WIGBRAIN

Merlin Martin

16 April - 16 May 2021

Merlin Martin’s (b. 2002, Darwin) first solo exhibition offers us a view of a 'WIGBRAIN' world made up of chaotic colour, surrealistic pattern and psychedelic texture with apocalyptic overtones. A world gone strange.

Coconut Studios interviews the artist:

There is a frantic, urgent quality to your work. What do you think drives this?

I'm 18, there's a lot driving me ;)

Tell us about the title of this exhibition? What is WIG to your BRAIN?

I'll leave that a mystery. Some things are best left to the imagination.

Can you describe your creative process? How do you arrive at the final work?

Through layers of mistakes, I keep working them until I can't keep going anymore. At the end, they are crowded and hurt your eyes.

Which artists do you feel close to?

I try to unplug from too many influences but I admire many different artists. Yasmin Boehme and David Collins, both from my home turf, come to mind. I like how David references Darwin icons and he’s an honest guy in life and in his work. He's helped me out a lot over the years. He also has a great paint supply! Yasmine's paintings take you into a dream state and I find her skill in using oils really impressive. Jocelyn Tribe and I Made Liam Budalasia are both really creative people in everything they do. I look forward to seeing what the future holds for these artist. 

And your interest in skateboarding and street art, how might this influence the materials and forms you use in your art?

I take a lot of inspiration from what I see in the street and the people I meet. You'll see materials like wire fencing and directional signage in my work. My style incorporates graffiti and grunge. 

My mum got me into painting at a really young age and then, when I hit adolescence, painting didn’t seem so cool. Instead I just skated and talked shit until about a year ago when I stopped feeling the pressure to conform and started spending more time alone. Now I like to balance my life with a lot of different things but they feel connected. Skate culture can be loud and obnoxious and so is my artwork.

You are prolific. Is there something you’re eager to get across, something you hope visitors to this exhibition, both online and in the gallery, might take away from seeing it?

I want them to connect with the sentiment. Maybe it will match what they feel. I'd like that but also I'm happy if they show up and hate it.