This work was painted following Rob McHaffie’s Australia Council Residency at Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris in 2007. Despite Paris being a beautiful city, McHaffie also found the experience challenging and felt that on a bad day, the city was no more than an ornately decorated concrete jungle. In this painting a monkey looks out from a green building onto an imagined scene abound with art historical references. A classical European figurative sculpture is surrounded by flowers from Monet’s gardens, while a contemporary sculpture by Franz West dominates the foreground of the work. McHaffie questions the so-called evolution of cultured humanity in comparison to the imagined contentedness of our pre-evolved species.oil on linenmonkey, sculpture, painting, rob mchaffie, paris, flowers, franz west

Rob McHaffie is known for his skilful depictions of fleeting moments from everyday life, which often evoke humour, pathos and camaraderie. His drawings and paintings involve ‘collaging’ of images and ideas, juxtaposing high and low culture, and emotions. Casual Guy came from an exhibition of a body of bright, bold and quirky portraits titled 'I can still remember how to speak'. The works are light-hearted with tropical colours, transporting the viewer to an idyllic, utopian place. Influences from his travels in Malaysia and Thailand are clear in these works. McHaffie’s paintings carry a personal and diaristic element, recording the world around him. Trust, love and spirituality are key recurring themes in his works. In 2025, McHaffie was commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery to paint a portrait of gardening guru Costa Georgiadis titled 'Costa (it's not ours, it's us). stonnington contemporary art collection, painting, rob mchaffie

oil on linenpainting, buildings, mother, baby, plants, apartments, rob mchaffie, high rise, parquetry, neighbourhood, foliage

Word of mouth (Half Moon Bay) 2018 is a two-panel work which is the largest painting the artist has made to date. It is a colourful and fun, light-hearted scene of an imaginative party that the artist would love to attend at Half Moon Bay in Black Rock. Depicted in the work are over 30 figures, including international tourists, family and friends of McHaffie as well as famous identities such as musicians David Bowie and Solange Knowles, and fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld. McHaffie’s DJ friend Lucreccia Quintanilla has set up a DJ deck and speakers on the beach while the party goers are wading in the shallow waters, dancing on the cliff and mingling on the beach in what appears to be an idyllic summer’s day in Bayside.oil on linen (diptych)painting, beach, half moon bay, black rock, bayside, coast, party, rob mchaffie, dj, dance, musician, karl lagerfeld, david bowie, solange knowles, lucreccia quintanilla, port phillip bay, word of mouth, mooji, jon campbell, tourists, family, friends, cliff, rocks, water

gouache and pencil on paperrob mchaffie, watercolour, people, brighton, bayside, church street, woolworths, supermarket, elderly, dog, pet, ramp