Now Showing:
Hatching Time by John Prince Siddon
Hatching Time is John Princes second solo show in Melbourne and follows a highly successful solo exhibition early in 2020 at Fremantle Art Centre. Prince the son of Pompey Siddon, who was one of the founding painters at Mangkaja Arts Resource Agency in Fitzroy Crossing W.A in 1991. A Walmajarri man, he was born in 1964 in Derby, and spent his early years working on cattle stations until injured in a horse riding accident. Prince has been painting with Mangkaja since 2009. Princes artworks entice the viewer with an optical dynamism generated by colliding pattern design and imagery both traditional and contemporary, personal and popular.
“Just like I said, paintings bring memories back whatever young or old. When you start to paint, you’ll never stop! Many of our old people did most painting of their own on their own land, they love even the animals. Well to me, I’m doing the same, trying to piece every animal whatever where they from; East, West, South, North- trying to paint them together. Like mix them up, just like a jigsaw. I paint animals who fight each other, hate each other, and sometimes love each other.
You know, back when I was young teen, I loved horse riding. But we were forced to work on cattle stations, as juveniles our punishment was to go to the stations and work. We used to steal back then- cars, booze, smokes, money, you name it.
Young or old, when you start you will never stop. These are my words; these paintings are my words.Landscape, dreamtime, stories, kids’ paintings, poetry…… put them all together, it’s all the same with all my painting it’s all mixed up.
I really don’t know how to translate it into words but I can by doing art. I’m a shy person, yea. Also, all my art stories are shy, yeah anyways, life goes on, whatever.”
– John Prince Siddon
Prince’s narrative captures what all artist strive for – a personal voice that intrigues. A personal language that connects to the universal. Johns is continually exploring many mediums and ways of working painted surfaces. Moving between 2D and 3D in medium and also in illusion. Prince depicts often confronting imagery inspired by national and global issues he watches on television, his own story and desert iconography and the Narrangkarni (Dreamtime).