Evan Woodruffe
Sydney Contemporary
Carriageworks
5–8 September 2024
PAULNACHE
BOOTH E01
“Luscious colour lures emotion and intellect, passion and reason in equal measure” writes author Stella Paul; and for Sydney Contemporary 2024, PAULNACHE presents their Colour Master: the magnificent works of Evan Woodruffe, whose exuberance and skill with paint are joyful to behold.
Conceived over several weeks in New York’s East Village at the start of the year, this new suite of paintings shimmer with light; agile brush marks dance over 2D and 3D surfaces. Their layers are porous; they are sprayed, drawn, painted, and collaged in a concert of saturated, pastel, translucent, and opaque hues. Colours are carefully positioned, or applied with wilful abandon, their vocabulary shifting from excited shouts to hushed quiet, creating dynamic symphonies of colour, movement, emotion and intellect.
These are paintings of food, music, laughter, cocktails, and travel. They are social, they are movement, they entice and delight. They are revelling in being at Sydney Contemporary.
Evan is excited to return. PAULNACHE presented his work in 2017, where his giant painting not only filled a wall, it wrapped a BMW VIP vehicle, and adorned a bespoke jacket (involved in an off-the-cuff performance with Hiromi Tango). Then again in 2021, when Evan’s glam PPE suit and mannikin featured in Vogue Australia’s “10 must-see artworks from Sydney Contemporary’s digital art fair”. This year, his luscious paintings reveal a fresh direction, a new sensitivity towards colour and surface grown from his recent period of international research.
Paintings
Biography
Since graduating with MFA (1st Class) from the University of Auckland in 2014, Evan has continued his study into colour as a sensation and a material, becoming a sought-after tutor around Aotearoa New Zealand, advisor to Gordon Harris Art Supplies, and Brand Ambassador for German companies da Vinci Brushes and Schmincke Artist Colours, for whom he is currently developing a new colour for.
“The way paint operates as a physical substance and an emotional signal has intrigued me for decades”, says Evan, “And my total involvement in paint has enabled collaboration across industries, and allowed me to give back information that nourishes the visual arts community”.
Evan is based in Tamaki Makaurau Auckland and exhibits throughout the Asia Pacific.
Other works
Evan Woodruffe’s 11m+ masterpiece entitled ‘28th April’, 2023, acrylic and mixed media on linen, 280 (H) x 1,080 (W) x 4cm (D) – 6 painted panels vertically orientated and installed as one work.