The Fire of Change
MICHAEL DUNN
Dark, mysterious and full of atmospheric effects of fire, haze, mist and vapour, the new paintings of Garry Currin have a compelling presence that draws the gaze and engages the mind. As a mature painter in his sixties who has a long exhibition history behind him, Garry Currin builds on his previous work in , his latest show at Auckland’s Whitespace, consolidating it rather than embarking on anything totally new. His style is established and his paintings have been shown at venues throughout the country in regional as well as the main centres. He paints in the traditional genre of landscape, once the primary art form in New Zealand and still a prominent feature of contemporary practice. Yet he has not been included in the main books on New Zealand painting and, compared with popular landscape painters such as Grahame Sydney, his work has received limited critical attention. This may be because his paintings can appear conservative compared with more descriptive and naturalistic images or because of his introspective nature. Certainly his art justifies more
