Howard Arkley - Audio guide

Ray Edgar and Ashley Crawford wonder whether Arkley's painting Shadow Factories, inspired by a Peter Carey story, is a celebration or condemnation of its subject.

Ray Edgar and Ashley Crawford sing the praises of this portrait which conjures so many sides of the singer Nick Cave.

Curator Jason Smith and artist Kathy Temin deconstruct Arkley’s work Deluxe Setting, examining the formal aspects of the work and feelings it evokes in the viewer.

Andy McDonald sheds some light on Arkley’s work Superb and Solid.

Ashley Crawford suggests that the anarchy in Primitive is what gives the work its life and energy but the control in Fabricated Rooms proves Arkley has become a master artist.

The suburbs are Arkley’s master stroke. Ray Edgar and Chris McAuliffe consider Indoors/Outdoors where patterns normally associated with suburban interiors get an airing outside.

Ray Edgar and Chris McAuliffe ponder the source of inspiration for Arkley’s work Suicide, an image that can be read in several ways.

Ray Edgar and John Gregory regard Suburban Interior as an example of the beginnings of Arkley’s suburban theme which he was so famous for in later years.

John Gregory discusses Zappo Head, a recurrent image in Arkley’s work and often understood to be a self-portrait.

Chris McAuliffe uses Frank Stella’s work as a starting point to discuss The Cacti Succulents which challenges expectations about the boundary between cool abstraction and lurid decoration.