11 September 2012
john appleton: the hyacinth girl
Get along to Seed gallery to see London-based Kiwi artist John Appleton’s new work.
With over a decade’s experience as a portrait painter, designer and muralist, London based Kiwi artist John Appleton’s new exhibition ‘The Hyacinth Girl’ was always bound to attract serious attention.
Named after TS Eliot’s 1922 poem ‘The Wasteland’, Appleton’s works are highly influenced by classical portraiture; hardly a surprise seeing as he works in the Old Masters department at Christie’s auction house in London. Classic with a tinge of realism, this collection of work combines historical and literary references together with abstract themes of metamorphosis and decorative distortion. The subjects seem as if they’ve emerged from a disaster: a little bit battered, a little bit bruised but most certainly alive and kicking. With beautifully detailed images of floating birds’ heads; mystical cities formed by bird-like creatures; and even an amusing one of a fox in an Elizabethan ruff, this exhibition is sure to startle and provoke.
The Hyacinth Girl exhibition opens on Wednesday 12 September and runs until 29 September.
