Cronulla artist Alexander McKenzie to hold a major exhibition at Hazelhurst

It will showcase 42 of his most significant works, many of which have not been seen before together as they are largely from private collections.

His work is held in major collections including The Australian War Memorial, Deakin University, Home of the Arts, Macquarie University, Maitland Regional Gallery, Newcastle Regional Gallery, Orange Regional Gallery, Queensland University of Technology and University of Queensland.   

While his works have an underlying sense of familiarity, they are more evocative of otherness than a representation of a specific place, and they instantly transport the viewer into a dreamlike otherworld.

For him, the landscape is both a place for contemplation and a metaphor for personal journeys. 

Born into a creative Scottish family, McKenzie’s artistic pursuits were encouraged. 

‘‘My father developed drawings to illustrate his stories to me of growing up in Scotland and the war years and of his working life in Glasgow,’’ he said.

‘‘My mother was a free-spirit and educator who also encouraged all creative pursuits.  

‘‘By age 11, my paintings had become so prolific and consistent that they had taken over the house in which I grew up in Sydney’s western suburbs, so much so my parents gave me a spare room to use as a dedicated studio.’’

McKenzie, a six times a finalist in the Archibald Art Prize and a nine time finalist in the Wynne Prize, said by the time he had reached his teenage years he knew how much he was against development.

‘‘I became outspoken about it and continue to speak out about it,’’ McKenzie said.  

‘‘This has certainly influenced my work. I paint idealistic, romantic settings which are devoid of people and buildings.’’

McKenzie’s interest in European art led to his intense study of centuries-old painting techniques and a move towards increasingly complex symbolism in his work. 

As such, numerous comparisons have been drawn between his paintings and those of the masters of the Dutch Golden Age, a period that McKenzie has often cited as having the largest influence on his work.

He eschews the glorious light and unique and diverse landscape of Australia, as well as the abstraction favoured by his contemporaries. 

Instead, his works have a closer affinity with the landscape and environment of Europe and Asia: the islands, lochs, and lush emerald-coloured hills of his ancestral homeland of Scotland; the ornate and formal Renaissance gardens of France and Italy, and the Edo period gardens of Japan that are loaded with symbolism. 

In contrast to his uninhabited landscapes are his portraits of creative people he finds fascinating and compelled to paint such as actor Richard Roxburgh and musicians Matt Corby and Sarah Blasko – a childhood friend who he painted against a backdrop of Shelley Beach in 2008.   

Belinda Hanrahan, Director, Hazelhurst Arts Centre said this an important exhibition for Hazelhurst.

‘‘We are delighted to showcase Alexander’s work,” Hanrahan said.

“He has not just had a very long personal history with this area but he was instrumental in the development of Hazelhurst way back in the mid 1990s.”