Liam Haley
ARTIST STATEMENT
Visual artist Liam Haley delves inward to cultivate a distinct visual language, born from a tactile and process-based approach to art.
Driven by a fascination with the complexities of human behaviour, Haley navigates the realms of both internal and external landscapes, exploring the protective nature of the exterior and its profound impact on the interior. Rooted in personal and ritualistic themes, these internal landscapes provide a nurturing environment for self-expression, an essential facet of human development.
Painting becomes a gateway to emotional intimacy for Haley, a pathway to healing that resonates throughout his artistic process. There is a pivotal moment within this journey where the painting assumes a life of its own, guided by the symbiotic relationship between the artist’s psyche, mark-making, and colour. These elements merge, influencing the layers that unfold, and allowing the artwork to manifest itself through the artist’s embodiment.
Haley’s paintings defy conventional norms, bearing an expressive and deeply personal quality. Liam’s artistic practice invites viewers on an introspective journey, delving into the depths of the self and the transformative power of art.
Through his non-traditional approach, he uncovers the interconnectedness between the artist’s emotional landscape, the materiality of recycled waxed canvas, and the vibrant nuances of painted colour and texture. Each artwork becomes a testament to the profound beauty and resilience that can emerge from the intimate exploration of one’s inner world.
BIO
Liam Haley is a multi-disciplinary artist currently living and working on Wurundjeri Country, Naarm, Melbourne. Born in the Northern Rivers of NSW, on Bundjalung Country, Haley’s upbringing in a scenic environment of green and blue fertile landscapes has shaped his art practice today.
After completing a Bachelor of Fine Art at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Haley’s graduate body of work was awarded the 2018 Australia Print Workshop, Collie Print Trust Scholarship for Emerging Victorian Printmakers.
His artistic practice is currently concentrated in painting, drawing and printmaking and he exhibits his work regularly with multiple galleries. Haley’s art practice unfolds with constant underlying inspiration drawn from nature, all the shapes and colours an artist could need. An outlay of abstracted shape, colour and texture forms a mental landscape for the artist to translate these quotidian natural resources into textured, polychromatic abstract oil paintings.