Anyone who has straddled gallery hopping and the easy modern Melbourne life of the flâneur will know Ha-Ha. If you stroll the streets you would know his stencil motifs. And if you've followed the free-beer circuit you'd also know his face.
Not because he's a free loader in the drinking game necessarily, but because his latest show at Dickerson in Richmond is his 16th solo exhibition. His inclusion in group exhibitions nationally is literally countless. Regan Tamanui exhibits a lot. He paints a lot too. He's not one of those wannabe artists who postures and hopes that just knowing the right people will give him "artist rights". Regan has paid his dues.
This exhibition, just called "Recent Works", shows the ultimate conclusion of stencil as an artform. From a technique that developed on the streets - Regan has taken it and pushed it to the limit. Refining it. Layering it. Testing it. Making it glow.
These works are populated by lots of people I recognize but can't immediately name. Unlikely crowds of political figures, friends, celebrities, sports stars, rock stars ... oh, and babies and animals too. This is high pop in content, but highly crafted by hand.
A quite beautiful aspect to the works are the white on white silhouettes which haunt the backgrounds of these works. Unseen characters. Characters yet to be born. Our subconscious perhaps. Our urban ghosts even?
Recent Works
Ha-Ha / Regan Tamanui
Dickerson Gallery
44 Oxford Street
Collingwood Melbourne VIC 3066
until 12 July 2009