Greenhill Galleries Greenhill Galleries   Greenhill Galleries
  Greenhill Galleries Greenhill Galleries Greenhill Galleries
 

Crispin Akerman

Born 1960, Dorset, England.
1966 Arrived Perth, WA
1988 Julian Ashton, Sydney
1989 – 92 Canberra Institute of Arts

Crispin Akerman breathes life back into the long standing tradition of still life painting with his perfectly executed arrangements that are beautifully depicted and hauntingly real. His compositions are deceptively simple: inspired by painters such as Degas and Morandi, he arranges carefully chosen objects, creating a sense of tension and balance.

Many of the objects he chooses have symbolic meanings: eggs, pomegranates, apples, jars (life, creativity, knowledge, abundance, family history). Others through their shape and form imply a human presence, signifying animation in the inanimate, something living or about to happen. Akerman's use of cloth and drapery adds to this sense of drama, ceremony and ritual. Handmade jugs and bowls, objects associated with ritualistic activites such as washing and drinking, give his paintings a sense of familiarity and elegance. Ritual is a central theme of Akerman's work, suggesting a continuance which is in contrast with the impermanence of the objects portrayed in the paintings. This layering of images and meaning, shifting between the past and the present to get a sense of time standing still, is something that Akerman's work captures skilfully.

Unlike other contemporary still life painters, Akerman does not paint in the vanitas style, nor does he portray busy domestic interiors. Instead his focus is on the beauty and extraordinariness of, and the meaning we invest in, the things we surround ourselves with. His subject may be as minimal as a group of apples or a bowl of eggs, sitting unencumbered by any context, except that of the silent space in which they rest. By capturing a core stillness in his compositions and combining this with virtuosic paint surfaces and a restrained palette, Crispin Akerman's work has a distinctive and contemporary edge.

In his quiet harmonious images, Akerman provides us with a contemplative interval or breathing space from our hectic 21st century lives. Crispin Akerman can be considered one of Australia's finest living still life painters.

 

Greenhill Galleries

BHP Billiton
New Parliament House Collection, ACT
Artbank
Australian National University Services & Facilities Dept Collection
St John of God Hospital Collection, Murdoch
City of Bunbury Art Collection
Plus numerous private collections throughout Australia and overseas

 

Greenhill Galleries

2011 Winner - The Town of Bassendean Open Acquisitive Award, WA
Maitland Art Award, NSW
ACT Cultural Council Grant

Greenhill Galleries

Greenhill Galleries Greenhill Galleries Greenhill Galleries Greenhill Galleries Greenhill Galleries
     
Greenhill Galleries Greenhill Galleries Greenhill Galleries
 

Greenhill Galleries

Greenhill Galleries

2010
Greenhill Galleries, Perth
Jan Murphy Gallery, Brisbane
Beaver Galleries, Canberra

2009
Hill Smith Gallery, Adelaide
Jan Murphy Gallery, Brisbane

2008
Greenhill Galleries, Perth
Michael Reid, Sydney

2007
Greenhill Galleries, Perth
Jan Murphy Gallery, Brisbane
Beaver Galleries, Canberra

2006
Greenhill Galleries, Perth
Hill Smith Gallery, Adelaide
Michael Carr Art Dealer, Sydney

2005
Jan Murphy Gallery, Brisbane
Beaver Galleries, Canberra
Michael Carr Art Dealer, Sydney

2004
Greenhill Galleries, Perth
Beaver Galleries, Canberra
Michael Carr Art Dealer, Sydney

2003
Hill Smith Fine Art Gallery
Adelaide Jan Murphy Gallery
Brisbane Greenhill Galleries, Perth

2002
Gallery 460, Sydney
Gunyulgup Galleries, Yallingup
Beaver Galleries, Canberra

2001
Beaver Galleries, Canberra
Gunyulgup Galleries, Yallingup

2000
Jan Murphy Gallery, Brisbane
Gallery 460, Sydney
Gunyulgup Galleries, Yallingup

1999
Jan Murphy Galleries, Brisbane
Beaver Galleries, Canberra
Libby Edwards Galleries, Melbourne

1998
Jan Murphy Galleries, Brisbane
Gallery 460, Sydney
Libby Edwards Galleries, Melbourne

1996
Beaver Galleries, Canberra

1994
Beaver Galleries, Canberra

1993
Gods Café, ANU, Canberra

Greenhill Galleries

Greenhill Galleries

2012
Greenhill Galleries 40th Birthday Exhibition, Perth
South Western Times Survey, Bunbury Regional Art Galleries, WA

2011
SQUARED, Greenhill Galleries, Perth
Home Grown, Greenhill Galleries, Perth
Lust, Brenda May Gallery, Sydney

2010
SQUARED, Greenhill Galleries, Perth
Art Melbourne, Melbourne

2009
SQUARED, Greenhill Galleries, Perth

2008
SQUARED, Greenhill Galleries, Perth
Eutick Memorial Still Life Award, Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery
Small Works Exhibition, Jan Murphy Gallery, Brisbane

2007
SQUARED, Greenhill Galleries, Perth

2006
SQUARED, Greenhill Galleries, Perth
Gallery 460, Sydney
Melbourne Art Fair, Melbourne
Jan Murphy Gallery, Brisbane

2005
Jan Murphy Gallery, Brisbane
SQUARED, Greenhill Galleries, Perth
SQUARED, Greenhill Galleries, Perth

2004
Jan Murphy Gallery, Brisbane
Affordable Art Fair, Sydney
Melbourne Art Fair, Melbourne

2003
Changing Surfaces, Shepparton Art Gallery Fresh Paint, Greenhill Galleries, Perth Perth International Art Fair, Perth

2002
Melbourne Art Fair, Melbourne.
01-02 The Hungry Man’s Exhibition. Toured NSW Regional Galleries

2001
Nicola Townsend, Tokyo, Japan

2000
7th Contemporary Art Show, Melbourne
Nicola Townsend, Tokyo, Japan

1998
6th Contemporary Art Show, Melbourne

1997
Musicians and Musical Instruments, Gallery 460, Sydney

1996
Beaver Galleries, Canberra

1994
Every Day, Spiral Arm, Canberra
Picture Writing, Jardine Street Gallery, Canberra