NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Entertainment

Twelve Questions with Askew One - aka Elliot O'Donnell

Sarah Daniell
By Sarah Daniell
Freelance writer ·NZ Herald·
5 Nov, 2012 04:30 PM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Artist Askew One - aka Elliot O'Donnell - takes a break. Picture / Dean Purcell
Artist Askew One - aka Elliot O'Donnell - takes a break. Picture / Dean Purcell

Artist Askew One - aka Elliot O'Donnell - takes a break. Picture / Dean Purcell

Artist Askew One - aka Elliot O'Donnell - is inspired by CK Stead's poem Auckland as he transforms the silos for the Tank Art Project in Auckland's Wynyard Quarter. Last year, Auckland Council painted over his Poynton Tce mural. He believes in 'public art that's not dictated by the council, consent-wise'.

1. What springs to mind when you hear the words "public committee"?

Bureaucratic hoops you must jump through. I'm not a fan of committees. It seems to be about finding a reason something shouldn't happen rather than why it should. People are allowed to have the discussion about art being good or bad - it's vital. But some people appoint themselves as the gatekeepers and it goes against the grain of art, which should be seen as a democratic thing. Ultimately some people are censoring what others see.

2. Define radical?

If you're too radical you're seen as a terrorist. I've been called that - a visual terrorist. A lot of people I know who do what I do propagate that. But I'd attach that term to a lot of advertising I see around the city.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

3. What in nature inspires you?

I look for a lot of colours that are used in nature. In most cases when people paint, they analyse colours in quite a restrictive way. They think tonally. I looked in a more macro way. I looked at things like crystal formations and rock formations. Nature has a way of throwing the most insane combination of colours together.

4. What space is sacrosanct?

Personally, all sorts. Some spaces aesthetically don't gel with what I do. Generally I don't paint places of worship. But maybe I would if it were a derelict church that was no longer used for its purpose. If I were invited to do that I might. I try my very hardest not to be a complete arsehole in what I do.

5. What other visual media excites you and informs your work?

Everything. Photography, moving images, sculpture, old street signs. Old relics that others might miss. I wish there was more hand-painted signwriting in this city. There is a charm to hand-painted signs, even when they're badly done.

Discover more

Entertainment

Twelve Questions with Kirk Torrance

22 Oct 04:30 PM
Entertainment

Twelve questions with Marti Friedlander

24 Oct 04:30 PM
New Zealand

Twelve Questions with Tony Kokshoorn

29 Oct 04:30 PM
Entertainment

Gemma’s Sandy drama

31 Oct 04:30 PM

6. Describe the ideal surface - how does it feel and look?

I like lots of surfaces. When you're working outdoors you have to deal with everything from metal, fibreglass, stucco to smooth concrete. It's probably easier to ask which is my least favourite. That would be vertical corrugated iron fences and unprimed wood fences. Old ones, that soak up the paint.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

7. What city in the world have you felt most liberated, artistically?

Detroit is my favourite city on earth for all the reasons a lot of people find it scary or an abomination. It's a warzone in one of the wealthiest countries in the world. Sixty per cent of it is abandoned. There is despair and crime and yet for all that, it has heart, spirit and soul.

8. When do you feel exposed?

I've felt uncomfortable in London and Sydney. I've felt Sydney jarring way more than, say, LA. The US can be so extreme. The scale in which things can go wrong is unfathomable for someone who comes from New Zealand. In Detroit, 30 per cent of the police force has been laid off. It's kind of self-governed. So surviving there is about knowing how to deal with people. It's an interesting dynamic. You won't see police patrolling, but you'll see a Cadillac patrolling. They're the locals, who are protecting their own interests. That can be interesting because they have guns over there.

9. What are your convictions - other than the ones related to the law?

I feel the world would be a better place if people had a more empathetic, open-hearted view and stopped focusing on the trivial money-related issues. If they took time to look at people sleeping on the street and did something to help. Homelessness in this city is so visible now. It's bad. So is sniffing glue. That's not something I've seen since the 1990s. I think there is a storm brewing in terms of our economy. The worst is yet to come. Social services are far less accessible.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

10. Do you fear acceptance by the mainstream will damage your credibility or your currency?

It's necessary for me to have exposure commercially so there is awareness among the mainstream. I have an agenda which requires that awareness. If I were limited to working at night with limited resources it would be much harder to achieve my goal. I want to create significant large public work that lasts for a long time. Some might say I've sold out. But I have to be realistic about what I can do creatively but also to survive.

11. What is the most vital lesson you have learnt in being schooled by life?

I get instant karma. Honestly, ask anyone I know. If I approach anything with a negative mindset it comes back on me. I try not to be negative. I try to keep a positive vibe. Literally, the world works that way.

12. How do politics drive your work?

There's this perceived anarchy - like the internet or the arts. It's as though they're seen as uncontrollable. I think there is a way bigger disconnect between politics and the way those around me feel about the world. And somewhere along the way we've forgotten that politicians work for us. That informs the subject matter I touch on. I don't believe in aligning yourself with one political party. I voted Labour in my first election. It was my granddad's 70th birthday. There was this sense of optimism. It was when Helen Clark came in just after a hardcore National era and there are a lot of parallels between now and then.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Entertainment

Entertainment

'Magic mix': NZ Youth Choir's stunning win at European competition

07 Jul 03:07 AM
Royals

'Deeply saddened': Children’s theatre pioneer dies at 61 after cancer battle

07 Jul 02:49 AM
Entertainment

Building a Lego-cy: The brick-mad Kiwi mums taking on the legends of Lego

07 Jul 02:00 AM

Sponsored: Get your kids involved in your reno

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Recommended for you
Qantas cyberattack: Potential criminal makes contact with airline
Business

Qantas cyberattack: Potential criminal makes contact with airline

07 Jul 11:00 AM
Mushroom poisoning trial: Court releases photos showing deadly beef wellington
World

Mushroom poisoning trial: Court releases photos showing deadly beef wellington

07 Jul 08:51 AM
Car submerged in Christchurch river, emergency services at scene
Christchurch

Car submerged in Christchurch river, emergency services at scene

07 Jul 08:19 AM
The moment Erin Patterson knew her fate was sealed
World

The moment Erin Patterson knew her fate was sealed

07 Jul 08:17 AM
Health NZ board re-established by Government
New Zealand

Health NZ board re-established by Government

07 Jul 08:03 AM

Latest from Entertainment

'Magic mix': NZ Youth Choir's stunning win at European competition

'Magic mix': NZ Youth Choir's stunning win at European competition

07 Jul 03:07 AM

The choir hit a high note in their first European tour since the pandemic.

'Deeply saddened': Children’s theatre pioneer dies at 61 after cancer battle

'Deeply saddened': Children’s theatre pioneer dies at 61 after cancer battle

07 Jul 02:49 AM
Building a Lego-cy: The brick-mad Kiwi mums taking on the legends of Lego

Building a Lego-cy: The brick-mad Kiwi mums taking on the legends of Lego

07 Jul 02:00 AM
'I'm back baby': Lewis Capaldi returns to NZ for two special shows

'I'm back baby': Lewis Capaldi returns to NZ for two special shows

06 Jul 10:00 PM
Sponsored: Why heat pumps make winter cheaper
sponsored

Sponsored: Why heat pumps make winter cheaper

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP
search by queryly Advanced Search