Brisbane-based Australian artist Simon Degroot constructs abstract paintings that reflect on art history and architecture by harvesting and simplifying its features.
Read MoreDegroot received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2013 at Griffith University, Brisbane. He was awarded a PhD from the same university four years later.
Degroot takes a graphic approach to abstraction, reflecting on how contemporary painting can be in dialogue with existing images, forms, and elements. Historical imagery and architectural forms are deconstructed and reconfigured. Employing a broad range of colours, Degroot's works are playful and referential, and invite a multitude of interpretations.
For Degroot's solo exhibition, Oblique Variations (2022), at THIS IS NO FANTASY in Melbourne, the artist reflected upon mid-century modernism. Stripping down images and details from architecture and reproducing these forms onto canvas, Degroot generates a sense of distance between his works and their source material. The large-scale canvases are characterised by their hard-edged forms in shades of black, peach, and navy, stylistically reminiscent of Henri Matisse's collages.
Degroot has been commissioned for numerous public murals around Australia. His colourful, playful abstract scenes can be seen at the Hilton Brisbane (2014); Queensland Rail with Daniel Brock (2015); Rocklea Station, Brisbane (2019); and Griffith University (2019).
In 2019, Degroot was commissioned to create Recreation Gestures (2019) at Camperdown Commons, Sydney. Responding to the site as a sporting and activity area, Degroot's mural emphasises dynamic rhythm and movement to reflect on the interconnectedness of the community.
Simon Degroot has held solo exhibitions in Australia, including at Blank Space Gallery, Sydney; Sawtooth ARI, Tasmania; Spiro | Grace Art Rooms, Brisbane; and Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery, Queensland.
Degroot's work has been included in group exhibitions at the Museum of Brisbane and the Lock-Up Cultural Centre, New South Wales.
Simon Degroot's website can be found here, and his Instagram can be found here.
Arianna Mercado | Ocula | 2022
