An Interview with Multimedia Artist Max Patté
The inimitable artist Max Patté is currently presenting a solo show at Webb’s Wellington Gallery. We spoke to the British-born artist about the influence of a decade spent in Aotearoa, his recent move to Spain; how fatherhood has driven his art from figurative and more introspective sculpture to light; among other topics.
Max Patté
Colours of Home presents a new suite of work by Max Patté. This exhibition which continues his exploration of light, space, and colour in his sculptures, paintings, and light art takes its inspiration from the flora and landscapes that surround his adoptive home of Mallorca, Spain.
An Interview with Multimedia Artist Max Patté
Kia ora Max! We are thrilled to have your work on display. When was the last time you had a show in New Zealand?
My last big solo show in Wellington was in 2015 at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery on the waterfront. I've had several smaller exhibitions shown with my partner gallery in Queenstown but this will certainly be my most significant show in some time.
You spent over a decade in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington and the sculpture Solace in the Wind has become an iconic feature of the city. Would you say the city has had an equally lasting impact on you?
Certainly. Moving to New Zealand was a key factor in my artistic development, it awarded me the freedom over my own time, and the support to move away from a career in the film industry and start my own practice. The move away from London gave me both the mental and physical space and time to develop my own particular style of sculpting. The proximity to emerging technologies and brilliant technicians that I was working alongside at Weta were the catalyst for the development of what would become my Lightwork series and later the Infinity Works. Not only did my move to Wellington and position at Weta give me access to the technology and facilities required to make this kind of work but life on the south coast gave me the inspiration for the underlying concepts behind them. Ultimately, I found success here as a result of the people and connections I made. My work found a welcoming, excited and supportive collectorship here that I still believe is unique to New Zealand.
Looking at the evolution of your work there’s a lot of exploration of different mediums–moving from cast bronze to epoxy resin, lights, Swarovski crystals, Stainless steel, etc. Would you say you find a lot of inspiration in the medium itself?
Whilst the concept or inspiration for a series of work generally comes from the natural world and my place in it, the development of those ideas and real pleasure comes from time in the studio. I enjoy all aspects of the fabrication process and each area of the studio. From sketching to technical drawings, digital models, engineering, carpentry, paint and colour, sculpting in clay, and all aspects of materiality. I've been very fortunate to have been exposed to such a wide variety of materials and processes. Where I can I like to be as hands-on as possible but collaborating with other professionals also brings me great enjoyment and the opportunity to learn. Outside skills and experience often leads to a piece taking a new direction, using new materials, process or paint technologies that I may not have thought of. Likewise, my brief often pushes their otherwise more commercial skill set into a more abstract way of approaching a technical problem. This kind of problem solving or project management is something I love. I found this particularly satisfying in New Zealand where there’s a 'can do' attitude towards most things. Within half a dozen phone calls you’d always find the answer to any problem.
Now living in Mallorca — this is quite a change in environment from windy ol’ little Wellington. What was behind the move and has it changed the approach or look and feel of your work?
Ha, yes a big change indeed! Phone calls are much harder here! My Spanish is still embarrassingly bad. Mallorca is surprising though. It has a population of over one million and with its easy access to the rest of Europe everything's available here that I had feared might not be. There are multiple superyacht harbours here which means the support facilities are incredible. Many of the technologies, materials, and services required for maintaining yachts cross-over to what I do in my studio. It also means there's a good collector-base on the island. Mallorca has a thriving art scene and with easy flights to London and all other major European centres it means I'm getting to see more exhibitions. My own art now has a bigger presence in Europe than it did previously and my collectorship here is growing which is both relieving and exciting to see. Moving away from the comfort of New Zealand felt like a massive risk at the time but so far things are working out here just as we'd hoped and new possibilities are opening up as we make more and more connections. My approach to work changed by necessity more than desire. Since all my machines and studio equipment were unavailable to me for a long time while they were in transit from NZ. When they finally arrived, in mid-summer, there was the long and sweltering process of unpacking four shipping containers and setting everything up in my rented warehouse spaces. I used the time while I was waiting for their arrival to both explore the island and discover what it had to offer. Not just the beautiful scenery and lifestyle but also the industrial estates and services available. I literally spent entire mornings wandering the isles of the hardware stores to familiarise myself with products on offer and trying to learn the Spanish for 'plywood' or 'deck screws'. I'd put Bunnings warehouse Lyall Bay at the top of my most-missed things in Wellington! Saying goodbye to John who works on the door there was one of my most emotional farewells. This lack of access to my own fully functional studio led to more painting and designing works that could be fabricated outside of my own facility. The exposure to a different kind of nature, warmer tones, different textures and a softer light than you’d find in NZ has no doubt influenced my work too. I think this will be evident in my show at Webb’s.
