Stories

Through The Mist

Installation view of 'Through The Mist' at Studio One Toi Tu.
Deeply thoughtful, exceptionally talented, and highly skilled, emerging artist Logan Moffat is perhaps one of Aotearoa New Zealand's most dynamic new figurative painters. Informed by a keen awareness of the absurdity of existence in the modern technologically obsessed era we find ourselves in, Moffat's paintings capture the feeling of the zeitgeist in a truly unique way. Exquisitely rendered figures inhabit beautifully articulated landscapes that we recognise as being here, of this place, yet we cannot quite ground them concretely. In this short piece, written by Moffat, the artist reflects and shares insights into his recent show Through The Mist at Studio One Toi Tu.

These works will be coming soon to Artfull.

Words by Logan Moffat

Photography by Courtesy of the artist

Read time 5 minutes

Artists Logan Moffat

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How I perceive reflects the person I am in that moment. Many of the portraits in this exhibition are referenced from an Al face generator; they don't exist. However, I feel through our perception we give the portrait life and meaning. I began exploring the paintings in this exhibition in early 2021. During a period with no foreseeable outcome, and the often hopeless feeling of having no understanding and vision of what each day or month could bring, everything around me was morphing my perception of self and reality. I realised I needed to chill out, so I returned to the studio and began to reflect on what brought me peace and happiness, while at the same time trying to make my own sense of it all.

'SAME MIND, DIFFERENT EYES, 2022, oil on canvas with custom hand made frame.
'SAME MIND, DIFFERENT EYES, 2022, oil on canvas with custom hand made frame.
'POINT BETWEEN OUR REALITIES', 2022, oil on canvas, stretched over custom shaped panel
'POINT BETWEEN OUR REALITIES', 2022, oil on canvas, stretched over custom shaped panel

The spaces I recreate are void of chaos. Abandoned of technology and material items, these natural and vast spaces allow the mind to escape but also infinitely wander. Some of these moments were shared with other people watching a setting sun. Though like how one perceives a painting, their understanding of reality, or self, a setting sun on earth is a different sunset for each person who experiences it. I hope to offer the viewer a similar experience, in this moment of pause. I don't want to prescribe a concrete meaning or purpose to the painting, as for everyone who perceives it will have a different experience and understanding.

Installation view, 'Through The Mist' at Studio One Toi Tu.
Installation view, 'Through The Mist' at Studio One Toi Tu.