Rob McLeod: Mixing Different Heavens

Wellington-based Rob McLeod grew up in Glasgow and attended the Glasgow School of Art. He came to New Zealand in 1972 and has painted here since then.

His paintings are in major New Zealand collections including Te Papa's.

McLeod says the walls of the Tauranga Art Gallery are higher than those of any gallery he has previously exhibited in, so he faced technical challenges when putting together Mixing Different Heavens, which he created specifically for the Atrium space. 

 

 

 

He decided to work in layers and thus we have ground level creations such as The Small Man, The Crowd, and The Outsiders.

Above them, The Bombers and The Angels float, and The Planet Heads sit above everyone else.

There's a lot going on but McLeod says hope remains for The Small Man. 

"Stressed and down-trodden, he still lives his life, getting through the day," he says.

"He keeps on with his work, possibly believing in The Angels."