A major exhibition of artist David Hockney's recent work is on display at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), including many pieces never before seen in Australia.
Hockney is incredibly prolific, with many of the pieces featured in this latest exhibition created in the last two months.
"You have to push yourself," Hockney said at the exhibition's launch.
"I've always pushed myself."
After initially being wary of mobile phones, the artist embraced the iPhone and iPad as new tools after discovering what they could do.
An artwork from the David Hockney: Current exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria. (National Gallery of Victoria) Source: National Gallery of Victoria
"I thought it was a terrific medium, a marvelous new medium," he said.
NGV Director, Tony Ellwood, said Hockney's work pushed the boundaries of image making.
"[He's] using very basic technology that's available on anyone's iPhone or iPad, but because he's technically so competent he takes it to another level," Mr Ellwood told SBS News.
Some of the 82 portraits at the David Hockney: Current exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria. (National Gallery of Victoria) Source: National Gallery of Victoria
Traditional artworks are displayed alongside the digital works.
Hockney continues to work with paint, and exhibition curator, Simon Maidment, said it was important to show the different mediums together.
"When you're here there's a real logic to the way they're presented next to one another," he told SBS News.
"That willingness to remain situated in traditional forms while trying to innovate in them marks him as quite unique."
An artwork from the David Hockney: Current exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria. (National Gallery of Victoria) Source: National Gallery of Victoria
The exhibition also features a gallery of 82 portraits, including Australians Barry Humphries and architect Frank Gehry, which Hockney said were all painted over three days.
"I thought, I could ask a lot of people to come and sit for three days, it isn't that much," he said.
"To ask somebody to pose for a week means you have to take a week off. I mean, I sat for [portrait artist] Lucian Freud for 120 hours."
Portraits from the David Hockney: Current exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria. (National Gallery of Victoria) Source: National Gallery of Victoria
Hockney is now 79, but this exhibition is not a retrospective, instead it aims to show a contemporary artist at his peak.
"There are retrospectives of David's work, about to happen at the Tate in London, the Pompidou in Paris and the Met in New York," Mr Ellwood said.
"So we thought, let's just look at the last 10 years, something fresh and innovative and that has never been done before."
A David Hockney self portrait from the David Hockney: Current exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria. (National Gallery of Victoria) Source: National Gallery of Victoria
Hockney said he didn't go out much anymore, and was more focused than ever on his art.
"All I do is work, I'm just going to go on working until I fall over, actually," he said.
David Hockney: Current is at the NGV in Melbourne until March 13, 2017.
