Ham Darroch

READ | Q&A Ten Questions with Ham Darroch Link in bio Kamberri/Canberra artist Ham Darroch with his work Fairground. Photographer: Andrew Sikorski, courtesy of the artist Ham Darroch installing wall painting Counter attack at the Drill Hall Gallery, 2020. Photographer: David Paterson, courtesy of the artist

I’m thrilled to say that my work ‘Fairground’ has been acquired by @artbankau I exhibited this work @onespace_au earlier this year so a big thank you to the gallery for your support! And also thank you to @judithblackall who wrote for my exhibition. 📸 @loui_slim

Tonic 2026 53 meter mural on vinyl from an original gouache on paper. @nationalgalleryaus My large work Tonic is now installed on the exterior of the ramp on the way into the NGA. The work invigorates space with dynamism, vibrant colour and geometry. The flowing composition links with ideas of progression and expansion in its interaction with the architecture of the National Gallery of Australia. I’m interested in relationships between art and music, geometry and architecture – in the flow, beat and animation of the work. The grey ground of the work relates to the building, while the ochre-yellow, pink and white that run through the composition represent ‘a spiritual current of connectivity’. At the same time, the contrasting pulse of red and blue reverberate to create pictorial depth. As the title Tonic suggests, the work is about care and vitality – a perfect metaphor for the restoration of the masterpiece of the Gallery building itself for time immemorial. Thank you @nationalgalleryaus @nickmitzevich @iamadamlindsay and Deborah Hart and Robin White for this opportunity. This project was commissioned to integrate art into the National Gallery’s capital works program, activating key spaces with temporary works of art during building rectification.

Sideline 4. (Tomorrow night I’m going to bed early) 2022 (detail) Oil stick on vintage stretchers, rope and gaff hooks. This work has a strong physical/psychological history, an object created to carry a human now altered to bear a colour weight or parts of a broken colour wheel. The work itself was created with oil sticks, so it also has a reference to touch and a physical action. It’s a double action and then a conversation between two where the concept of rest is important, ‘tomorrow night I’m going to bed early’: The gaff hooks pull colour or possibly are thrown from the stretcher trying to ground itself. @civic_art_bureau

Accord 2026 Wall painting On show in Harp Frequency @civic_art_bureau In Accord gradients of turquoise step in and out of incomplete discs which are enmeshed within a pink rhomboid. At times the turquoise is both in front and behind the pink in a complex spatial situation with the whole wall. The triangular gaps penetrate the surface but also offer a physical echo of the wall itself. The shapes bulge or breathes in places as the viewer moves around the space activated by the brush work and tonal qualities of the colour. #hamdarrochwallpainting

Mantis series is an ongoing body of work where the sawlike spatial tangle has become quite a satisfying delve into pictorial space. Some of these works have found wonderful homes and there are two in the current exhibition @civic_art_bureau Mantis 8 and the smaller Mantis 5 which is the second image. Mantis 5 2024 Acrylic on canvas 138 x 71cm Mantis 8 2024 Acrylic on canvas 198 x 122cm

Mantis 8 Acrylic on canvas Mantis Paintings 2024 Both Mantis 5 & 8 are multi-directional and more sculptural, open yet entwined. The saw blade motif is surrounded by white, some of their serrations incline erratically outwards and upwards while others hang down trying to wrestle or perhaps grasp, mantis-like, at space. #hamdarrochmantis @civic_art_bureau 📸 @brentonmcgeachie

Blue and Red #1 2026 gouache on paper mounted on board 23 × 30 cm Small detail of a gouache on paper currently on show @civic_art_bureau until the end of May. Challenging to photograph the atmosphere on these gouaches, better to go in and have a look. #hamdarroch

. Ham Darroch: HARP FREQUENCY Now showing @civic_art_bureau until 31 May. Open 12-5pm Thurs-Fri, 2-5pm Sun or by appointment. upstairs @smithsalternative Alinga St Canberra City @hamdarroch In HARP FREQUENCY Darroch’s works reference the figure, the proportional nature of the wall painting, objects used to move a human, tools used as a motif and colour that can be interpreted from the harmonic to the sacred. 1. “Mantis “5 2024 acrylic on canvas 138 x 71 cm 2. “Accord” 2026 acrylic wall painting 240 x 250 cm 3. “Uccello (bird 1440)” 2026 acrylic on canvas 137 x 122 cm 4. “Sideline 4 (tomorrow night I’m going to bed early)” 2023 oil on stretchers, rope and gaff hooks 160cm x 187cm 5. “Harp frequency” 2026 acrylic on canvas 165 x 198cm 6. “Mantis 8” 2024 acrylic on canvas 198 x 122 cm 7. “Blue and Red 2” 2026 gouache on paper mounted on board 23 x 30 cm 8. “Blue and Red 3” 2026 gouache on paper mounted on board 23 x 30 cm 9. “Blue and Red 1 “2026 gouache on paper mounted on board 23 x 30 cm Installation photos by Brenton McGeachie #civicartbureau #contemporaryart #abstractart #australianart #canberra

Accord 2026 Wall painting 240cm x 250cm Accord 2026 In Accord gradients of turquoise step in and out of incomplete discs which are enmeshed within a pink rhomboid. At times the turquoise is both in front and behind the pink in a complex spatial situation with the whole wall. The triangular gaps penetrate the surface but also offer a physical echo of the wall itself. The shapes bulge or breathe in places as the viewer moves around the space activated by the brush work and tonal qualities of the colour. @civic_art_bureau #hamdarrochpainting

Accord 2026 Wall painting Thank you to everyone who came along this afternoon to @civic_art_bureau to see Harp Frequency. Big #thanks to Adam and family. Im always very grateful for your support and encouragement. Sorry I couldn’t get around to chat to more of you for longer!

. @hamdarroch HARP FREQUENCY 2.5.26 – 31.5.26 Opening 3pm Saturday 2 May 2026 Ham Darroch's solo exhibition at Civic Art Bureau presents new works on canvas and paper with a site-responsive wall painting. Darroch is interested in the relationship between art and music, geometry and architecture, drawing upon modernist art history while reflecting on contemporary life. His mastery of syncopated rhythm and quiet harmony in colour and form invokes a profoundly uplifting experience. Ham Darroch works as studio assistant to Bridget Riley, a two decade relationship that has a bearing on his own practice. He lives and works in Canberra, exhibits internationally and has with work held by private and public collections in Australia and internationally. “The ability of painting to hold focus and create a stillness when everything is moving fast, and how art can transform multiple elements somehow overlapping, towards a feeling of being human and uplifted.” - HD Ham Darroch (b. 1972) is an Australian artist working in sculpture, painting and performance. He makes large scale wall paintings and series that resonate with human scale and the perception of space. His sculptures are created from altered and discarded objects, conceptually redirected using optical effects of geometric colour to reveal new meanings which are influenced by the vernacular and art history. Darroch has an MFA (research) from COFA UNSW and a Bachelor of Arts from ANU. CIVIC ART BUREAU Director Adam Bell Melbourne Building upstairs Smiths Alternative 76 Alinga St / GPO Box 2299 Canberra ACT 2601 Australia [email protected] civicartbureau.com @hamdarroch #civicartbureau