An exhibition of massive, colour-filled abstract paintings, book ended by his signature optical works form a New Zealand artist Mervyn Williams is showing at the Sarjeant on the Quay until 9 September.
The exhibition spans Williams's career from 1976 through to 2017 and celebrates a recent, and significant gift to the Sarjeant Gallery by the artist and his family, who are generously gifting his works to public galleries with whom Williams has had a long association with.
Williams is renowned for his boldness and dedication to originality, and the newly gifted works on display at the Sarjeant are testament to this. Says Williams, "An artist's significance must be measured by their powers of invention, by the originality and uniqueness of their work. Without this the work is merely imitation"
Williams' association with the Sarjeant began in 1988 when he was the third artist in residence at Tylee Cottage. During this time he made a shift from painting to working with driftwood which he found when exploring the Whanganui river mouth and beaches.
The artist recalls his time in Whanganui as being an important turning point in his career, saying, ''All my preconceptions about what I might do here ... were completely tipped upside down when I discovered what it was like to get out of an urban area and actually work in a very open space"
Greg Donson who curated the current exhibition says Williams has always been a maverick in New Zealand art history. "From the beginning of his career in the 1960's he made a commitment to creating abstract work even though his optical works were received with some disquiet by the art establishment and bewilderment from a wider public"