Envy6011 is pleased to present Blowout by Nayan Patel and Taylor J. Wagstaff. Reimagined shop sale signs hang sparkling in glitter, shopping bags stand in for canvases and semi realistic paintings of a tattooed arm all act as cultural signifiers to question authenticity, trends and meaning.

A star, once a symbol reminiscent of divine guidance and hope, now sits hollowed-out and permanently etched onto the canvas/skin. The work on the wall initially says image more than it does painting. Different elements of the appropriated tattoo photo are more certain than others, whilst the warped perspective (adjusted to fit) eeks out an uncanny tone. We are reminded of our own shit tattoos, our own attempts at identity, ink that slowly fades into skin, softening and blurring the once defined edges.

All must go! A humbling reminder of a shop front once stuffed with anxious ambition now succumbed to fast fashion and chain store brutality. An old hair bow sits hardened and crystallised. Like retail stores that come and go, so do artists and galleries - often only images remain, lost deep within the world wide web, emerging sporadically to be reblogged on Tumblr. All must go! And what if it doesn’t?

Dust appears to have turned into glitter, a signal for hope? One last push to be remembered/identified? The muscular arm acting as a metaphor for strength and pushing through/holding on, blowing out over four canvas panels. Will they last? Only time will tell…

Song lyrics by Emmanuelle will accompany the exhibition.

Nayan Patel (b. 1998) lives and works in Tāmaki Makaurau. He completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts (1st class Hons) at Elam School of Fine Arts in 2021. Recent shows include: The Dotted Line, Satchi & Satchi & Satchi, Auckland (2021); Still Life, Parasite, Auckland (2021); SALON DE LA MORT, Auckland Art Fair, (2021); and Nayan Patel, Parasite, Auckland (2022).

Taylor J. Wagstaff (b. 1991) completed a BFA at Massey University Wellington in 2013, an MFA at Elam School of Fine Arts Auckland in 2015, and is currently enrolled in Elam's doctoral programme which he aims to complete this year. He recently held a solo exhibition, Smooth Signs at Coastal Signs, Auckland (2022).