The Archived Records of a Modern Man By Robin Wilson

This October/November, Aspire Gallery presents ‘The Archived Records of a Modern Man’—a solo exhibition by Robin Wilson.

Growing up, every morning a young Robin would find a drawing on the kitchen bench by his mother. Struck by the busy-ness of the time, this was his mother’s way of letting him know she was thinking of him, but it laid the foundation for drawing and art to become Robin’s essential form of communication.

After realising he wanted to pursue art properly (at the ripe age of 12), a young Robin saved his money to buy a professional art set. The store keeper, taken by Robin’s passion, told him to capture every moment in life that he could—to store those moments as snapshots, as if he had a camera in his head.

Over the years the moments Robin captured, however, had to be stored away in the records of his mind. With little avenues to pursue art professionally in his young adult life and a need to support himself, Robin instead travelled across the UK as a musician and a teacher. But he never once gave up his passion for art, quite often carrying a small art set in his travel bag. Every moment in time, was captured by the camera in Robin’s head—set aside for a later date, when he could finally do them justice.

‘The Archived Records of a Modern Man’ is Robin’s first solo exhibition in almost a decade and showcases a collection of Robin’s favourite archived moments he has been able to capture over the years. The scenes range from moments from his childhood in the UK, to trips to Bryon Bay to visit his now adult children, to the familiar morning scenes of his Brisbane bayside home where he now resides. Yet for Robin, these scenes are for his audience—to help them reminiscence about time gone by, discover memories filed away, and appreciate those moments in their life that should not be forgotten.