With a background in the performing arts, graphic design, and wearable art, the work of Victoria-based artist Patrick Duffy embraces the theatrical and the dramatic. However, he does not seek to do this through bombastic colour or extravagant materials. Instead, the artist prefers to look to his local recycling bin.
“I don’t see that there are any fixed rules in regards to sustainable art or even the process of creating it”, says Duffy, “but for me, it is the creative practice of making art from existing material, material that is largely considered waste.”
Using repurposed cardboard to construct elaborate compositions, the artist utilises the medium’s existing colours and textures to draw attention to his skills in composition and design. Of his medium, he says that, “I don’t want this to be a gimmick. I want my pieces to speak for themselves, elevating the material to be powerful enough to leave an impression beyond the wow factor of the material itself.”
By folding, ripping, and layering thick cardboard, the artist creates impressive figurative sculptures, drawing equally on nature, his urban environment, and his own imagination. Corrugated board interiors are contrasted with feathered edges and crisp lines, layered together as if by a painter. Under the artist’s hands cardboard ceases to be a waste product, transforming visually and conceptually into something precious.
In his practice, we see Duffy’s versatility as a creator blossom through a mindful use of materials. Whilst his art acts as a reminder of the importance of addressing environmental issues, it is not defined by it, his works standing independently as meticulously formed objects of beauty – telling a story of sustainability alongside a story of their own.