Grant Takle

Grant Takle was born in Christchurch, 1962, and studied at Ilam School of Fine Arts, Canterbury University, completing a Diploma of Fine Arts (painting) in 1983. Through his early career he received numerous awards and much critical success. His work is held in the collections of Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu, Aigantighe Art Gallery, Canterbury University, Manawatu Art Gallery, Westpac Trust and Wallace Charitable Arts Trust.

Working in both painting and sculpture his work is both edgy and inventive, often incorporating humour with a dark twist.

Takle’s art practice was interrupted by the Christchurch earthquakes (2011-2013). His 2020 exhibition AFTER SHOCK at PG gallery192 marked his first solo exhibition since 2008. The title may suggest earthquakes but the series primarily responded to the mosque shootings in Christchurch, March 2019. Through his work Takle delved the undercurrents of our culture. The eight paintings in the exhibition are grand, demanding works. They are visually stunning, multi-layered yet forthright; a challenge. Following on from AFTER SHOCK, and in response to Covid-19, he produced CLUSTER, exhibited in 2021. CLUSTER featured a wall installation of vinyl records that touched and interacted across the wall. His recent exhibtion Sound Proof extends this idea in a different direction. Music, now uplayable, is implied in a lively installation of woven and wandering threads.

Exhibitions:
Sound Proof, 2024
CLUSTER, 2021
AFTER SHOCK, 2020