Neil Haddon: Waymarking / Painting / Undertow

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Neil Haddon is a British-Australian artist whose compellingly diverse work explores themes of displacement and identity, influenced by his migratory experiences and lutruwita/Tasmania's colonial history. In this exhibition, the artist delves into his personal biography, exploring the legacy of his migration to lutruwita/Tasmania and encounters with artworks that have marked his journey from the UK, through Spain and New York, to Tasmania.

His visually rich paintings interweave a complex mix of influences, including references to the works of Paul Gauguin and John Glover, engravings by Gustave Doré, and snippets of text by H.G. Wells. He also incorporates references to the early colonial figure John Kelly, as well as anecdotes from his own life in the UK and Tasmania.

Migration is a complex phenomenon involving negotiations of identity, belonging, and spatial dynamics. Haddon's artwork exemplifies migratory experiences, merging past and present temporalities to create a poignant manifestation of displacement and settlement. His technique spans hard-edged abstraction to loose expression, finely rendered figurative detail to bold text, utilizing a variety of painterly applications and materials. Haddon's paintings offer insights into migratory experiences and the histories of lutruwita/Tasmania, depicting a place still in formation, whose geographies and views are yet to be fully discovered.

Neil Haddon’s career spans three decades, during which his paintings have been included in more than 100 exhibitions across Australia, Europe, and the USA, including 'Theatre of the World' at the Museum of Old and New Art in Tasmania, La Maison Rouge in Paris, 'Strange Trees' at The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, and 'Contemporary Encounters' at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne. Prior to relocating to Tasmania, Haddon lived in Barcelona, Spain, where he exhibited widely, including with the revered Galeria Carles Poy. Since moving to Tasmania, Haddon has undertaken research trips back to Spain and has been awarded prestigious residencies in New York and London.

His works are held in the permanent collections of the National Gallery of Victoria, The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Devonport Regional Gallery, The Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, The City of Whyalla Collection, and Art Bank in Sydney. A recipient of numerous awards, including the Hadley’s Art Prize, the Glover Prize, the Whyalla Art Prize, and the Tidal Art Prize, Haddon's paintings have also been featured in prominent national art prizes, such as the Sulman and Wynne Prizes at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, and the Arthur Guy Memorial Prize at Bendigo Art Gallery. Haddon holds a PhD from the University of Tasmania, where he serves as Associate Head of Art at the School of Creative Arts and Media and is Coordinator of the Painting Studio.

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