Biography

From the exhibition "Still Eating Paris" !996, Fireworks Gallery.

Phil Gordon graduated from the University of Tasmania with a bachelor of Fine Arts with teaching in 1983. In 1984 became a member of Chameleon Artist co-operative in Hobart, holding studio space and position of treasurer. Phil exhibited with the Tasmanian Craft Council as well as Chameleon’s Gallery.

Shortly after moving to Queensland in 1985, Phil travelled extensively through Turkey, Greece and Europe.

From 1986 to 1990 Phil worked in Fashion and Screenprinting, designing and printing, building props and silly cycles for Expo 88, worked as a Chef in various restaurants around Brisbane, had a brief artists residency back at Chameleon and then finished with an exhibition at the Young Artists Gallery M.O.C.A. in 1989 before moving to the Sunshine Coast.

Phil then spent 5 years as creative advisor and food stalls co-ordinator of Woodford Folk Festival, before joining Shoe Theatre with Director Annie Lee. Phil has been responsible for the construction, design, concept development as well as performing in Shoe Theatre’s ‘Potato’, ‘The Wolfzingers’, ‘The Perkin Family Freakorama’ and most recently ‘The Cleaver Family Wreckers’.

Like grosesque cartoons sprouting from the gravel, Gordon contemplates the eternal opposites that can predominate much of our lives:

- Consumer culture vs Organic culture
- Planned obscelescence and the environmental victim
- American culture, Australian culture, Film culture - there is a direct reference to Peter Weir’s iconic classic, The Cars That Ate Paris.

This most recent show reflects his ongoing dialogue with cars, industry and theatre, developed on a diet of Monty Python, Stroked 186’s, Toowoomba, Newcastle and a leftwing Marxist family.