You’ve mentioned in other interviews a dream of building your own studio— somewhere “warm, with orange trees and a sea view.” Has this come true for you yet?
I saw a photo of a plot of land advertised online when we were still in New Zealand. At the time I had no idea where on Mallorca it was located but it caught my attention. As it turns out the plot is just outside a village called Orient, deep in the Serra de Tramuntana mountain range just ten minutes from our home town Alaró. The area of Orient wasn't familiar to me yet but one evening I found myself taking a diversion on the route home and drove, purely by accident, right past the plot that I had seen online. I recognised it immediately and fell in love. It's taken since then, nearly three years of due diligence to buy and submit the plans for a large studio and separate house. Spain is famous for its bureaucracy but to add to the layers of complexity the land is situated inside a Unesco World Heritage area so things are slow, to say the least. We expect to wait another two years before we are allowed to start building. But it'll be worth it. It's absolutely stunning, no orange trees yet but it does have 140 olive trees. Some dating back over 900 years. The views of the mountains are reminiscent of the Queenstown area which is partly why it was love at first sight and we felt at home there immediately.
Going right back to the beginning of your journey as a creative, was art something you were always drawn to?
I grew up in an artistic family and we were always going to local art openings, and artists’ studios so I guess it was ingrained from an early age. In particular I remember the studio and intricate paintings of Kit Williams. We used to go to his annual exhibition held in his small studio in Stroud, Gloucestershire. His paintings, approach to his craft and stories behind them were fascinating. The man is a real genius and having the experience of the back story told by the artist added to the magic of the paintings. An experience that’s stayed with me and remains front of mind whenever collectors visit my own studio and I have the opportunity myself to show what goes into making my art. All this combined with the love of my dad’s garage and workshop, building projects and machines, it seems obvious looking at it now that I was always on the path to do something of a practical nature. I knew from age 13 that I wanted to go to art school. I considered furniture and product design courses around the same time that I was choosing art schools, I think there was something in the back of my mind that made me think about actually earning a living, or possibly NOT earning a living by having an art school degree but the smell of oil paint won out and I never really looked back. Art school years were some of the happiest of my life.
Can you tell me a bit about how you came to this as a career and why sculpture in particular?
I actually changed part way through my first term on a fine art course to a technical arts course. A more tutor-led course about technique, and the academic study of anatomy than the fine art course that I'd originally undertook, which was more student-led and heavily focused on concept. A lot of my peers on the tech arts course were getting summer jobs in the film industry. The Art School in Wimbledon was well located geographically and loosely affiliated with two of the big film studios, Pinewood and Shepperton. I managed to get work on a few films and music videos when I was still at Art School and was offered a job after graduation. It was incredible and I loved almost every moment of my 10 years working on film in the UK. I feel privileged to this day to have had that experience and to have worked alongside so much talent. Not only did it push my sculpting ability to a new level but it instilled in me a good work ethic and understanding of budgets and timelines. Collaborating with other departments, technicians and directors was all invaluable experience that helps today in my studio working with assistants and collectors. The real life practicalities of running a studio and business is not something that was taught at all in Art School. When I wasn’t working on film I was restoring antiquities and later contemporary art. A lot of this work took place directly in some of the big London galleries or their gigantic storage and art handling facilities. To work behind the scenes like this, to see the cogs of the industry and to be surrounded by a vast array of artwork gave me an up close and behind the canvas view of so many great works of art. I was able to see how they were put together, packaged, handled, installed and documented. I gained first hand knowledge from the technicians and on many occasions the artists themselves. This more than ever solidified my desire to be part of that world as an artist in my own right. However the lure of a steady and of course exciting job plus weekly pay cheque on films took time to break away from. Ultimately, it was the film industry that gave me the knowledge and practical skills around the technologies and principles that I now use day to day in my own practice.
