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.
Read MoreBatt'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 since 1974 and has been included in important group exhibitions in Australia and overseas. He is an Associate Professor in Fine Art at RMIT and regularly travels to Hong Kong where he supervises post-graduates enrolled in the international program. Terry lives and works in Melbourne.
