Eurovision singer Zaachariaha Fielding to present first L.A. painting show.
Portrait of Zaachariaha Fielding by Andy Francis. Courtesy of the APYACC.
Zaachariaha Fielding is perhaps best known as the voice of Electric Fields—the pop-techno duo that became the first to represent Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest. The duo performed their song “One Mikali (One Blood),” featuring lyrics in English and Yankunytjatjara, an Aboriginal Australian language.
Now, Fielding is getting his first gallery show, too. Albertz Benda just opened the first-ever solo exhibition of the Aṉangu artist and singer in its new space located next door to Los Angeles’s Chateau Marmont. This solo show, on view until February 1, 2025, features eight landscape paintings. It closely follows the gallery’s presentation at Untitled Art, where it debuted Fielding’s paintings from December 4th to 8th.
Born in Port Augusta, Australia in 1991, Fielding was largely raised in the community of Mimli in Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands. This experience served as a major influence on the artist’s music and art careers. His first major musical breakthrough came when his X Factor appearance impressed the judges and audience in 2011. His music career took off, and he formed Electric Fields with keyboardist Michael Ross in 2015.
Though he only picked up painting during the COVID-19 pandemic, Brisbane’s Jan Murphy Gallery had already mounted a buzzy solo show for the artist in fall 2022. His energetic paintings are characterized by splashes of purples, pinks, and oranges, alongside frenetic mark-making. These works often incorporate symbols and iconography that honor his Aṉangu heritage. “Because of the two knowledges I possess; ancient and contemporary, culture is purely about connection. That’s my story at the moment. That’s where I sit,” the artist said. Some works, such as 564-24AS (2024), feature long lines of cursive-like text that curl across the canvases.
By 2023, Fielding received the $50,000 Wynne Prize, an annual award granted to an artist for the best painting of the Australian landscape or the best figure sculpture by an Australian artist. Other solo shows have been staged by Hugo Michell Gallery and APY Gallery in Adelaide, Australia.
