“It’s all to do with humanity.”
In his book, The Sun, Moon and Stars that accompanied the installation, Watene says that while searching for something new and honest to himself he “didn’t have to venture far to realise the art I enjoy is almost absolutely, inherently f*****.”
“Despite my hyper-subjectivity around art-making, I’m a major fan of modernist/post-modernist design (clean, boring s***), and am almost anti-emotive/subjective design (think grungy 90s design).”
He cites such American contemporary artists as Josh Smith, who addresses painting through art historical references that range from expressionism to pop art. Smith’s palm tree paintings recall the near-anarchic colour use of the fauvists. Palm trees also feature in some of Watene’s works including the self-referential FTKP (F*** the Karma Police).
The work is a tribute to tagging culture and a self portrait, says Watene. It also references Radiohead’s song by the same name.
Henry Taylor’s Michael Jackson mural that was part of an urban-grunge flavoured installation, and Joe Bradley’s “weed-induced, paranoia driven” Schmagoo paintings that include caveman-like outlines of forms such as a cross, a fish, a stick man floating in space, also offered Watene that “visual kick in the nuts”.
Watene’s recurrent motif of the simply-drawn smiling face was originally to be a homage to his father “but now it’s a cheeky face, a Cheshire cat”.
Deep in the background of his work is a grunge aesthetic that includes a wave at American artist Robert Rauschenberg who combined painting materials and everyday objects such as clothing and urban debris.
Watene’s work will be presented as an installation by way of an introduction to Gisborne, says Paul Nache Gallery owner Matt Clarke.
“What turned me on to his work is they were all so honest,” he says.