You’ve said this coming show at Webb’s is inspired by being a father. Is this in a broad, existential sense or more in the day to day experience of being a parent?
My work changed a lot I think when I became a father, more outward looking and colourful, probably more playful too. The essence of this show really comes from being in a new environment, a new nature. Surrounded on a day to day basis with a different pallet to the one I grew used to in New Zealand. I'm also more aware of the seasons here. Particularly Spring when the countryside bursts with colour and activity. We're surrounded by field after field of almond trees. They blossom in late January for around a month and I don’t think I've ever been so aware of the wash of colour in nature quite like it. Almond trees are otherwise quite bare for the rest of the year so perhaps it’s this sudden and brief contrast that makes it so dramatic. I had my first child in 2016 and marvelled a lot on how becoming a parent has completely changed my relationship with time and how I view and use it!
You’ve taken quite a hands on and practical approach to your own career. How does this translate to your day to day work? i.e Do you approach it like you would any job?
My work schedule here isn't quite as strict as it once was for sure. I used to be in the studio every day 8am-6pm, then an hour or so of emails and note-making at home after the children were in bed. Occasionally, I'd go back to the studio late at night to set another job running on the machine and more often than not pop in at the weekend too. It's fair to say I put some hours in! After Winnie was born (2019) I reduced my hours at the studio a little but there were also times like when I opened a pop-up gallery in Sydney (in collaboration with Pauline Bianchi of Artbay and Lightworx galleries in Queenstown) that the work hours were crazy for all of us. That was a real test of our limits in terms of what we were able to turn around in a relatively short period but it was high-energy and I found that very rewarding. That flowed almost immediately into wrapping-up the studio and selling our home for the move here. Four shipping containers in which every item had to be wrapped, photographed, weighed and documented. I never want to have to do that again. My work day here is more flexible, again through necessity rather than desire. Getting settled here has required so many meetings and appointments. Signatures, stamps, wax seals and forests of paperwork. The culture is intoxicating though, there are so many fiestas and cultural events. So much to see and learn about and you can’t miss out on that.
Finally, what can the audience expect from this new series of works?
This is an entirely new body of work created specifically for Webb’s around a single theme. The inspiration and title for the show came to me unusually easily: Colours of Home: Meadows of my Mind and draws inspiration from my new home. Specifically, the fields of almond blossom and associated colours of Spring. The body of work is various, including new paintings, sculpture and Infinity Works. In a way it’s chronological, it represents a journey and tells a story. The single source of inspiration being a collection of spring cuttings. Taken while out walking with my family along the lanes that head out to the nearby winery in our home town in Mallorca.These cuttings were spread out on the kitchen table at home and photographed hundreds of times in various arrangements. Later digital scans were made of the almond blossom. The photographs, colours and forms were then broken down, rearranged, abstracted and recorded in the same manner that much of my previous work has been. I like to reduce and rearrange the source material to see how far it can be pushed until it's unrecognisable as its original object or image. I've done this sculpturally in early works using 3D scan data of my own body. Two-dimensionally I've done this time and time again with my horizon paintings series and droplet series and this theme runs throughout my Infinity Works. Most recognisably in this case is my Sweet Pea Diptych based on the flowers my son grew in our garden in Island Bay. (This diptych sold last year to a collection owned by the Qatari Royal family for a new St Regis development in Abu Dhabi). In this case the paintings came first. I wanted to create a single expanse of harmonious colour. Something that is related to the way the fields of blossom burst into life here in late January and fill your view. This sets the scene for the show. In a way that the title suggests what follows is like a walk through the 'meadows of my mind'. A journey that's taken me a year to complete that began with a country walk. A single idea that found its way first onto canvas later evolved into sculpture and then into light. One work inspired and informed the next. The exhibition is of course a continuation of my practice. Recognisably my work, although all of the process, themes and ideas have been pushed and expanded, it's a constant process of play and experimentation. It's a reflection of my day to day. Hopefully some of this playfulness, some of the joy I find through the making of art and a life spent in colour comes through in the work.
Max Patté
Colours of Home—A Selling Exhibition
14.04.25 to 10.05.25
Webb’s Wellington Gallery
Virginia Woods-Jack
Exhibitions Manager
+64 22 679 8664
virginia@webbs.co.nz
