Ignite Studios Artist Residency  |  June - July 2022

After the flooding natural disaster which devastated the Northern Rivers in 2022, Max lost both his home and studio overnight. Working toward an exhibition at the Northern Rivers Community Gallery at the time, Ignite Studios reached out to offer a space for Max to complete and re-make the body of work he was working towards. Working primarily at night due to daytime commitments, Max was given access to the studio space as he needed over the course of 2 months, and was able to complete eight entirely new paintings in this time. The large, inviting central space was able to facilitate both the creation and preparation-hanging of Max’s work. Support and convenience of Ignite Studios’ offer was integral to the completion of Max’s work, and he was able to participate fully in the 2022 June – August round of exhibitions at the Northern Rivers Community Gallery as a result.

Born in Gosford, Max has lived most of his life on Bundjalung country in the Northern Rivers after moving to the area as a child. Max completed a Bachelor of Art and Design at Southern Cross University and graduated in 2021 - earning both the NRCG Bachelor of Art and Design Graduate Prize and the 2021 Kaske Fellowship Award. Having taken part in multiple group exhibits and the 2022 solo exhibition “Common Nonsense” at NRCG, Max’s practice revolves heavily around themes of economic injustice and ecology. His work attempts to tackle contemporary as well as historical political issues. Max works primarily in oil and acrylic paint. He employs the use of recycled and upcycled substrates and canvases, with an interest in both the micro and macro material dialectics of not just his local and lived community, but the objects global markets produce, use, and discard themselves.