Mike Kowalski, rally, taxi rally, taxi drivers, Parliament Building, Mike Kowalski, Closely Observed,
Summary
This work is one of two in the collection by American-born painter Mike Kowalski, both acquired for the collection following his exhibition ‘Closely Observed’, held at the Hawthorn Arts Centre, in May–July 2019. Kowalski divides his time between Australia and his country of birth, with a studio in each, and works mainly with watercolours, with landscapes and scenes his key subjects. He counts John Singer Sargent as chief among his painterly influences.
Kowalski’s various awards attest to his predisposition for taking his paints and paper out of the studio to depict his subjects directly on site. It is difficult to know if that is the case with this watercolour, but certainly there is a documentary air to it. The title links the painting to the series of rallies that has taken place in Melbourne over recent years, in which taxi drivers have protested against ride-sharing and the correlative changes to the industry. The gathering clouds that darken the sky perhaps reflect the brooding mood of protesting drivers and licence holders, whose livelihoods have been put on the line by the industry disrupters.
