Paul Hartigan, Pathfinder

Like a hybrid of grafitti and commercial neon signage, Paul Hartigan’s Pathfinder evokes the graphic language of city culture. His offbeat, heiroglyphic forms are inspired by the immediacy and vitality of Len Lye’s gestural drawings. Pathfinder boogies across the external Gallery walls with an energy and drift that recalls the improvisations of free jazz. The spontaneous liquid line of the neon with its glowing light acts as a beacon announcing the presence of the Gallery.

Auckland-based Paul Hartigan (born 1953, New Plymouth) graduated from Elam School of Fine Arts, University of Auckland in 1974. A major figure in the development of neon in contemporary art practice in Aotearoa New Zealand, Hartigan has created large-scale neon installations for public spaces and is represented in major national collections.

Text from Singular Companions: Sculpture from the Collection exhibition catalogue, Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, 1 December 2012 – 27 January 2013. View the catalogue in full here.