Off the Wall by Fiona & Zac Wright
Off the Wall by Fiona & Zac Wright
Off the Wall – mother and son exhibition
Mother and son artists, Fiona and Zac Wright, explore their long-distance relationship through textile art inspired by grafitti in a new joint exhibition, Off the Wall, opening at Newcastle’s Timeless Textiles Gallery in April.
In this playful and intimate exhibition, a mother and son present a series of works they liken to family ‘selfies’, revolving around Fiona’s influence on Zac and his on her. Using graffiti, layers, cloth and blockprinting as their common tools, the works present a dialogue between the artists, exploring their family and their mediums, and working from afar.
“I used to travel and teach, so was away from home for periods of time,” Fiona said. “I returned about 10 or 12 years ago to find Zac entrenched in the garden shed with a heap of my old canvases, transforming them in his unique graffiti style.”
Opposition to the proposed Tillegra Dam, near Dungog, had woken Zac’s creative voice and his street-art style. Mother and son both work from the heart, with their feelings about people and community, and the things that impact upon them, instantly apparent, despite their different artistic approaches.
Having grown up watching his Mum working, Zac approached his studio with a similar energy. Fiona encouraged his interest by collecting pictures of graffiti from all over the world, which had a growing influence on her own art.
“With graffiti there is so much to love,” she said. “It is often created by people speaking out passionately, forming a delicate image as it weathers, with layers of work below surfacing, all of which I found stimulating.”
Fiona now lives in Pashkar Rajasthan, India, pursuing her fibre arts practice, running Creative Arts Safaris textile tours and a social enterprise business The Stitching Project. Zac has also created watts wright designs which employs people in Pashkar, producing hand-made textiles and garments he says are ‘made by the people, for the people’.
This exhibition is an opportunity for Zac and Fiona to share their mutual enjoyment of bumping off each other, exploring how they can work together and focusing on family.
