Last of the Showies by Heath Nock, 2024

Transcript

This work is comprised of two works hung on a red wall. Firstly, a self-portrait in oil on canvas, stretched over pinewood bars that are located horizontally at the top and bottom of the work, measuring 1.22 metres high by 1.63 metres wide. Hung on the right side of the work is a clown painted on MDF board with oil-based enamel paint. The clown measures 68 centimetres high by 53 centimetres wide. 

The canvas is halved down the middle with a single strip of pale pink paint running vertically from top to bottom. On the left-hand side is a portrait of the artist painted in monochromatic blacks and greys. The hair is shoulder length and tussled, the brow is furrowed, and the gaze is somewhat downcast. A small dot of black tattoo ink is shown below each eye, and more tattooed lines are found on the far left- and right-hand sides of the artists’ forehead. The torso is shrouded in black and undefined; the lower part of the nose, mouth, chin, and neck are obscured by the image of a clown reminiscent of the clowns found at the popular sideshow game, with the clown’s head tilted back and its mouth wide open in laughter. It wears a peaked hat and clown makeup, above the eyes, on the nose, forehead, cheeks and around the circumference of the mouth. The face is pale pink, and the clown makeup is grey. The clown wears an elaborate three-tiered decorative collar with pink flowers on a black background and scalloped edges. The background is painted a dusty pink. 

On the right-hand side, a similar colour palette is used with the addition of a pale-yellow cream colour. The focal point is a crouched figure dressed in all black with arms outstretched sitting on a pale pink column laid on its side. Below the figure swirls black and grey water that works its way down towards the bottom of the work. The figure leans and looks down towards this moving mass of water. Behind the figure are blurred horizontal brushstrokes of black pink and creamy yellow paint creating a soft, diffused light reminiscent of a night sky. 

There is a clown, positioned on the right of the painting, that was painted by the artist’s grandfather and father in the 1970s, taken from one of the rides that his family managed at the Showgrounds as traveling showmen. The clown stands with white hands outstretched, framing the work and standing as a keeper to the scenes shown within. 

Heath Nock, a contemporary Australian painter with 20 years’ experience tattooing, intricately weaves together seemingly mundane objects reminiscent of his childhood experiences. Raised amidst the vibrant atmosphere of traveling showmen within the rugged Australian coastlines, Nock infuses his works with a depth of storytelling and symbolism. Nock’s distinctive harmonising tonal palette and innovative compositions invite viewers to explore new narratives and uncover hidden layers of meaning within his work.  

For more information about Heath Nock, visit Nock’s website heathnock.com.