The Rotunda, Exchange Square Ends Sunday
Are they realistic oils? Or photographs? Or paintings of photographs of paintings? As it turns out, they're photographs that Norman de Brackinghe wishes he'd painted.
'I do regard them as paintings,' says the
72-year-old Hong Kong photographer. 'I wish I could paint them, but I can't. If I'd painted them they'd look too realistic.'
Inspired by the likes of Mark Rothko and Robert Motherwell, the 36 photo images on show at the Rotunda have an abstract feel. Entitled Great Wall, de Brackinghe's solo exhibition is a collection of close-up shots of painted walls he took around Asia, Britain and France. Most are colourful, revealing layers of cultural and textural richness.
'I love abstract paintings because it just appeals to me,' says the artist, who has lived in Hong Kong for the past three decades. 'When I was young, people like Nicolas de Stael and Mark Rothko were my heroes because they were revolutionary. I love their work, but [painting] wasn't my natural medium.'
