Interview with artist Nathaniel Kiwi

Frenemies, 2011, oil on linen (Private Collection)

Goliath, 2010, oil on linen (Private Collection)

Habitat, 2011, oil on linen (Private Collection)

Nathaniel Kiwi paints with a subtle blend of pop culture and consumerism. Growing up with the influences of toys, comics, fast food and TV, you can start to understand where he’s coming from.

Living in Sydney, Nathaniel is now painting full time after a whirlwind response to his work in the past few years. Working primarily in oils on linen, he achieves very life-like detail of the figurines, food and people in each piece.

In a past life, Nathaniel was in front of the camera for a few Australian TV shows. As his career progressed, he found himself wanting to be behind the camera, writing and directing. Since taking his painting more seriously, Nathaniel now has several successful solo shows behind him, and has been selected as a finalist for a few notable award shows.

Nathaniel’s painting of Australian actor Chris Lilley, Two Takes of Chris earned him a Finalist title in Perth’s 2010 Black Swan Portraiture Prize. And his feature of Stephen Curry, titled Steve Spinning the Good China earned him the spot of Finalist for 2009 in the same award show.

Keep an eye on Nathaniel’s website for details of upcoming shows – especially if you’re in Sydney!

Insurgence, 2010, oil on linen (Private Collection)

Oinkamatopoeia, 2011, oil on linen (Artbank Collection)

Adapt, 2011, oil on linen (Private Collection)

How have you got to where you are today? I’ve always painted and drawn, but only put serious focus on it in the past few years. My background is in film and TV, and a few years ago, I set myself the goal of having a solo show of paintings and seeing where it would take me.

I ended up having two successful solo shows in the space of 6 months and my work was selected to hang in the Blake prize, the Black Swan Prize for Portraiture, and the Mortimore Prize.

In a few words, describe yourself… Smiley faced emoticon.

What are you spending your time on at the moment? At the minute I’m building a body of work for my solo show later in the year. While I’ll be exploring a couple of different subjects, right now I’m focused on masks, their transformative power and use for both pretence and play.

Do you have a ritual for getting into the creative mindset? Or a creative process? The creativity for me is in the formation of an idea, and that can take place at any time. I try to jot it down or email the idea to myself whenever inspiration strikes.

Also, I might stumble across something in a shop as I did the masks, then take them into the studio and live with them until they find a way into my work. Just the other day I walked past a 2 dollar shop, and amongst the clutter of their window display there was a row of Jesus statues right next to a selection of garden gnomes.

The similarity of the two figures in terms of their materiality and colour really struck me. Immediately there was a discourse between what each represents symbolically, that was at once comical and poignant. So, Jesus and a gnome are currently living on a window sill in my studio, waiting to feature in one of my paintings.

What or who inspires you? In terms of subject matter, a lot of my work has been made in response to world issues like cultural imperialism and climate change. I actively seek, and get inspiration from everyday life, the beauty, tragedy, romance and comedy in it. While I take lots from pop culture, I’m also inspired by the natural and urban landscapes around me.

My aesthetic tastes were hardwired by the visuals of advertising, cartoons, and film from my childhood, especially Spielberg’s colourful style of science fiction and adventure that absorbed me as a kid. I think that’s why I’m so drawn to objects like masks and toys, for their ability to instantly transform or transport you to another time and place.

What are you most proud of? Creating work that an audience engages with.

When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? Early on I wanted to be one of Santa’s elves, but later an actor, an artist, and a pro surfer.