The artist who sparked controversy with his Parkin Drawing Prize-winning piece will present an exhibition of work in Wellington.
Douglas Stichbury’s work depicts real and imagined objects lost or redacted from everyday life. His award-winning charcoal drawing Observer is a perfect specimen; upon winning the 2014 Parkin Drawing Prize, the work managed to set off a handful of naysayers who claimed that it was a straight-up rip off of Margaret Bourke-White's 1930s photograph of astronomer Edward Hubble. Stichbury was quick to explain that, like many artists before him, he had indeed taken inspiration from a historically important work of art. As well as picking up the award, the piece has since been described as ‘a virtuoso piece’ and ‘a masterclass in monochromatic rendering’.
Stichbury is currently based in Switzerland and has participated in artist residencies in Zurich, Austria and Germany. Deleted Scenes will see him bring home Observer as well as a collection of large charcoal drawings and smaller oil paintings. They'll be on show at {Suite} Gallery until April 25.