Chris O'Doherty aka Reg Mombassa, 'Headland with reflections', Waiheke Island, 2021, charcoal and coloured pencil on paper, 150 x 210 mm
Photo Credit
Chris O'Doherty aka Reg Mombassa, 'Trunks and foliage', 2023, charcoal and coloured pencil on paper, 230 x 165 mm
Photo Credit
Chris O'Doherty aka Reg Mombassa, 'Yellow day with line of pines approaching Queenstown', 2023, charcoal and coloured pencil on paper, 210 x 175 mm
Photo Credit
Chris O'Doherty, also known by the pseudonym Reg Mombassa, is a New Zealand born Australian artist and musician. He is a founding member of the band Mental as Anything and member of Dog Trumpet. Mombassa's artwork is in two distinctive styles. The type of artwork he designs for Mambo– almost cartoonish and in vivid colours, incorporating religious, political and popular culture themes – is probably the style he is most widely known for. However his landscapes, many of which are inspired by his childhood in New Zealand, are equally sought after. His artworks can be found in the permanent collections of National Gallery of Australia, Art Gallery of New South Wales, The British Museum and many other significant private and institutional collections.
This show consists mainly of recent landscape drawings in charcoal and coloured pencil, drawn en plein air or from moving cars around NSW, Queenstown and Waiheke Island.
The Hypersonic in the title relates to the required speed of drawing while in a swiftly moving car. This exceeds the speed of sound, so the scratching of charcoal on paper only becomes audible when the drawing is completed.
The handful of more graphic works featuring robots, suicidal koalas and bleeding eucalypts refer to the apparently apocalyptic end times in which we live (hopefully apparent and not actual!).
Chris O'Doherty, also known by the pseudonym Reg Mombassa, is a New Zealand born Australian artist and musician. He is a founding member of the band Mental as Anything and member of Dog Trumpet. Mombassa's artwork is in two distinctive styles. The type of artwork he designs for Mambo– almost cartoonish and in vivid colours, incorporating religious, political and popular culture themes – is probably the style he is most widely known for. However his landscapes, many of which are inspired by his childhood in New Zealand, are equally sought after. His artworks can be found in the permanent collections of National Gallery of Australia, Art Gallery of New South Wales, The British Museum and many other significant private and institutional collections.
This show consists mainly of recent landscape drawings in charcoal and coloured pencil, drawn en plein air or from moving cars around NSW, Queenstown and Waiheke Island.
The Hypersonic in the title relates to the required speed of drawing while in a swiftly moving car. This exceeds the speed of sound, so the scratching of charcoal on paper only becomes audible when the drawing is completed.
The handful of more graphic works featuring robots, suicidal koalas and bleeding eucalypts refer to the apparently apocalyptic end times in which we live (hopefully apparent and not actual!).
