While bold lashes of colour and unique canvases (brush stroked skateboards, anyone?) no doubt demand attention, the artist’s struggle to distinguish himself is what has, in fact, inspired him. Brad Robson’s first solo exhibition, a paint work homage to New York City, is the result of everything he learned during a recent study trip and consequential month-long residency in New York.
Describing his muse as “a place that’s so large and has so many people that it seems impossible to stand out from the crowd, blending in with the masses or being swallowed up by the day to day grind,” Robson’s works focus on the city’s skyline. But the rumblings of New York’s fast-paced daily life ensure his paintings are no tourist’s interpretation. Drippings and sponged dabbings, layered upon a colour wheel’s worth of tones, create frenetic, wildly imaginative scenes. Robson’s ability to convey the city’s energy through severely abstract imagery is remarkable. And each work is really just super pretty, to boot.
The skateboards will obviously be a talking point. Robson has taken one of the most vivid representations of street culture and blasted his signature mural work across each deck. The Sydney-based artist has worked his magic over walls at the SBS studios, Erskinville’s Hive Bar and the Australian Museum’s fabulous educational hub, the Jurassic Lounge which often features live music and further after-hours revelry.