Neil Frazer has taken the core subject of the alpine landscape and single-handedly reinvigorated it. In works which both describe and reveal Frazer achieves the accuracy of belief and the unique specifics of place.

In this exhibition Frazer presents the physicality and monumentality of the Southern Alps. In Divider (2007) he uses the negative (recessive) space of the sky and the ever-present reflection as key devices. In Cool Change (2008) his command of texture and colour is such that it feels sculpted (as in 3-dimensional) and real. This characteristic mix of allusion, illusion and literalness is a hallmark quality in Frazer’s paintings. In Melt Down (2008), Chill Factor (2008) and Chill Factor Study (2008) Frazer uses paint in his familiar abstract expressionist manner applying this to the dictates of representational art. The results are quite simply utterly compelling.

In a related body of work Frazer enters the boulder strewn watercourses of alpine rivers. In works that remind one of van der Velden’s lines of sight, fascination with surging water and compositional structures, Frazer establishes real substance and thrilling momentum. In Water Source (2008), Rise (2008), and White Water Study he links the mountains, forest edge and water passage in metaphors of journey and narratives of symbiosis.