MONKEY MASK

The man, the myth, the legend that is Rob Brown presents his first solo exhibition in five years, Monkey Mask.

WORDS TIERNEY WHITE

RENOWNED FOR HIS quirky style, wry humour, and punk irreverence, Brown is back to dress the gallery walls of Qubit, formerly Mayfair Gallery, with some of his favourite motifs, all lovingly rendered in bold brushstrokes of colourful acrylic and oils.

Although he’s been involved in a bunch of group shows over the years, when asked why the time to hold a solo exhibition is now, his response is very, you could say, Rob Brown.

“People have stopped asking me what I’m doing. ‘What’s your latest work?’. Once they stop asking, well, it’s time to have a show!”

Monkey Mask features superheroes, kids’ toys, weird animals, and creepy characters from the recesses of his childhood memory, all wrestling to make sense of the nonsensical.

Brown says getting into the zone to create his art isn’t always an easy process, but once the ball’s rolling, it’s game on.

“To get in the zone when the clock’s ticking and the pressure’s on, and you’ve got no choice … once you’re in, it’s kind of like exercise – like your morning walk, where you wake up and ask yourself ‘why don’t I do this every day? You’re high as a kite!’,” he says.

“I just sit in there with a bottle of wine, and the whole world can get f-cked while I’ve got the door shut, and I’m just staring and sipping and listening to music, it’s gorgeous.”

There’s no denying Brown is a master of his craft, but his process isn’t quite as straight forward as one might expect for such an established and revered artist.

“I don’t have the routine like a lot of artists, where I can get up every day and do an hour or two, I just can’t do that,” he says.

“I just start painting, and may not know where that’s gonna go, but then that painting will lead off into another. And then, when they’re all together, I might notice a Hello Kitty, and I’ll need another Hello Kitty, otherwise Hello Kitty’s a little bit lost.”

The character behind the art is just as intriguing as the work. Brown has described this show as “absurd and playful”. The same could be said for the artist himself, which adds to the experience for the audience.

One thing’s for sure, you know you’re in for a good time. Go see what he’s been up to.

Monkey Mask
WHEN FRI 2 – SAT 10 MAY | OPENING FRI 2 MAY, 5PM
AT QUBIT GALLERY
INFO facebook.com/qubitnt

_{IMAGE: Rob Brown, 'I Could Have Been a Wiggle, Part 1', acrylic & oil on board, 50x40cm}