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MEET THE MAKER - DAN MAGINNITY AKA BYRD

December 2021

Meet Dan Maginnity aka byrd, a freelance graffiti muralist and conceptual sculptor based in Canberra.

We were really excited to exhibit and present Dan’s solo exhibition IRE ELEVANT last year in The Mixing Room Gallery, and so thought it was only fitting that we had a good chat with him about his practice.  

Dan says that his primary focus is the interface between the human condition and the places they occupy. “Starting out as a graffiti painter 20 years ago, I remain passionate about grass roots and activist art-practice, and its history in the local and global contexts. In a more practical sense my time is divided between commissions and studio research. I work on around 10 projects each year, try to paint 5 or 6 graffiti murals with various collaborators; and work towards a solo show with NancySeverGallery every two years.”

Progress shots of works outside Dan’s studio.

Dan continues to say that collaboration plays an important part in his arts practice; “as an energizer; as an opportunity to refine and reflect; as an antidote to spending too long inside my own head.  My Graffiti practice leans heavily into this space, as more often than not, it takes two or more people to fill a wall. And while each is pursuing their own letter aesthetic, we all want the wall to hold together. It really brings you out of your own thoughts and techniques attempting to match and amplify other painters.”

Success can mean so many different things to so many people, so it’s always an interesting question to ask.  “Success [to me] is a kind of interlocking system of giving, taking and sharing.  Like a rich biodiversity, no one part dominating, each having its needs met and meeting those of another. It’s about raising those around you up and bolstering your community, and in return the community supports you. Being able to say I could do that, but asking someone else instead. Success to me is about being able to pursue my interests, and have that pursuit pay the bills.”

“Success to me is about being able to pursue my interests, and have that pursuit pay the bills.”

A successful artist for over 30 years, Dan has innumerable projects, commissions and artworks to be proud of, so we asked the artist what he’s most proud of today. “The work in this show is something that I have pride in. These series were produced over 12 months starting mid 2019, but the preparation and thinking has been ongoing since 2016. 

They are the coelessing of my best intentions for the reclamation of art industry surplus materials and my ongoing studio research into stencil production. 

Each composition is built with a grouping of birds, like marks in an abstraction each balances or unbalances the flow. Each bird is built with layered stencils, from six to eleven in each. Such that a relatively uncrowded composition of 6 birds, may take upto 70 layers of stencils to achieve.”

Dan has works in the collections of The National Gallery of Australia; Canberra Museum and Gallery; Craft ACT; the ACT Legislative Assembly Collection; Arts ACT collection and various private local & international collections.

Dan’s exhibition IRE ELEVANT was held in The Mixing Room Gallery from 1 - 27 November 2021. For artwork enquiries, please email gallery@thors.com.au

Photo and video credit: Rohan Thomson

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