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Darling Portrait Prize 2024 Finalist
Nick Collerson
born Canada 1977, Australia from 1979
Goin' t' be like lightnin' 2024
oil on canvas
‘My painting practice is an allegorical meditation on self. I improvise with familiar motifs of the outside world to speak of common cross-cultural inner experiences that may bring people together in a shared understanding. Drawing on the tradition of poetics from the ancient world, pataphysics and surrealism, my themes include transience, journey, mystery and the life of the psyche. My painting is a metamorphic and symbolic self portrait, painted from observation and attention. During the making of this painting I had been working long hours into the night translating Aristotle’s poetry on meditation. In the dawn Pan meets the Sun.’
Canadian-born Nick Collerson lives and works on Gadigal Land in Sydney. In his practice Collerson reflects on the relative nature of national, social and personal identities, deepened by his meditation practice and research into the poetics of philosophy.
© The artist
The Darling Portrait Prize is a biennial national prize for Australian portrait painting honouring the legacy of Mr L Gordon Darling AC CMG.
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The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders past and present. We respectfully advise that this site includes works by, images of, names of, voices of and references to deceased people.
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