George Matoulas
These images began with childhood memories of a slippery slide outside the Park Towers housing estate in South Melbourne. The slide was of a rocket but I made it into a bomb.
A collection I was re-housing at the time at the State Library of Victoria (Dunn Collection) had documented weapons inspectors. It probably came through some form of osmosis.
I had made a book with Peter Lyssiotis which dealt with social issues and some images of resistance fighters and that Eureka Flag project.
The palette is deliberately pastel and light. I see them as still lives following on from Pop traditions, why can’t a weapon be seen the same way as a bowl of fruit, flowers or landscape.
The more I delved into the topic the more I was drawn to the issue of death and the depiction of death in art. This brought out a realisation that they are more about time and less about war and violence.
Bomb, 2013
Acrylic on linen
168 x 122 cm
Acrylic on linen
168 x 122 cm
Scythe, 2017
Acrylic on linen
168 x 122 cm
Acrylic on linen
168 x 122 cm
Swords, 2017
Acrylic on linen
26 x 122 cm
Acrylic on linen
26 x 122 cm
Grenade, 2016
Acrylic on linen
168 x 122 cm
Acrylic on linen
168 x 122 cm
From my cold dead hands, 2016
Acrylic on linen
26 x 122 cm
Acrylic on linen
26 x 122 cm
Booby trap after John Perceval with apologies, 2015
Acrylic on linen
168 x 122 cm
Acrylic on linen
168 x 122 cm
Spear, 2015
Acrylic on linen
122 x 26 cm
Acrylic on linen
122 x 26 cm