Unpublished pictures of Conor Mccreedy’s studio in Zürich.
Artist Statement
Conor Mccreedy is a South African- British artist who is based in Zürich, Switzerland. Since beginning his career in New York in the mid 2000’s, Mccreedy has developed a body of work that is uniquely discernible in both style and content. The purpose of this document is to introduce you to his most recent series, and the conceptual foundations from which they are derived.
At this mid-stage in his career, Mccreedy has arrived at a focus on four essential themes: a singular focus on one colour; inspiration from the heroes of Abstract Expressionism; a long fascination with Chaos Theory; and a sincere reverence for nature.
BLUE: Mccreedy has honed a monochromatic blue vocabulary in his work since he started to paint. His endeavor to explore the universe through this one colour is a life long pursuit, that ultimately lead him to develop his own intense pigment. His fascination with blue is dualistic: he is both calmed by it, and yet drawn to the storm that is inherent within it. In this way, his pigment is almost auto-biographical. In his works, the colour blue is as much the subject (protagonist) of his art, as any object that he paints. Unquestionably, his blue pigment ignites an “unspeakable effect” within. #mccreedyblue
ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM: The heroes of Abstract Expressionism (Pollock, Rothko, De Kooning and Twombly) serve as tremendous inspiration for Mccreedy. Their gestural approaches to painting, full of unleashed and profound emotion are echoed throughout his works. “… Forget the grid, and to hell with order. I need to celebrate the colour blue and the chaos of my strokes in a grand way.” (Mccreedy, Art Summit Interview, Sept. 2018) Much of his painting is imbued with a powerful surge of emotive expressionism.
CHAOS THEORY: Mccreedy’s fascination with Chaos Theory in Mathematics began as a teenager, and so too pervades his work. It embraces tangled and competing systems effected by countless hyper-sensitive and erratic variables (as opposed to well organized formulas with calculable and predictable outcomes). Chaos Theory serves as a necessary sense-making metaphor for Mccreedy, with which he can comprehend and process the world around him. Accordingly, for him it feels very representative of the world today: the anomalous realms of global politics, the phantasmagoria of time and place right now, the welcomed obliteration of old stereotypes of identity, and the out-of control spiral of climate change all contribute to this impression. In his work, his depiction of abstraction is inextricably linked to his fascination with Chaos Theory.
NATURE: Mccreedy’s genuine love of nature and reverence for the environment are borne from a childhood spent in South Africa. This runs deep, and can be felt the moment you step into his world. He is bewildered by rarities in nature, and finds endless inspiration there. For Mccreedy, nature is with-out-a-doubt the unifying thread of humanity.
A mélange of these four essential themes is evident throughout his work.
Recent Works:
Chaos Theory, the Butterfly Effect Series
The Paradigm (grouping i)
pigment, enamel, oil paint, on Belgian linen
100cm x 100cm
Mccreedy considers the metaphorical staple of Chaos Theory in the Butterfly Effect series. Chaos Theory stipulates that the universe is comprised of hyper-sensitive interlocking systems which are effected by countless frenetic variables, rendering linear reason moot. According to the Butterfly Effect metaphor, if a butterfly flaps its wings in Los Angeles, it so falls that this could cause a typhoon in the South China Sea. In these works, as the mascot of Chaos Theory, the butterfly symbolizes how interconnected, turbulent and unpredictable our world is. Mccreedy further articulates this fundamental premise of Chaos Theory with his deep gestural strokes and his manipulation of colour. His approach culminates in tremendous depth on the canvas. The bold abstract expressionist physicality of these paintings makes them both urgent and emotive. This series expresses why Mccreedy is fascinated by Chaos Theory, for him it is a way to process and comprehend all of the disorder in our world today.
Within this series, there are two distinctive groupings. The first reveals an abstract expressionist style, in which the paint’s unencumbered movement on the canvas is an integral part of Mccreedy’s depiction of Chaos Theory.
Chaos Theory, the Butterfly Effect Series
The Butterfly Effect Trio (grouping i)
pigment, oil paint, olive oil and turpentine on Belgian linen
200cm x 200 m
The second distinctive grouping in this series is much more haunting and singular in its tone. These canvases are hyper-focused on the Butterfly as the protagonist; offering depth, movement and struggle to her journey through time and space.
The Magnification of Chaos (grouping ii)
pigment, oil paint and olive oil on Belgian linen
70cm x 70cm
The Abstract Chaos Series
The primary concern of the abstractionist is typically the structure or the nature of reality; whilst the expressionist is concerned with the human condition. This series precisely balances the two as it is concerned with the impact of our current reality on the human condition. As an individual awake in the universe, and an artist driven by a responsibility to the greater public discourse, Mccreedy is articulating the chaos of the socio-political climate of right now, with all it’s moral, spiritual and civilization-impacting effects, onto the canvas. For underneath all the chaos, each canvas hints at a closed system that was ultimately doomed by its own limitations and short-sightedness. As such, this is a deeply conceptual series.
