Urban Abstract at Fiksate, Friday 25 October

This Friday sees the opening of Fiksate’s latest group exhibition, Urban Abstract. A long time in the making, the show represents something of a passion project for the Fiksate crew. An exploration of abstraction within the urban art realm, the show will bring together a diverse roster, including Poland’s Pener, Aotearoa heavyweights Elliot O’Donnell, TOGO, Melinda Butt and Levi Hawken, and local artists Tepid, Bols and Dr Suits. These artists represent a number of approaches and interests in abstract work, from Hawken’s concrete sculptural forms, to TOGO’s photographic and videographic documentation of his in situ practice, as well as a wall painting by Fiksate’s own Dr Suits. Other artists explore gestural painting, collage, stencils and more, all with distinct signatures. While abstraction has long roots in urban art, it has not been explored locally to any significant degree, a fact that Urban Abstract seeks to address, celebrating the emergence of urban contemporary’s diversity. As with all Fiksate shows, the drinks and atmosphere will be supplied and with a few surprises in store, it is most definitely worth marking the date in your calendar…

Urban Abstract opens Friday, October 25th, from 5pm. The show will run until November 29. Fiksate is located at 165 Gloucester Street.

And That Was… September 2019 (with Dr Suits)

This month I asked Fiksate’s Dr Suits to look back over the month of September. While normally this series highlights events and additions to the streets, guest contributors continue to bring a fresh perspective to the experience of living in Christchurch as a creative city. Dr Suits is a compulsive creator, with a prodigious output. His paintings serve as progressive studies that track his ongoing visual evolution. His abstractions are entwined with the surrounding urban environment, and as his list illustrates, he is hyper aware of the intriguing details of the cracked concrete and applications of paint around Christchurch. The direction of influence is unclear, as he suggests: “I’m not sure whether the urban photos inspire my work or my work dictates what I shoot. But I use images of buildings and textures to help with compositions, shapes, forms, textures, line and colour in my work all the time. And when I take photos, I’m looking for content which translates back to my work, so it’s a bit of a circular process.” It is no surprise then, that his list is a collection of intimate snapshots of urban surfaces and how they influence his work, reflections on how we can perceive and recontextualise the aesthetics around us. With that said, in true Dr Suits fashion, he declares dryly: “I try not to over think it to be honest.”

The Contrast of Concrete

I’m into looking at surfaces and seeing how others have interacted with them. I get satisfaction from the angle of line someone made when they cut and fixed the concrete footpath, the contrast of the old and new surface material really interests me. It’s not something I usually talk about with my mates though: “Yo, check out the change of the angle in that line in the concrete, that’s nice!”

The Buff Squad

As much as I love urban art and graf, I really do appreciate how layers of buff form abstract compositions on buildings. The different shades of grey that never match, often in square or rectangular arrangements. They are often accidentally beautiful. The buff squad should have their own Instagram feed. If they do can you send me the tag? I’m literally checking now to see if they do…

Diagonal Lines

Then there’s diagonal lines, I love them. In the physical world they are everywhere. They are designed to stand out and grab our attention. I have used them quite a lot in my work over the past few years and I’m constantly exploring the dynamic impact they can have in a composition.

Yellow All Around

Yellow is super visible, and from a long distance. Yellow cuts through. I like yellow lines. Yellow traffic poles, yellow road markings, yellow lines. Yellow is bloody great. It appears in my work regularly, especially in combination with black.

What is This Wizardry?

I was down at the Thompson Park skate bowl in North New Brighton. It had recently been buffed out PEEEP grey (if you know, you know). Some absolute fucking genius had used a black spray can to mark out all the seam lines in the concrete to highlight the wizardry behind the intricate shapes used to form the skate bowl. Now this is urban abstract art at its finest…

Dr Suits will be featured in Fiksate’s upcoming exhibition Urban Abstract, which will also feature Elliot O”Donnell, TOGO, Levi Hawken, Tepid and Pener… Opening October 25th (more to come on that!)…

Follow Dr Suits on Instagram

Follow Fiksate on Instagram and Facebook, and check out their website…

Carnaby Lane Party Recap

New Brighton’s Carnaby Lane got an impressive facelift over Canterbury Anniversary weekend, with several notable artists producing an array of works along the bright green wall that frames the small laneway. With the sun beating down and DJs Ruse and Nacoa providing the musical backdrop, Wongi ‘Freak’ Wilson, Joel Hart and Dr Suits (assisted by his Fiksate crew-mate Porta) captured the imaginations of the passing crowds. Throughout the day the artists, all working in close vicinity, provided intimate insights into how their work comes together. The relaxed but vibrant atmosphere, created by the mixture of music, food, drinks and art, as well as the ideal summer conditions, made for a perfect storm. We were there throughout the day and captured the artists in action…

The Carnaby Lane Party on Saturday, 19th November.

