Moon Dog

“Taking a step aside from extended collaborative projects, Moon Dog stems from my ongoing fascination with car sub-cultures and vehicle customisation. My introduction to materiality and industrial processes began while completing a Master of Fine Arts and working alongside artist Ming Ranginui in 2023. 

I bring to life important objects within my photography, and creative process as sculptures. I then reintroduce these sculptures into the completed work. The tall self-assembly golden cage is an embellished replica of the cages used within the powder coating factory, articulating the interlacing of the process and the outcome, the making and the commodity. 

The cage both carries and confines three conjoined dark sparkling wheel rims, tethered to a plug socket by a black electrical cable. Walking around the work reveals incandescent candelabra bulbs flickering in rhythmic patterns, hinting at hidden forces at play. My continued interest in the use of reflective materials sees seductive metallic powder coated surfaces wrapped around the repurposed steel and stock rims I have collected from gritty recycling and wrecking yards on the fringes of Wellington.  

The photograph Ghosts - 2002 responds to the sculpture. I made this photograph in Seignosse, France in the early part of my photography career while living in London. The work continues the dialogue about process and outcome. With its focal point in the distance, it refers to the past. The snow dusted tyres and the blue colour cast caused by the mixing of artificial light and cold winter daylight link to the midnight blue rims of the Moon Dog work. 

Veering between the comfortable and uncomfortable Moon Dog considers value, facades, control, power and mysticism.”

— Russell Kleyn