A whimsical world of bionics and beasts currently adorns the walls at Perc Tucker Regional Gallery with the recent opening of I’m Neither Here Nor There, an exhibition by celebrated artist Jim Paterson.
Jim’s intricate and imaginative pieces merge man, myth and machine to present his unique view of the world through a lens that is sure to delight visitors to the gallery.
Jonathan McBurnie, Creative Director of Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, co-curated the exhibition in partnership with Tara Callaghan from Broken Hill Regional Gallery and said he was delighted to have the opportunity to paw through Jim’s work and put many pieces on show for the first time.
“I first came to see Jim Paterson’s work in an issue of Artist Profile several years ago, and I was immediately drawn to its strong graphic qualities,” said Jonathan.
“Looking closer into it, I could see that Jim is an incredibly prolific artist, incredibly talented and adept, but the more I looked into him, the more I came to believe that he is completely underrated and deserves more recognition.
“Jim has lived in Broken Hill for many years, and it is a place that really bleeds through into his work; you can spot characters, the landscape, bits of machinery and slag heaps throughout, which are direct references to the town. But this is where it gets interesting – we are then presented with these fantastical flying ships, which reference his youth, growing up around the Port of Melbourne. His work crosses over from the real to the imagined,” Jonathan said.
“The opportunity eventually came to work with Broken Hill Regional Gallery Director Tara Callaghan on a Jim Paterson exhibition, which I jumped at, and we spent hours going through his work in his studios, choosing our favourite pieces, to be exhibited in Broken Hill (which happened in September) and here in Townsville.
“I suspect that the work will resonate with Townsville, not only for the industrial and nautical iconography (that boats, ships, smoke stacks and machines), but for his draftsmanship. Townsville has a rich history of incredibly strong drawing, which continues today, and I think that visitors will recognise something of themselves, and their hometown, in Jim’s work.”
Jim Paterson’s I’m Neither Here Nor There is exhibiting at Perc Tucker Regional Gallery until 29 March 2020.