Wongi ‘Freak’ Wilson: Wongi’s work, the largest of the three, depicts a monotone female figure, with her hand thrust forward, two fingers raised in a peace sign, the hand bursting to life in colour and sharp detail. A segmented disc of translucent yellow, orange, pink and purple separates the figure and the hand, framing the image and popping against the dark grey background. Wongi noted that he had chosen the image to play with a “beachy vibe” in honour of the location, but without the usual cliché, instead of seagulls or surfers, his character has a summery, music festival feel. The image is another example of Wongi’s ever impressive photo realistic technique, highlighting his aerosol mastery, an expertise that was made apparent to the crowds that stopped and watched the Christchurch legend in action, gaining insight into the sketching and refining process with which he builds form and brings his images to life.

Wongi refers to the original image on his phone, an example of how technology plays a part in his working process

Wongi starts to bring the detailed hand to life with colour, while his toolbox lies in the foreground

Nearing completion, Wongi makes some final touches

Joel Hart: Joel’s signature work, titled ‘The Shadows’ was an impressive sight coming to fruition, highlighting his swag bag of techniques and sure-handed processes, from his large stencil plates to the use of screens to print directly on the wall. The female portrait, her hand extended outward and three butterflies fluttering above, is indicative of Hart’s current body of work, where he is experimenting with “more-multi-layered” details of patterns and embellishments that reward inspection. Assisted by young up and comer Jacob Root (Distranged Design), Joel’s greyscale subject is brought to life by the violet backdrop and flashes of pink and green that all deftly play off the garish bright green wall behind his work.

Joel Hart works with one of his large stencil plates

Joel Hart’s finished work, ‘The Shadows’

Dr Suits: Dr Suits’ geometric abstraction provides a unique example in the context of Christchurch’s mural scene, suggesting an exciting direction for the artist. The work draws on Dr Suits’ ongoing exploration of printmaking and mixed media techniques, here transferred to a wall and the colours heightened and flattened out to create a crisp, vibrant composition that pops off the wall and draws the eye in multiple directions. Detail is added in a section where the black paint is pulled, rubbed and scratched to mimic printing techniques. For Dr Suits the piece is indicative of his preoccupation with creating works that can be “translated by the individual but have no certainty”, instead evoking more visceral or emotive responses fed by associations of memory.

Dr Suits’ wall, marked out with blocks of colour being added

Porta takes on the technician role and tapes up an area of Dr Suits’ work

Carnaby Lane Party, New Brighton

Local businesses have been busy transforming New Brighton’s Carnaby Lane, and on Saturday, November 18, the lane will host a party to celebrate! While the event will feature DJs, live music, food and drink, and Lego (don’t worry, this will make sense on Saturday!), perhaps most notably, several of Christchurch’s leading street artists will be painting live throughout the day. Wongi Wilson, Joel Hart and Nathan Ingram (aka Dr Suits) have each been allocated a wall space to adorn in their signature styles, adding some colourful vibrancy to lane. John Collins, who alongside his wife Alesha owns BearLion Foods in Carnaby Lane, explains that when he developed the idea to revamp the popular but downtrodden laneway, street art was always a key component to his vision. While the laneway has seen the addition of landscaping, lighting and other amenities, the murals will provide a unique element, especially since the participating artists are some of the most prominent in Christchurch’s urban art and mural scene. Collins grew up in Melbourne and witnessed the rise of that city’s impressive street art reputation, even painting in the famed city’s streets himself. This interest extended to his global travels, and sparked the recognition that what was painted on walls often had a transformative effect on the surrounding spaces. Collins notes that while his painting days have finished, he is excited to see what effect Wongi, Joel and Nathan’s work will have on the laneway:

“When we took over the lease for a shop in Carnaby Lane, my wife and I had always agreed how ugly that bright green wall (facing our door) was and how great it would be to get some street art to create some vibrancy for the lane. Three years later the opportunity has now been handed to us and we are super stoked to have three pieces being painted by three awesome local artists. I can’t wait to watch the boys complete their pieces and the impact it will have on the lane.”

For New Brighton local Nathan Ingram, who is a founder of Fiksate Studio and Gallery in New Brighton Mall, the laneway event was an immediately attractive opportunity. Ingram jumped at the chance to paint one of the wall panels, both to expand his own practice outside of his paste-up and studio work, and as a way to contribute to his community. He has been excited by the range of events hosted in New Brighton this summer and sees the Carnaby Lane Party as another occasion for the seaside village to celebrate the local community’s positive and creative spirit.

The Carnaby Lane Party kicks off on Saturday 18^th November at 11am, and runs through to 6pm, so get along and watch some of the city’s best execute their craft live. More details can be found at the event’s Facebook page: Carnaby Lane Party, New Brighton.