Liam Barr

Liam Barr (1966- ), grew up in Lyttelton on Banks Peninsula near Christchurch. At 20 Barr travelled extensively overseas and found himself settling in Perth W.A. where he trained and then worked as a graphic designer. Liam ran his own business in Fremantle before fatherhood turned his attentions to "the finer things including my true passion of becoming a painter". In 2004 the Barr family moved back to New Zealand.

Liam Barr has already had three solo exhibitions at prestigious New Zealand commercial galleries and his paintings have also appeared in public exhibitions - “Tears For Tane’s Children” at the Whangarei Art Museum and 'Mind Games, An Exhibition of Surrealism in Aotearoa' at Hastings City Art Gallery. Barr produces very small editions of giclee prints that were available through New Zealand Fine Prints. Recently he changed his mind about listing his artwork with us, but we hope that we'll be able to get him back on board again soon as his prints are superb.

Barr's current practice continues its search to define the New Zealand experience expressed in a series of narrative prints depicting stories of whalers, sailors and early pioneering visitors to this land. Images draw reference from the fictitious to the subjectively factual, weaving stories punctuated with symbolism and iconography to lay bare the stoicism and foibles of a fledgling colonial psyche rapidly assembling through historical events. Whilst referencing a mood of 19th and early 20th century artworks, Barr's prints reinterpret and imbue the romantic essence of the historical context in a contemporary fashion, offering an altogether alternative view. Once again, irony and satire are employed to embellish and dramatise the narrative whilst the richness and subtlety of the 'fine art oil painter' draws us in to the atmosphere of the era. We were excited to sell a couple of Liam Barr's prints, then he visited Christchurch and couldn't find our old warehouse tucked behind 202 Hereford St and changed his mind about stocking his work here as we weren't a conventional gallery as he expected. Liam, (or friends of Liam) if you are reading this we love your work and hopefully a decade later - at time of adding this note - as we are still in business and selling prints online seems even more mainstream please give Antony a call, he would love to help get your work out into the hands of our customers.