Unconventional artists heading for success

A painter and a sculptor have combined their talents to create a unique piece of art.

Painting in a Bubble, by Matt Arbuckle and Tim Webber, is on display until Saturday as part of the Unitec Grad Show.

The pair are considered names to watch out for in the art world and their unconventional approach is attracting plenty of attention.

Mr Arbuckle, a painter from St Heliers, and Mr Webber, a sculptor, drew a large crowd to their first public exhibition recently held in Auckland city.

The show featured a collection of Mr Arbuckle’s paintings of well-known cartoon characters that have been distressed and a giant inflatable road cone, lifesaver ring and a beach ball chair by Mr Webber.

Mr Webber, from Howick, says it seemed natural to work with Mr Arbuckle.

"We work well together because we have similar views on art and design.

"I like to exaggerate objects on a large scale and have fun with it and Matt’s paintings are also about poking fun at traditional art."

They are keen to work together again.

"Our aim this year was to do a show outside of Unitec which we’ve done and so we’re definitely keen to do some more," says Mr Arbuckle.

He was recently runner-up in the prestigious Wallace Art Awards.

Mr Arbuckle’s paintings feature recognisable cartoon characters that he deconstructs to come up with the finished product.

His works have been showcased in Auckland, Wellington
and Christchurch.

"I’m always looking at ways of challenging the notion of what traditional art should be like which is why I’ve taken something that people can recognise and peeled back the layers to expose them," Mr Arbuckle says.

Mr Webber has created a number of giant-sized inflatable pieces.

"The idea of safety is a notion that is commonly associated with inflatable objects so my work is based around this idea and how it can be exaggerated, challenged and displayed," he says.

The annual Unitec Grad Show is the biggest event on the calendar for Unitec’s departments of architecture, landscape architecture, design and visual arts and for the first time performing and screen arts students.

They will transform building one into a massive art gallery and showcase the projects they have worked on throughout the year.

- © Fairfax NZ News