Born in Tāmaki Makaurau to a Thai mother and Scottish Pākehā father, Daniel Kerr creates paintings shaped by memory, sound, and a quiet spiritual depth.

Initially trained in music, acoustics, and audio engineering, Daniel found his way to painting after a series of life-altering events in 2017, seeking solace in a more tactile, visual form of expression.

Daniel’s practice is guided by rhythm as much as reflection. He often begins by listening to folk and pop while priming canvases, before immersing himself in classical compositions, Chopin’s Nocturnes or Mozart’s concertos, layering gel, charcoal, and acrylics in response to the music’s tempo and mood. In moments of silence, he lets memory and emotion surface, shaping his gestures on the canvas without premeditation or sketching.

Influenced by artists such as Ralph Hotere, Gretchen Albrecht, Kandinsky and Pollock, Daniel draws a strong connection between sound and abstraction, channeling music’s ability to move, unsettle, and heal. His work is also imbued with a spiritual sensibility informed by his Buddhist upbringing, including his time as a monk in Thailand – an experience that continues to echo through the stillness and presence in his art.