Art Monthly April 2008 Number 208

NZ North

Crowded packing room

Congratulations to Aucklander Martin Ball who won the Packing Room Prize, 2008 Archibald Prize for Portraiture, for his portrait of well-known Crowded House front-man Neil Finn. Ball was a finalist in the awards in 2005. He began a series of large-scale portraits in 2000 when he created a suite of works featuring well known New Zealand artists such as Dick Frizzell, Ralph Hotere and Arnold Wilson. Ball’s portraits culminate an ongoing interest in portraiture and realism that has spanned over three decades. Ball’s gallery in Auckland, John Leech Gallery, continues to show the portrait series.

Te Papa change-over

Showing till July this year at Wellington’s Te Papa Museum (which recently celebrated its 10th birthday) is Kura kura Ngäi Tahu, an exhibition featuring 12 recent works by artists of Ngai Tahu descent. Curated by Megan Tamati-Quenell, the exhibition includes works by Jacqueline Fraser, Fiona Pardington, Peter Robinson, Neil Pardington, Nathan Pohio and Areta Wilkinson. Kura kura Ngäi Tahu is a Ngäi Tahu saying that speaks of diversity and is sometimes used as an epithet for ‘the many colours of the rainbow’. It describes the individuality of (and within) the 18 papatipu runanga (small tribal groupings) that make up Ngai Tahu Whänui (the indigenous people of the South Island of New Zealand). The show includes a work by Neil Pardington (Post -mortem room #4, acquired by Te Papa last year) from The Clinic series. Wellington gallerist Alison Bartley reports that British artist Damian Hirst has Post-mortem room #1 in his personal collection. I hear Australia also had a few visiting British celebs buying art as well? Check out a report on www.overthenet.blogspot.com/

Enough gossip – some serious business

While the University of Canterbury’s theatre and film studies face the axe, the New Zealand Film Archive and other art centres continue to present new moving image programs around the country. Recently, the Film Archive, with Wellington’s Fringe Festival, presented Sarah Jane Parton’s performance/video cross-over project Belonging, (reviewed at www.lumiere.net.nz)… at the Moving Image Centre, Auckland, until 3 May, is an interactive film/sound installation by film-maker/choreographer Shona McCullagh and local AV legend/composer Michael Hodgson, called Mirror Me. Passionate about the body’s ability to communicate in ways words cannot, McCullagh utilises interactive software to allow the viewer to become part of the work (www.mic.org.nz) … Film-maker Nova Paul (13 April) and University of Auckland academic Annie Goldson (April 27) speak at Govett Brewster Gallery, New Plymouth, about the work of artist Jayce Salloum, who has just taken up residency at the gallery: www.govettbrewster.com

Testing the strip

In March, there was a party at Auckland artist-run space Gambia Castle to launch a book about the legendary and influential artist-run space called Teststrip, which operated in Auckland from 1992 until 1997. The book relates the gallery’s history (including Australian artist shows) and features an archive of ephemera and photographs. Published by Clouds: www.clouds.co.nz

Connections

Two New Zealand artists, in association with Auckland gallery Starkwhite, will show their work at Art Basel in June. Dane Mitchell presents a project in Art Statements, the art fair’s emerging art section. et al presents a project in Art Unlimited, housed in a 12 000 square metre exhibition hall for works that exceed the scope of conventional art fair exhibition booths: ideal for outsize sculptures, video projections, installations, wall paintings, photographic series, and performance art. Wow! – ideal for the work of et al, the NZ based collective that was in Venice in 2005. Dane Mitchell’s Invocations showed at Melbourne’s Gertrude St Studios last month (see AMA #207). Talking of New Zealand artists exhibiting in Australia (okay, I do it every time), check out the upcoming show at Brisbane’s IMA, 3 May until 21 June, for work by Jae Hoon Lee, a Korean / New Zealander who works with manipulated photography. A few, too, Australian works at our art auctions of late – Rose Nolan’s Forever Banner, plus works by Dale Frank, John Nixon and Ricky Swallow at Art + Object, to name a few.

Public Gallery news

In March, Auckland Art Gallery (AAG) finally closed the doors of its Main Gallery in Kitchener Street to begin a major renovation and extension. Meanwhile, they continue operations over the road in the New Gallery in Khartoum Place, and entered cyber-blog-space with aucklandartgallery.blogspot.com … Gow Langsford Gallery, a dealer gallery across the road from the AAG main building, is planning a temporary move away from the imminent construction zone to 26 Lorne Street, Auckland City … Whangarei Art Museum director Scott Potham said he was shocked at the Whangarei mayor’s announcement of plans to build a new art gallery, costing $9.5million, to honour world-acclaimed Austrian artist Frederich Hundertwasser, who lived near and had connections with the Northland city. Potham says he was unaware of the developments and uncertain how they affect ongoing plans for a revived Whangarei Art Museum. Watch this space as the city sorts itself out … City Gallery Wellington is showing Reboot: The Jim Barr and Mary Barr Collection, a rare opportunity to view the evolution of one of New Zealand’s most significant private contemporary art collections. The scope of the works is far-reaching, from videos through to wall paintings, sculpture to photographic work. Perhaps most recognisable is Cosmo, Michael Parekowhai’s giant inflated bunny, with its imposing, if comical presence. The exhibition continues until June. www.citygallery.org.nz

Sue Gardiner is an Auckland-based writer, co-director of the Chartwell Collection (www.chartwell.org.nz) and University of Auckland tutor. Sue.gardiner@xtra.co.nz

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