ELLIOT COLLINS
Elliot Collins is a text-based artist whose interdisciplinary practice blends painting, language, photography, installation, and sculpture to explore ideas of time, memory, and the ways we interpret our surroundings.
Collins' work often combines painterly gestures with thoughtful written reflections- blending unapologetic romance with wry humor and occasional wit, centering on themes of longing and desire. The text sentiments sit against vibrant and saturated backgrounds that range from the purely abstract to expressive landscapes. This duality establishes tension between the ephemeral and permanent, the raw and the refined, using brush strokes and short poetic phrases to express fleeting desires and daydreams in a stream-of-consciousness mode. His works invite contemplation of the essential human need to dream and generate narrative. In 2019, he earned a practice-led Ph.D. from AUT University, focusing on "Memory Markers in the Landscape" in Aotearoa New Zealand. Collins coined the term "memory markers" to describe intentional sites that preserve or transmit memory—whether through memorials, schools, marae, or other cultural spaces. His work frequently examines the relationship between personal and public memory, often using text and poetry to convey deeper philosophical insights. Having relocated from Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland to Taranaki in 2021, Collins now lives and works in Waitara, North Taranaki, on the whenua of Te Ātiawa. |
Elliot Collins combines painting and language, to investigate concepts of time, memory, and our interpretation of the world around us. |