Joel Dickens’ latest solo exhibition titled ‘it’s not the wolf you need to be afraid of’ will be on display at Arthouse Gallery from 8-25 February. In the lead up to the opening Joel sat down with us you discuss the inspiration behind what is major a stylistic development in his work.
What was your motivation to begin working on this exhibition? Is there an overarching theme for this exhibition?
If there is an overarching theme it might be that things aren’t always as they seem: that when someone is bad there is always someone worse, describing your poverty only serves to reveal your wealth and when you think you have the answer you probably haven’t understood the question.
What was your inspiration for the exhibition?
I am a news junky. Subject matter for the paintings comes primarily from news stories. These come from different sources, the paper and the radio mostly. I have a shocking memory, so painting has become a way of recording historical events be they personal, social or political.
Did you draw inspiration from any other artist’s work?
My points of reference have not changed much over the years, I love Willem DeKooning, Jackson Pollock, Karel Appel, Pablo Picasso, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Marc Rothko. I also love Hogarth, Bacon and Bosch. I suppose, over the year, I have looked more closely at history painting in general, from Delecroix’s ‘Liberty’ to Picasso’s ‘Guernica’.
What is your favourite environment to work in?
Quiet, private and as big as possible.
Have you changed the way you approached making your art working on this exhibition?
The main change would be the studio environment and the understanding of how that environment can impact upon the work. Some were painted in a huge warehouse space in Taylor Square, some in my friend’s studio in ultimo, some in my father-in-law’s garage and some in my studio at home. I have learned to embrace the environment and let it influence the work rather than trying to work against it.
Have you used any new techniques or materials for this exhibition?
I’ve been using more paint poles and rollers.
Why did you use the materials and techniques you did to capture your vision?
The act of painting involves making choices and troubleshooting, in this way it is analogous to life. The materials I use allow me to make decisions quickly…keep and adjust or scrub out and paint over. The work is produced as quickly as possible.
Do you feel as though this exhibition has marked a particular change or development in your career creatively?
There is an obvious leaning towards the abstract. I want my work to be less prescriptive, more open to interpretation.
What did you hope to express through the artworks?
I hope to have recorded my own emotional reaction to the world.
What reaction would do you hope to invoke in the audiences that come and see the exhibition?
I would hope the audience takes its time viewing the work. Some people think these paintings are completely abstract whereas I see them as being semi abstract. I’d like to think people will see the characters/faces/forms emerging from the chaos but this will only happen if people spend some time with the works. My depiction of a certain topic, combined with the viewer’s own baggage and take on the world could result in something unique, a narrative that extends beyond the picture plane. I would love to think, that from this point, some sort of common empathy might exist between myself, the art and the viewer.
