Richard Parry: The Artist Behind Tūhuratia Exploded

Born and raised in a world of electronics and gaming, Richard Parry has developed a unique art style that MOTAT is proud to present in our new exhibition, Tūhuratia Exploded.

Richard describes his work as, “Minimalistic, abstract, and technology inspired,” and this will be his first-ever exhibition.

He found his love for creativity when he started making scale models at a young age and it developed into a passion for art and pulling things apart.

After losing his job as an electrician due to Covid-19 redundancies, Richard decided it was time to run with his passion full-time. He’s had a steady stream of creative work ever since. But his previous job definitely has an influence on the art he makes today.

“I guess that (inspiration) stemmed from my job as an electrician, it’s pretty much what I did for a living. I would also spend a lot of time in the shed with my grandfather fixing things, he was a mechanic."

Tūhuratia Exploded focuses on the exploded view of well-known electronics and features several nostalgic gaming devices.

“I spent quite a lot of time gaming when I was younger and I really love gadgets, so I think it’s just inherent interest that has drawn me to these objects.”

MOTAT is always aiming to inspire the innovators of tomorrow and it’s something we’ve been working on for decades. Richard had his own inspiring moment with MOTAT growing up.

“I remember visiting MOTAT when I was a kid many times and I genuinely think the museum had a lot of influence on what led me to these careers.”

All the photographs in the exhibition are physical objects photographed. “I source the object,
disassemble it, and then photograph it. Sometimes I even put it back together.”

The artworks look so perfect some people don’t believe they are photographs. “I’ve spent a surprisingly long time online arguing that they’re photographs, not renders.”

His personal favourite artwork in the exhibition is the blue Gameboy, “It was the first one I made, and I think it has the best design out of all of the devices.”

Come check out Tūhuratia Exploded on opening weekend, 4 – 5 December. You can experience large-scale wall displays of Richard’s artworks, digital interactives, and even an exploded view rotary telephone MOTAT commissioned Richard to complete.

Read more about Tūhuratia Exploded

Story by Makayla Wallace-Tidd, Communications Coordinator, MOTAT

Citation:
Wallace-Tidd, Makayla. 2021. Richard Parry: The Artist Behind Tūhuratia Exploded. New Zealand: The Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT). First published: 01 December 2021. URL https://www.motat.nz/stories/richard-parry-the-artist-behind-tuhuratia-exploded