“A Survey with Text” 1970 to 2017
Across five continents over five decades, Terry Batt’s work brings together global influences with a powerful aesthetic and commitment to his medium. This is a survey of his selected works. Terry Batt’s paintings and sculptures act as visual puns, a humorous and autobiographical take on order and rationality in the late twentieth century. Batt’s work is informed by an American lineage of art making. The influences of American pop and folk art are apparent in classic cars, big cities and wild west pop romanticism. In 2002 he spent a period in France undertaking a residency at the Ernst-Mach Foundation. During this time he produced a number of paintings and sculptures which were included in his 2002 show at Niagara Galleries.
Batt’s studio practice includes both painting and sculpture. His paintings are curious figurative tableau, where absurd figures interact and perform. His sculptural work features constructed wood or cast bronze characters. These figures have been released from his canvases and appear in real space. As with the paintings, they are a combination of surreal, naïve and primitive aesthetics. Stripes cover the surface of the sculpture in a collision of modernist painting and animal camouflage. Moving parts are incorporated with the use of small solar panels. The sun supporting new media. Terry Batt has been exhibiting regularly overseas. He was an Associate Professor in Fine Art for twenty-two years at RMIT University and regularly travelled to Hong Kong where he supervised Master and Doctoral students enrolled in the international programs. Having retired from academia Terry now lives and works in rural Victoria. Rod James - 2017 |