Here and Now: Gold Coast Triennial 2024 Digital Gallery
Shaun Daniel Allen (Shal)
b.1986 Gold Coast QLD, lives Sydney NSW
S.S.A.D.O., 2024
synthetic polymers on canvas
Image courtesy of the artist
Artist Statement
This painting is of the specific curves of the Nerang Balun that runs behind my Grandparents house I grew up in, and out into the ocean via the seaway where I spent my youth surfing, jumping from bridges, fishing and learning to swim. I made a whole body of work focusing on these specific parts of the river, and reflected on the colours of the water and its surrounds in particular times of the day. Trying to show the busy aspect of a growing city and the fact that country doesn't always mean somewhere rural or far away. We are walking, swimming and standing on it every day, no matter where we are.
About the Artist
Shaun Daniel Allen (Shal) is a proud Yugambeh born, Bundjalung man whose texture-rich paintings initially came to being as a form of meditation through expressive linework. During a significantly challenging time, Shal found solace in his artistic practice and in connection with Community; two integral elements that continually inform his artworks and practice.
About the making of his paintings, Shal says “I make intentional marks with feeling, using techniques that I am continually changing and developing through discussions and observations.” Inspired by the DIY approach he was introduced to through the punk/hardcore scene he has been part of since he was a teen, Shal gravitates toward spaces in art making that share a similar ethos of no limitations, in which he feels free to create. Resulting, there is a fluidity of motion that resonates through his paintings, moments in which the viewer is invited to observe spontaneous movement that is driven by intuition.
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