall Waiheke Art Award - Winner (2016); Cliftons Art Prize - Auckland Winner (2016); Adam Portraiture Awards - Finalist (2010)

PUBLIC EXHIBITIONS: ArtDEGO, Artweek Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, The Nathan Club (2012); O’Neill: 60 Years of Innovation Global Tour, Worldwide (2012); Game On, Hastings City Art Gallery (2011); Adam Portraiture Awards, The New Zealand Portrait Gallery, Poneke Wellington (2010); Through the Looking Glass, Uxbridge Creative Centre, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland (2010) 
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