theo koning

there be it

6 september - 5 october 2013

Theo Koning continues to be one of Perth's most respected senior artists.

He has been exhibiting since the early 1970s in Perth and has established a career that would be the envy of many artists. However he remains humble, happier to spend time in his studio, garden and travel than be self promoting and grandiose about his achievements.

Although Theo has had exhibitions of paintings and drawings, it is to sculpture that he returns to again and again. He is well known for his sculptural forms created from found objects, and his beautiful studio contains a treasure trove of carefully stored boxes and drawers of multiples of plastic wheels, wooden bowls, dolls heads, toothbrushes, wooden sticks, colourful toys, anodized metal, wooden beads, chair legs, hoops of metal... The walls are lined with storage, shelves filled with strange dioramas and small maquettes and sculptures. It is an overwhelming visual feast at first, and then your eyes are drawn to the centre of his studio floor where works in progress are being assembled. Here the disparate objects that surround him are drawn into order. Sometimes this is a joyous stacked combination of brightly coloured objects that are contrasted with natural wood, as in many works from his last exhibition with us in 2011, or in much quieter combinations of pale woods and painted forms.

This exhibition features both free standing and wall mounted sculptures, often made of found wooden objects that have been carefully painted in gesso, creating a soft 'milky' finish to his works. In some the gesso has been naturally coloured, using pigments from the olive tree in his garden, or with charcoal.

Theo Koning was born in the Netherlands in 1950. He studied art in Perth at the Claremont Technical College in the early 1970s. He has exhibited extensively throughout Australia and overseas. Theo’s artworks can be found in many important Australian collections, including the National Gallery of Australia, Art Gallery of WA, Art Gallery of SA, Artbank, Wesfarmers, and several university, city and council collections.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

still life with pipe [detail] gesso + olive sap on wood 146 x 33 x 23cm 2012 $3,600
yellow maze gesso on painted wood 34 x 19 x 6cm 2013 $850	garage paint + gesso on painted wood 27.5 x 34.5 x 5cm 2013 $750
stranded paint + gesso on painted wood 108 x 52.5 x 28.5cm 2012 $3,300 sold	walking foot gesso on wood 100.5 x 40 x 12cm 2011 $2,300
velocipede gesso + paint on wood, plastic resin, metal 151 x 22 x 22cm 2011 $2,800	house building wood, paint on wood 96 x 61 x 44cm 2013 $3,000 sold
the right angle 1 mdf, wood, paint, gesso stained with olive sap 40 x 25 x 7cm 2013 $750	costume change, fancy dress 1 + 2 collage on printed card 18 x 12cm 2013 $320 sold
the right angle 3 wood + paint 64 x 23 x 4cm 2013 $750	the right angle box wood + gesso 45 x 31.5 x 12.5cm 2013 $950
the right angle 4 gesso + olive sap on masonite 40 x 40 x 2.5cm 2013 $900 sold	the right angle 5 gesso + olive sap on masonite 40.5 x 33 x 3cm 2013 $900 sold
costume change, wild wear 1 + 5 collage on printed card 18 x 12cm 2011 $550
stacked shapes 1 gesso, olive sap + paint on wood 82 x 25 x 25cm 2013 $3,000	stacked shapes 2 paint, gesso, olive sap + pigment on wood 61 x 25 x 31cm 2012-13 $3,000
yellow, grey right angle gesso, acrylic, ink, charcoal, olive sap on wood 43 x 22 x 7cm 2013 $900	playtime no.1 acrylic, paint, wood 33 x 30 x 7.5 + 9 x 35 x 10cm 2013 $1,600
monuments 1 + 2 gesso + olive sap, acrylic paint, wood 2 x 15 x 15cm [x2] + 12.5 x 44.5cm 2013 $1,800	a step up paint, gesso, olive sap, wood 83 x 53 x 5.5cm 2013 $1,600 sold
lemon grey gesso, pigment, olive sap, wood 38.5 x 20.5 x 4cm 2013 $900 sold	blue leg, yellow collar wood, paint 48 x 44 x 10cm 2012 $1,600
the right angle box 2 wood, gesso, olive sap, charcoal 35.5 x 36 x 11.5cm 2013 $950 sold	white grid wood, white gesso 53 x 55 x 6cm 2012-13 $1,500
black + white fogals wood, gesso, olive sap, acrylic 69 x 80 x 24cm 1980s-2013 $3,500	the spin around wood, gesso, olive sap 68.5 x 55 x 25cm 2013 $3,000
horizon line port beach 1, 2 + 3 wood, gesso, olive extract 31 x 23.5 x 3cm + 35 x 24 x 2cm 2011 $2,000
monument to autumn wood, gesso 145 x 31 x 31cm 2010 $3,100	seeing eye stick wood, metal, plastic fibre, gesso with olive sap 136 x 22 x 17cm 2013 $2,200
fleurs de la mer wood, metal, leather, gesso, olive sap, paint 172 x 34 x 34cm 2010 $3,500	the bread basket wood, leather, cane gesso, olive sap 56 x 41 x 30cm 2013 $3,000
stacked shapes 3 wood, gesso, olive sap, yellow pigment 153.5 x 43 x 28cm 2012-13 $3,700	slab-turn wood, gesso, olive sap 124 x 53 x 29cm 2013 $3,300
stacked shapes 4 wood, gesso, olive sap, acrylic paint 144 x 35 x 25cm 2013 $3,500	tower for painting the sunset wood, gesso, olive sap, paint 179 x 34 x 34cm 2013 $2,800
look-out wood, gesso, olive sap, paint 120 x 27 x 21cm 2013 $3,300	playtime no.2 wood, paint 47 x 26 x 13.5cm 2011 $1,600
playtime no.3 wood, paint 53 x 34 x 27cm 2012 $1,600	playtime no.4 + 5 wood, paint 78 x 52 x 25cm 2012 $2,800
playtime no.6 wood, paint 70 x 24 x 24cm 2013 $1,900	playtime no.7 communication wood, paint, metal, bamboo 97 x 30 x 20cm 2012 $2,100
playtime no.8 wood, paint 60 x 19 x 18cm 2013 $1,800	playtime no.9 crane wood, paint, metal 91 x 37 x 29cm 2011 $1,900
playtime no.10 the right angle wood, paint 101 x 40 x 17cm 2013 $1,900	sulphur wood, gesso, cotton, pigment 85 x 24 x 16cm 2011 $1,800