Neil was born in 1950 in Australia. He has exhibited since 1971. During the 1970’s and early 80’ he was a printer of many prominent Australian artists including George Baldessin, Roger Kemp and John Olsen.
He has lectured in Printmaking at Victoria College then the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) since 1983 and was Head of Printmaking at the VCA (becoming the Faculty of the VCA University of Melbourne) from 2002 until 2012. He continued to lecture there until 2015.
He was educated at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) 1969-73 where he received a fellowship of Fine Art degree in both Painting and Printmaking then later completed a Masters of Fine Art from RMIT in 1998.
Over the last 15 years as well as exhibitions in Australia, he has focused his practice on Asia particularly exploring the complex relationship the Japanese have to ideas of materiality/ pattern/ complexity /simplicity/technology and nature, undertaking several invited Residencies and Exhibitions in Japan and represented Australia at 11 Korean, Japanese and Chinese invitational International Printmaking exhibitions. He is currently researching contemporary Printmaking in Europe as a next point of focus for these investigations.
Neil’s residency in Tartu will take place from 10.10.2015 till 19.11.2015.
Recent activities include:
| 2014 | Open Competition International Mokuhanga ExhibitionTokyo. Awarded the Grand Prize. |
| 2015 | The Burnie Print Biennial. Australia (Winner) |
| 2015 | Krakow Print Triennial Main Exhibition, Poland |
| 2015 | Fremantle print prize, Australia |
| 2015 | Tokyo /Tama University Mini print Triennial |
| 2015 | DI CARTA/PAPERMADE Exhibition, Biennial Internationale di Opera Carta, Schio Municipality, Venice. |
Artist Statement
My lifelong interest is exploring the relationship between making and thinking.
My current artwork uses the synergy existing between the ideas of erosion and disintegration in nature and in printmaking and painting processes and their role as catalysts for change as both method and subject.
Local observation, cultural and physical associations are combined within this approach to develop a particular physical and technical pictorial language for each new group of work.
Over the last 10 years these works have explored various production technologies including digital process, painting, installation and a number of traditional printmaking processes. What they have in common is the investigation of my interest in the inclusive, underlying principles and philosophies of Printmaking.
Examples of Reviews and Art Works
Coincidence 2007
Web site Link: Jenny Port Gallery >> Artists >> Neil Malone
Coincidence no 8
Tokyo Youkobo Art Space 2012
Web site Link: Living winter, dreaming spring | Neil Malone
In 2012 Neil undertook a residency at Youkobo Art space Tokyo.
At this Residency he created an exhibition “living winter Dreaming Spring” which had at its heart the physical and Seasonal changes he was seeing and experiencing over the three months he was there.
These changes were reflected in his investigative interest in structural, and transformational aspects of contemplative spaces, both urban and ritual, These works were made as an investigation of the texture and colour of the area and were produced deliberately with only small intervention of the hand using the a transposition of Printmaking approaches and simple applications with paint and Paper. This exhibition grew with the making; their production and his intentions went from individual pieces into a collective installation, which also included materials and objects from the area.
In this exhibited work the local observations were linked to his other investigations.
Following Neil’s return to Australia he developed these Ideas further. Over the next 9 months he made 700 works using the technique he developed in Japan. The exhibition was called “there now here then”.
This exhibition extends this Japanese work exploring seasonal transition time and place carrying with it the residual physical elements of that original locational experience and combining them with new works that also carry seasonal and local experience.to engage an extended time place, dejavu experience for the viewer.
It was shown at Stockroom Gallery in Kyneton Victoria, Australia in 2013.
Stockroom Kyneton 2013 “There Now Here Then”
Web site Link: stockroom: Neil Malone review on Sub Machine
2014-15 Bernie Print Biennial (Winner)
Web site Link: Malone takes out prestigious award in Burnie | The Advocate
This series of prints are titled ‘sometimes it rains’. Each panel is 100 cm by 70 cm and investigates disintegration and regrowth. They are mechanically drilled wood engravings and are the result of the juxtaposition of repetitive method and the accidental, combined with the inherent aesthetic and contextual qualities of the engraved print.
2015 Guanlan Biennial
Sometimes it Rains no 8 and 9
Memory Card Variables 9 and 10
This work is a series of 100 image cards, 20cm x15cm (closed) and 20 cmx 25cm (open). They look at the various possibilities that can be constructed from a set number of etching plates, which cover a number of years in the making, dealing with both presence and absence.
Following on from these works, I will use this residency to explore the Estonian environment and make a group of works from this experience; these will explore simplicity in complexity.
I am an artist who uses printmaking as a tool of invention and a catalyst for change.