Melbourne-born artist David Weir’s practice is deeply informed by his years living and working in Kakadu National Park, where the vastness of the landscape and the enduring presence of ancient culture profoundly shaped his artistic direction. Immersed in the visual language of Aboriginal rock art and the spiritual resonance of country, Weir developed a highly intuitive abstract practice grounded in memory, movement, and emotional connection to place.
A defining influence on his life and work was his close friendship with the late Bill Neidjie, Senior Traditional Elder of the Gagudju people, whose poetic reflections on country, spirit, and belonging continue to echo throughout the artist’s work.
Working primarily with inks and acrylics, Weir creates layered abstract compositions that balance structure with spontaneity. Bold forms, gestural mark-making, and rich, earthy colour palettes reflect the intensity and elemental power of the Australian landscape. His paintings evoke shifting terrain, ancient surfaces, pathways, and remembered spaces — inviting viewers into contemplative environments that exist between abstraction and place.
Following his time in Australia, Weir lived in New Zealand for nine years, where he exhibited with OrexArt Gallery and completed a major commission comprising more than 350 original works for the Crowne Plaza Auckland.
Influenced by the work of Pierre Soulages, Franz Kline, Ian Fairweather, and Antoni Tà pies, Weir’s practice continues to evolve through an exploration of abstraction as a vessel for atmosphere, memory, and the enduring psychological power of landscape.