Jason Greig: Blood is Thicker by Chelsea Nichols and Aaron Lister
The dark textured cover of Blood is Thicker may make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. It captures attention, invites touch and hints at the themes within the book. A menacing scythe is the dominant image and the title is written in an imposing Gothic script. The edges of each page are deckled (rough cut), as if trimmed by hand.
Blood is Thicker is an absorbing account of the life and works of New Zealand artist Jason Greig. The book is co-authored by Dr Chelsea Nichols, Senior Curator at Lower Hutt’s Dowse Art Museum, and Aaron Lister, Kaipupuri Mātua/Senior Curator at City Gallery Wellington | Te Whare Toi. They explore Greig’s influence on the art world and identify artists and authors who have influenced and mentored Greig. Some, such as the late Barry Cleavin and Tony Fomison, were contemporary ‘fellow travellers’, others lived centuries ago – Goya, Cranach the Elder, and Robert Louis Stevenson, for example.
Greig also draws inspiration from album cover art (Black Sabbath and Sepultura are two examples), as well as heavy metal music with spiritual themes and lyrics that reference war and protest. He’s an accomplished musician who in his younger years played in a band with other artists including Ronnie van Hout and sculptor Mark Whyte.
The book emerged from Greig’s Blood Is Thicker exhibition staged in 2025 (Lower Hutt) and 2026 (Christchurch). Nichols and Lister combine detailed research with thoughtful analysis. They cover Greig’s evolution and success as an artist while also acknowledging the personal challenges he has faced, particularly with addiction. His Dunedin dealer recalls how Greig would often disappear from exhibition openings and emerge at a local pub. Battles with ‘inner demons’ have affected Greig’s health. Time spent in rehab has supported his recovery.
The authors describe how, over time, Greig’s practice has ‘maintained its dark course’ while also expanding as he has adopted new mediums. Many different experiences have had an impact on his art.
[A] dense web of echoes, affinities and frictions … shape Greig’s world – humming like static across the boundaries of medium, period and genre.
Greig’s perspective offers additional insight.
My art is about love; lost and found. It’s about dark lonely places; imagined and real. And it’s about the constant naggin’ thought that the end is always nearer.
Titles of his works are evocative, reflecting his interests and obsessions: Til(da) Death Do Us Part (Cerebral Assassin V); Empathy for the Lost Monster; Epicus Doomicus Metallicus (A Canterbury Bogan Bastard).
Letterpress printer and curator Peter Vangioni (Christchurch Art Gallery | Te Puna o Waiwhetū) is a long-time friend of Greig. His contribution to the book is a chapter titled ‘Blackbird Wannabe’. It includes Vangioni’s reflections on his first encounters with Greig, as well as covering Greig’s family history, schooling, tertiary education at Ilam School of Fine Arts, and early years as a lecturer. He writes about Greig’s experimentation with – and eventual passion for – monoprint, which preceded his paintings.
Vangioni has visited Greig’s (sometimes bitterly cold) home many times, likening some of these visits to ‘sitting down with Mr Hyde himself’.
On a frosty winter’s morning, a taxidermized raven presiding over the front room from atop the mantelpiece, near endless stacks of abandoned or half-finished prints scattered about the room, and books, records, DVDs and cigarette butts strewn everywhere, Greig sat in a leather armchair, barefoot in his jeans, no shirt…
Vangioni was with Greig when the severe Christchurch quake struck. He recalls Greig’s response when the shaking died down: ‘Jesus wept’.
Tracking down and assembling Greig’s works for the book required intense searches, the authors persevering until they had found more than 800. They say that there are many more to be discovered, along with more stories to be revealed about the elusive Greig.
A book cannot recreate the experience of attending an exhibition, yet the combination of written insights and stark images in Blood is Thicker immerse us in Greig’s world. This is in large part due to decisions made by designer Stu Forsyth, including those about the striking cover, the image of the exhibition’s 28-piece ‘salon hang’, the choice, colour and size of typeface throughout the book, and the juxtaposition of Greig’s works with those of other artists. Two maroon and black velvet ribbon bookmarks complement the content.
There are six main sections in the book. The final, substantial section has many plates of Greig’s works, with some images extending across two pages. Diverse frames – many dark and imposing – accentuate the works. Some works are held in private collections, others are owned by galleries or museums, and several belong to the Greig family.
Nichols and Lister emphasise that Greig is still an active artist. Their book, they suggest, is not the last word but rather an opening argument.
Reviewer: Anne Kerslake Hendricks
Massey University Press