Furthermore, Mccreedy has strong feelings about the act of painting: it is a profound emotional and physical experience for him. This is clearly relayed in all its urgency and depth in these works. Daring, bold, and unpredictable strokes create a dimensionally complex visual landscape that metaphorically describes Chaos Theory.
Venn Diagram Study
pigment, poppy seed oil and oil paint on canvas
100cm x 120cm
The Venetian Heritage Collection
These are Mccreedy’s most recent works to capture the chaos of the human condition; they build on the conceptualization of the ”Skull Series”. This Spring, Mccreedy attended a Dior sponsored ball in the infamous Palazzo Labia in Venice, hosted by the Venetian Heritage Foundation to celebrate their 20th anniversary. The Palazzo is one of the Baroque jewels of Europe, with its glorious ballroom frescoes painted by Tiepolo in 1746-47. Apart from the ostentatious history of the Labia family, who desperately tried to leverage their wealth to gain acceptance into Venetian society beginning in the 1600’s, the Palazzo has a long, dramatic history culminating in its ownership by Carlos de Beistegui in 1948. He was arguably one of the most eccentric, prolific art collectors of the 20th Century. In 1951, Beistegui hosted what is still referred to as the “party of the century”. Everyone from Winston Churchill to the crème of European society attended. Dior, attended alongside Salvadore Dali with the help of Pierre Cardin to design their outfits. They staged an unforgettable entrance. Hence, Dior’s affinity for the Palazzo. About a decade and a half later, Beistegui sold the Palazzo to RAI, the national television company, and it had been shut to the public ever since. The tickets to the 2019 Dior ball sold out over night. The night, the setting, the guests all transcended expectations. As a guest at the ball, Mccreedy could not get the images of the haunting masked men encased inside this jewel of a Palazzo out of his head. The weight of history, his own sense of time and place, and the enduring irony of society’s ever divisive gaze all inspired this magnificent series.
The Mask
pigment, poppy seed oil and oil paint on canvas
100cm x 140cm
Woman Holding Venetian Guard’s Hand
pigment, olive oil on Belgian linen
70cm x 50cm
My Blue Narrative
This work is the culmination of Mccreedy’s career to date. It is highly auto-biographical as it pulls inspiration from all the sources that define him. Much like a writer maintains a diary, this grand piece serves as a means for Mccreedy to articulate his journey as a painter. Just as reading another individual’s personal reflections conjures up impressions of intimacy, vulnerability and empathy – so too does this work. There is a great deal of discovery and interpretation to participate in here, as is the case with the genre of auto-biography.
At the onset, it is laden with the recurring symbols and archetypes that populate Mccreedy’s canvases: images of nature, the butterfly, Venetian guards, a skull, the grand gestural abstract strokes that he uses to depict Chaos Theory and his signature blue pigment. However, upon further investigation, one can also see elements that differentiate this piece from both of those series as well. The first element is the addition of depictions of geographical locations that hold tremendous meaning for Mccreedy. The centre of the piece features two rather disparate images of trees. On the right centre square there is a row of Cyprus trees that Mccreedy encountered while on a weekend trip to the South of France. As ever, the long road and tunnel-like effect of the perpendicular trees spoke to him. In the left centre square are a row of Palms from his native Southern Africa (Botswana and Angola). The juxtaposition of these two tree images deeply reflect his reality as an expat living abroad, feeling most at home in nature. Infringing upon the Palms is an explosive white ray of light which extends to the upper left corner of the canvas coming to a crescendo in a majestic Alpine peek.
Another element that is differentiating in this narrative are Mccreedy’s precepts, sayings that have long attracted, inspired and captivated him. As this was worked on over many months, many of the precepts have been painted over, others remain partially visible and a few have been highlighted. The viewer is thus engaged in a game of decoding and deciphering. Finally, as this is all painted on former BDF (Botswana Defense Force, anti-poaching) ex-military tents that have been hand-sewn together, the medium on which the narrative is depicted, is in-and-of itself very poignant to him as a South African born artist living in the diaspora.
The result is a grand scale painterly narrative that is complex and multi-layered in its depth, impact and meaning; it is an essential account of Mccreedy’s work.
My Blue Narrative
oil paint, pigments, oil pastel and ink with leather stitching on old Botswana military tent pieces
200cm x 280cm
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