MEDIA RELEASE:
Parallel Worlds: by Remnim Tayco at Janet Clayton Gallery
18 May to 12 June 2016
Philippino-born artist, RemnimTayco, inhabits parallel worlds.
The exquisite series of oil paintings which form the centrepiece of this exhibition are marked by an obvious duality: images of the random beauty of nature sit side-by-side with sharply-pointed pyramids, richly-patterned surfaces and calculated perspectives. These works do not rail against the intrusion of man’s design into the perfection of nature. Rather, the artist opts for simple coexistence of the natural and built environment.
There is also the parallel world of culture. Remnim holds the patternation of an Asian aesthetic alongside his intensive training in the methods of the old 17th century masters. Each approach requires an obsessive attention to detail which is a defining mark of Remnim’s work. But the European tradition demands a loosening, while the Asian tradition requires discipline. Again, the artist works both sides: disparate elements communicating through colour, tone and composition
And finally the exhibition reveals another parallel world. Alongside the richly painted oils sit a new series of subtle black and white drawings, created with the finest of pens on gesso painted board. The ordered rectangles of the paintings become an ordered series of circles. The drawings display the same intensity of mark-making as Remnim’s painting, yet the counterpoints are not as clearly identifiable. A garden merges into a scull - almost undetectable. A legendary tie-wing fighter jet organically grows into the surrounding forest.
To operate in each of these parallel worlds requires an immense dedication and sense of order. From his small but perfectly-formed studio in inner city Sydney Remnim is the constant student researching and practising in to achieve the next step in his development as an artist.
Remnim writes:
When I was a child in the Philippines I knew I wanted to be an artist. My grandfather was a self taught artist and the family nurtured the creative spirit.
I clearly remember when I was six years old trying to draw a tree. For more than a week I worked at it. I kept saying to myself “why can’t I draw a tree?”. I knew at that point that to be an artist I had to study technique. When we arrived in Australia I was still determined to be an artist. After year 10, with my mother’s support, I left school to begin the formal process of learning.
I was too young to go to COFA, so at the age of 16 I enrolled in and completed my Certificate of Fine Arts at the Illawarra Institute of Technology in Wollongong. I was then able to move to the National Art School to undertake a Bachelor of Fine Arts, then to COFA for my Masters of Arts.
By the time I had completed these formal degrees, I knew that what I wanted to do was not being taught at the major art schools. I retreated into my studio for a few years. In 2007, I enrolled in the Charlie Sheard school and found there a teacher and mentor who was able to offer the skills training that I was searching for, in particular the historical study of materials and techniques.
I am still finding my way, indulging in my love of drawing and exploring the complexities of oil painting. Last year, my series of surreal landscapes were shown at Broken Hill Regional Gallery in an exhibition ‘Broken Lines’. This series, with some new work added, will be the focus of my new exhibition at Janet Clayton Gallery
I’m currently obsessed by developing a new series of detailed drawings, a break from working with paint. I use the finest .03 ballpoint pens. The drawing is so detailed that I can only work in the mornings. Each drawings take 8 to 10 hours or more and uses 5 to 6 fine pens. The first of these new works will be shown at Janet Clayton Gallery.