Reg Mombassa
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Reg Mombassa is the pseudonym of Chris O'Doherty, a New Zealand born artist and musician. Resident in Australia, he is equally as well known there for his musical exploits - founder and former member of the popular Australian band Mental As Anything and member of Dog Trumpet (alongside his brother Peter O'Doherty) - as he is for his art. Worldwide, he is perhaps better known for his irreverent designs for surfwear company Mambo Graphics many of which were later adapted for use in a segment of the Sydney 2000 Olympics closing ceremony.
In Reg's words he is inspired by "the wind, semi-professional birthday clowns, heavy machinery and the behavior of domestic animals". He is married with three children and lives in the Sydney suburb of Glebe.
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[edit] Early life
Mombassa was born Christopher O'Doherty in Auckland, New Zealand on 14 August 1951. O'Doherty, his parents and younger brother Peter imigrated to Sydney, Australia in 1969. He made a best friend named ashley maxwell. He enrolled in what is now the National Art School in Darlinghurst in 1969 but left the following year. He returned again in 1975 and obtained his Diploma of Painting in 1977. Between his stints at college and whilst there he supported himself with menial jobs such as builder’s labouring, cleaning, house painting and working on the railways. In 1976 he formed the rock band Mental as Anything with four fellow art school students ostensibly to play art school parties. Whilst never intending to be a serious band, the Mentals as they became known, eventually turned professional (after Mombassa's graduation from college) and went on to become one of Australia’s most popular bands, touring widely in Australia and overseas.
[edit] Art career
Mombassa's artwork is in two distinctive styles. The type of artwork he designs for Mambo -almost cartoonish and in vivid colours, incorporating religious, political and popular culture themes - is probably the style he is most widely known for, however his landscapes and portraits, many of which are inspired by his childhood in New Zealand, are equally as sought after. His artworks can be found in the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the National Gallery of Australia and other important regional galleries. The late Patrick White, Elton John and Ewan McGregor have all famously purchased his work.
Mombassa's first public showing was in a group exhibition held at Watters Gallery in Sydney in 1975 whilst he was still attending Art College. It was at this exhibition that Patrick White purchased some works and subsequently became a patron, purchasing many others over his life. He first exhibited solo at Watters in 1986, the year he also began designing clothing for Mambo. His works were exhibited in three Mental as Anything collective exhibitions in 1982, 1990 and 1998. Further solo shows were held at Watters in 1991, 1993, 1995 and 1998. Alongside posters, record covers and merchandise for Mental As Anything and Dog Trumpet, he has designed record covers for the likes of PIL, Crowded House, Mondo Rock and Paul Kelly. He has gifted artwork to many charitable and environmental organisations including Greenpeace and the Wilderness Society.
As the Mentals career waned, Mombassa's artistic output and demand increased, prompting him to make the difficult decision to cease touring with the Mentals in April 2000. He has continued to design for Mambo and hold sellout exhibitions at Watters in 2001, 2003 and 2005 with another to follow mid-2007.
In January 2007, a career retrospective of his work was held in Sydney at the S. H. Ervin Gallery. An 80 page catalogue was released by the National Trust to coincide with this exhibition. It also saw the release of "Golden Sandals" directed by Haydn Keenan, a documentary on Mombassa featuring animated versions of his artwork. In March 2007 his self-portrait was selected as a finalist in the Archibald Prize. May 2nd 2007 saw the broadcast of "Golden Sandals"on SBS independent Australia.
[edit] The origin of the name Reg Mombassa
In the early days of the Mentals, the band would often invent pseudonyms for each other that combined an exotic lastname with a common Australian firstname. "Reg Mombassa" was one of the products of that amusement. It is unknown if the extra "s" in Mombasa was deliberate or not. He has stated in interviews that some of his earlier pseudonyms included "Brett Orlando" and "Dorky Bladder".
[edit] Dog Trumpet
In 1991, Mombassa formed the band Dog Trumpet with his brother Peter O’Doherty. Since leaving the Mentals this has been his sole musical outlet. The group have so far released 4 albums and 2 E.P.s. A new album has been recorded and is due for release in 2007.
[edit] Other Music & Movies
In 1987, with Peter, Martin Plaza and members of GANGgajang, he recorded a country music album credited to The Stetsons. Reg also supplied the iconic lead guitar in GANGgajang's 1985 hit "The Sounds Of Then".
He has also appeared in a number of small Australian films, including Tender Hooks (1989), Strange Planet (1999) and Love's Brother (2004).
[edit] References
- Eye, No. 46, Vol. 12, edited by John L. Walters, Quantum Publishing, London, Winter 2002. [1]
- Zuel, Bernard: Sentimental as anything, The Sydney Morning Herald, 29 June 2002.
