back issue

In a special Art & Australia commission, Matt Coyle,  the Hobart-based artist and author of the graphic novel Worry Doll (2007) presents a shady new narrative, in four parts over four issues.

'When I finished Worry Doll I decided to do a series of stand-alone drawings which became the 2008 'Night Stills' series', says Coyle. 'Interestingly, the first drawing was of a man digging up the front of his garden at night. Such recurring imagery and narratives that can knit together - sometimes strangely, seamlessly - merge into the ideas behind 'The Shades'.

'What if you did dig up a descending staircase in your garden? And how would that lead to all sorts of interesting journeys? Such as: coming out into the foyer of Hobart's Theatre Royal. This is not just a beautiful old theatre but also the place I have worked for many years in the box office. Lots to explore: the relatively banal box office but just nearby an ornate and historical stage, ghostly tunnels beneath, trapdoors ...'