Drawing inspiration from the vast open spaces of the Australian landscape and the beauty of the human form, Michael Simms’ psychologically charged paintings resonate with the power of memory and place. Recognised for his cinematic melding of both classical and contemporary visual languages, Simms’ brooding images capture the dramatic quality of light, and blur the boundaries between reality and the dreamlike.
Memories and Dust Catalogue essay by Kate McAuley, 2022 To immerse yourself in the art of Michael Simms is to enter into a deeply intimate exploration of the psychological and physiological aspects of the human condition, the misty haze of memory, and the way we exist in space and time.
Drawing on personal circumstances and a complex family history, for Memories and Dust, Simms has revisited Broken Hill and its environs - a town and area that is saturated in meaning for the artist - to create both the thrilling yet sensitive body of work on display here.
More interested in capturing a sense of feeling rather than place, Simms has imbued his canvases with profound emotion, often placing his own naked form within the landscape to great effect. In the most striking pieces, we see the artist thrown, flung and falling as he grapples with past histories and present isolation in beautiful yet hostile environments. They are a stark reminder of both the fragility and resilience of the mind and body.
Elsewhere, Simms’ quieter works possess a childlike sensitivity. In the arresting Hold On, for example, the artist has depicted himself embracing a tree, a gesture that implies a need for parental protection, while in Vestige he’s featured besides the bones of an abandoned truck, staring into the middle distance with an air of youthful bewilderment. Simms also plays with scale, representing himself as both diminutive and monumental as he attempts to reconcile the mythologies of his family’s past with present day truths.
Complimenting the figurative pieces, Simms’ landscapes are acutely hypnotic and gentler in quality. Oscillating between vibrant and muted tones, the paintings are dreamlike and impressionistic rather than wholly representational. In Quiet Lake II, tree trunks arch towards each other and branches embrace, creating a mood that is richly sensual though devoid of the human form. Equally inviting is the warmth and unique colours of the Australian outback Simms has harnessed in Umberumberka Reflections and Last Light at Umberumberka.
The inclusion of derelict vintage cars and trucks must also be noted. Part allegory to the town that Broken Hill has become since its decline following the end of the mining boom in the 1990s as well as the ghosts of Simms’ own past that still haunt the region, both Crash and Wrecked invoke feelings of latter day glories and significant loss. The world that once was is no more, and perhaps never was what it seemed to be.
With Memories and Dust, Simms continues to delve into his past through the lens of the present. Here is the soul and body of an artist completely exposed and in utter command of his skills and voice. He displays strength in vulnerability and a willingness to push himself towards the most challenging aspects of what it means to be human. The result is an alchemy of the enigmatic and intangible - a profoundly personal narrative that is relatable to us all.
ARTIST BIO:Michael Simms is a Sydney based figurative painter who holds a Diploma of Fine Arts from the Julian Ashton Art School. In 2019 Simms was awarded a residency at the New York Academy of Art in Tribeca, Manhattan and in 2018 was the winner of both the Art Society of NSW Young Artist Prize and the SBS Portrait Prize. He has been a finalist in the Mosman Art Prize (2022, 2017), the National Portrait Gallery Darling Prize (2022), Clayton UTZ Art Prize (2021), Calleen Art Award (2021), Manning Naked and Nude Art Prize (2021), the Lethbridge Small Scale Art Award (2021), the Shirley Hannan Portrait Prize (2020), the Percival Portrait Prize (2020), the Sunshine Coast Art Prize (2020), the SBS Portrait Prize (2020), the Lester Prize (2020), the Kennedy Art Award (2019), the Eutick Memorial Still Life Award (2019), the Lethbridge Art Award (2019), the Percival Tucker Portrait Prize (2018), the Fisher’s Ghost Art Prize (2017), as well as being a finalist in the prestigious Doug Moran Portrait Prize (2017). His work is held in numerous private collections including the Elliott Eyes Collection, the Thomas Keneally Centre at the Sydney Mechanics' School of Arts, Cliftons Venues, Sydney, YSC Consulting, Sydney.
