Peter Miller currently resides in Auckland. A practicing artist since 1993, Miller Graduated with a Diploma in Visual Arts from Manukau Institute of Technology in 1998. He was recently included in Warwick Brown's 2009 publication Seen this Century: 100 Contemporary New Zealand Artists.
'The origin of this work lies in the Dutch Vanitas still life paintings of the 16th and 17th centuries. The Vanitas painters used strong iconic symbolism within their paintings to indicate the transient nature of life and the futility and insignifigance of mankind's pursuits in the face of passing time.
I have chosen to play with same theme, but to reinvent it in a more subtle and personal manner, in the process creating a new reading relative to modern times and open to influence by individual interpretations.
The damaged and broken objects within these paintings are used to indicate the fragility and impermanence of material possessions, and in the process, of life itself. I avoid the strong symbolism of the Vanitas painters, choosing instead to work more subtly, using the objects to create and illusion to a story.
The paintings of the toys hark back to a past era (although not so past for many of us). The state of wear and tear of these toys gives a physical indication of the passing time and of a childhood past. These toys (or images of same) can invoke memories, of individual moments perhaps and associated events (both pleasant and unpleasant) and also more general nostalgic feelings of a never to be repeated part of life, childhood, a time of simplicity and security.
Of equal importance to the objects is the space surrrounding them. I use this spatial element to create a sense of disquiet, at times a feeling of an altered reality, enhanced by the composition of the contained objects, the shadows they cast and the intensity of colour.
These works, although denoting a potentially simple meaning if desired by the viewer, are intended to convey a more subtle, philosophical reading. But, although philosophical in content, the paintings are intended to be read individually on a more emotive level, accoding to the viewers' personal interpretations.' |
