Auckland artist Simon Esling’s recent work has involved a biological morphing of architecture and space; his disorientating combinations of landscape, residential buildings and muscular growths seem reminiscent of anime film classics such as Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira (1988). But within these fantastical combinations of highly diverse images, and through a sensitivity with his chosen mediums (frequently ink and watercolour), Esling creates paradoxically intimate and complex works that resist simplistic readings.
Through an array of imagery Esling’s wall drawing plays on the idea of a peripheral void and how it might trigger an agoraphobic experience. His work spans diagonally across the wall to involve our peripheral vision, his choice of imagery creating a highly visceral experience.