POWERHOUSE COLLECTION

Mambo poster designed by Reg Mombassa

Object No. 89/1682

The laconic humour and suburban landscape of this early Mambo poster are characteristic of Chris O'Doherty (aka Reg Mombassa's) artistic style where suburban houses and strange elements people alien landscapes. Iconic mid-20th century Australian icons like the fibro house with garage, the Hills Hoist clothes line with screenprinted tea towel, and ute pulling a caravan, take centre stage in the foreground. More ominous motifs, like the industrial chimney stacks and the aeroplane dropping what appear to be bombs from the sky, loom darkly in the background, distrubing a seemingly idyllic green suburban landscape. O'Doherty's contemporary surrealism came to the attention of Mambo's founder Dare Jennings in the mid-1980s when he was establishing Mambo's niche position in a marketplace dominated by numerous other Australian surfwear labels. Beyond Richard Allan's formative contribution to the look of Mambo, it was Mombassa's artworks which become synonymous with this iconic Australian surf and leisurewear label. Radical screenprint designs were produced for boardshort fabrics, T-shirts and posters at this time when Mambo's policy under art direction of Wayne Golding was to always use artworks in favour of the more commerical look of photography in print marketing materials. Mombassa continued to create designs for Mambo even after Dare Jennings was no longer at the helm of the company, but nowhere near the range he produced during Dare Jenning's reign and patronage. Anne-Marie Van de Ven, Curator 2009