Views of Canning Bridge & Perth celebrated in new exhibition

He’s probably most known for his extraordinary banksia mural on the Ravensthorpe silos — yep, the one once immortalised on the Australian $1 stamp — but Amok Island is back and celebrating some of Perth’s most recognisable views.

The Amsterdam-born, Fremantle-based artist, whose real name is Xander Rood, has pinballed across more than 25 countries leaving a trail of larger-than-life artwork, but is returning to his roots with all new works on canvas after seven years focusing on his memorable and striking mural designs.

From Dwellingup’s community hall and the Collie’s giant yabby to the black cockatoos at Murdoch University and an encyclopaedic depiction of Marmion’s marine life in our suburbs, his highly Instagrammable, geometric creations are unmistakably his.

But for solo exhibition Reverie, which opens at Kamile Gallery on Pier Street in Perth on October 28, Amok Island has been inspired by some of our metropolitan’s most recognisable vistas.

Canning Bridge comes into focus in this collection, as does an all-too-familiar northbound view of the city as you travel on the Kwinana Freeway.

A flurry of surf kites take centre stage in Cottesloe Surfers, with Freo’s port cranes looming in the distance.

The 39-year-old said the return to canvas in his self-described “realistic minimalism” style had been a welcome change.

“One thing that sometimes gets in the way of my creativity with murals is that there often are people that have a say in what you paint,” he explained.

“In the studio I have nobody but myself to please and I can experiment with new ideas, which is very nice.

“For some time I have tried some nature landscapes, but I have been interested in seeing what would happen if I paint man-made environments, especially with influence of artificial light sources like street lights, car lights, neon lights, etc.

“It is total opposite of my normal work, but very exciting to me to try. In these night street landscapes I try to capture a lonely nine-to-five Perth workday, driving home on a spacious highway into the suburb from work late together with other people, also alone in their cars. I am just trying to capture an atmosphere that is hard to describe.”

Amok Island readily picks the nightscapes as his favourites from this collection of 10 works, which includes depictions of found flora and fauna, but working on an enormous scale is never far from his mind.

“Whether it is for a client or festival, or finding random unexpected walls while travelling, I always bring a set of brushes and rollers for the chance I come across a nice wall I can paint,” he said.

“I have a few walls that I am still happy with: the Banksias on the Ravensthorpe silos, the Pelican in Applecross and the White Swans in Northam come to mind.

“The other day I was at a petting zoo looking at a turkey thinking what a hectic looking animal that actually is. And then I imagine a nice architectural house with a huge turkey painting in it and get excited to try and paint that.

“I am basically a nature nerd and anything has the power to inspire me. There is still an infinite amount of ideas out there.”