Take a look at Tim Meakins’ art, and try not to smile.
It’s fun, colourful, a little bit cute and plenty playful.
At Dockside, Tim will swap a canvas for a beer keg as part of a live art exhibition.
We spent five minutes with Tim talking inspiration, exhibitions and getting silly on insta.
Tell us about your art, how would you describe it?
My work and practice is very much about human perspective – how objects and people can be perceived and illustrated in the simplest way possible. I enjoy humour and not taking things too seriously, especially within my practice. I hope my work brings joy to people, to put it simply. It’s hard to describe but in short cute, contemporary and simple.
What inspires you?
People inspire me, sometimes not necessarily in good way. Objects, shapes, relationships, my current mood, movement and honestly the human genome. How we all try to achieve this idealistic lifestyle and how caught up we are on our own agendas. Honestly anything can get my mind going.
When and how does inspiration strike – does it hit you out of the blue or do you have to work at it?
I think a bit of both really. In most cases I like to talk things through with my partner or my parents especially, most of my ideas are really silly so it’s good to have someone to bring me back to earth. I have a lot of crazy and stupid ideas, but give them time and they will grow into something. Most inspiration strikes when I’m alone to my own thoughts or walking listening to music. I also have this great idea that if anybody wants to commission me to paint a massive side of a building, I’m good for it.
What piece of work are you most proud of?
I think the piece of work I’ll be most proud of will be my next, so the Gage Roads Dockside project cause it’s my most current work to date. I’m always developing and keep things very much in the current moment. But moving on from that tangent, my favourite work to date would be a sculpture made from paper mache, a wooden doll and concrete from an exhibition called Big Kicks. It’s the most ridiculous thing you will see but for me, not coming from an arts background, playing with special design and creating more sculptural work has been a huge step for me.
At Gage Roads Dockside, your canvas will be a stack of beer kegs, how challenging will that be?
The stack of kegs will be HARD, in material and literally to paint. But working in some concepts, and using the kegs as a grid I figured it out. I think the perspective is the hardest part about it. I always want people that are viewing my work to get it, quite literally understand the work. So I think making some elaborate piece with hidden meaning isn’t really my jam. I want to do simple work. Weird to say.
I was taking a look at your insta, tell us about your side career in slides?
Oh man. My career in floor slides is a prestigious one. It’s an alter ego I made up when snapchat was big maybe three years ago, which eventually transferred into insta stories. The alter ego is pretty much me with my dad’s sunnies, no shirt, champion basketball shorts and I’ll likely have shoes on. It’s just a way to express myself… kidding it’s a total joke and it’s really gone too far. People actually think I’m being serious. But I guess that’s what fame is, sliding on some tiles and getting your partner/sister/mum to film you. I guess I’ve made it.
You can see more of Tim’s work here.
Gage Roads Dockside pop-up bar and cellar door is happening on the Labour Day long weekend (March 1 to 4) at Fremantle’s B Shed wharf. The free event will feature chilled out vibes, mouth-watering tacos, live music and live art.