William Mackinnon

William Mackinnon skillfully blends reality and imagination to elevate ordinary experiences from the mundane to a mysterious realm.

Biography of William Mackinnon

William Mackinnon was born in 1978 in Melbourne, Australia. He pursued his studies at Melbourne University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. Later, he furthered his education by obtaining a Master of Visual Arts from the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne. Furthermore, Mackinnon honed his skills through internships, including one at the Peggy Guggenheim Museum in Venice, Italy (2004) and another at the Chinati Foundation in Marfa, TX (2005).

The artist was named a finalist for numerous awards, including the Churchie Contemporary Painting Prize, Fleurier Landscape Prize, Arthur Guy Memorial Prize, Archibald Prize, and many more.

His recent solo exhibitions include "Mountains, Streams, and Cavedreams" at Joint Hassles, Melbourne, Australia (2009); "Crossroads" at Hugo Michell Gallery, Adelaide, Australia (2015); "The Lucky Country" at Hugo Michell Gallery, Adelaide, Australia (2018); and "Learning to Love the Wind" at Simon Lee Gallery, London, United Kingdom (2020), among others.

William Mackinnon's paintings are part of numerous collections in Australia, including the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, Artbank in Sydney, the Parliament House Art Collection in Canberra, the State Library of Victoria in Melbourne, and many others.

Currently, the artist lives and works between Ibiza, Spain, the UK and Australia.

William Mackinnon's Art Style

An undertone of magical realism resonates throughout the artwork of William Mackinnon. Infused with his personal experiences and inspired by the landscapes of his native Australia, Mackinnon's paintings dwell in the space between the familiar and the uncharted. Through the fusion of reality and imagination, Mackinnon adeptly transforms everyday experiences, elevating them into an enigmatic otherworldly dimension.

Mackinnon, who refers to his creations as 'psychological landscape' paintings, primarily explores landscapes in both terrestrial and emotional dimensions. By weaving together personal and cultural histories, his work captures the intensity of contemporary existence, offering a glimpse into what it means to be alive in today's world. Iconic elements in Mackinnon's repertoire include trees and roads, recurring motifs that dominate his canvases. These elements are crafted from memory and serve as a canvas for the artist's contemplations on culture, heritage, family legacies, and the dynamics of rivalries.

Small elements such as road cracks, potholes, roots, and termite mounds function as symbols for intense emotional states where thoughts of trauma, pain, loss, and yearning coexist with feelings of renewal, rejuvenation, and intentional self-reinvention.

In Mackinnon's paintings, contrasting emotions of unease and serenity take turns, creating a dynamic tension that simultaneously engages and distances the viewer.