New patrons
GUS and Irene Fisher are the recipients of the fifth annual
Arts Foundation of New Zealand Award for patronage. As well as being honoured
for their significant contributions to the arts, Gus is also well known in the
fashion industry as the leader of the House of El Jay for 50 years. The Fishers
received $20,000 to donate to artists or art projects of their choice, and in
line with past winners, they doubled the amount with their own money, and
announced they would make four donations of $10,000.
For the creatives
THE University of Auckland is proposing to introduce an
option for creative practice to be incorporated into PhD research from July.
The examination for students will include both their presentation of a body of
creative work (such as fine art, performance, or films), as well as the written
thesis. The University acknowledges that creative research can reveal cultural
and artistic knowledge that cannot be purely expressed through a written
medium.
NZ Post Book toast
ART related books score well in the 2010 NZ Post Book
Awards. Among the 16 finalists Auckland University Press has three nominations
with The invention of New Zealand Art & National Identity 1930 - 1970 by
Francis Pound, Marti Friedlander by Leonard Bell, and Mrkusich: The Art of
Transformation by Alan Wright and Edward Hanfling. Art at Te Papa edited by
William McAloon and Cone Ten Down: Studio Pottery in New Zealand, 1945 – 1980
by Moyra Elliot and Damian Skinner round out the art nominations.
Homage to Morrie
NIKO Thomson has won the Waikato Sculpture Trust E: Scape
People’s Choice Award with Parlez Lentement. The work, developed out of a
desire to pay homage to the Morris Minor, had Thomsen covering a wreck in
forged steel flowers. Thomsen and his wife also compiled a folder of Morris
Minor stories, leaving space for more to be added. Sculpture-in-the-Park 2010
opens on 21 November, and runs through to March 2011.
Pah excellence
THE TSB Wallace Arts Centre at the Pah Homestead opens its
doors on August 15. The new arts venue in Auckland’s Hillsborough houses the
collection of the James Wallace Arts Trust. James Wallace began collecting New
Zealand art, particularly that of emerging artists, in the mid-1960s. In 1992,
he transferred his collection to the newly formed charitable trust with funding
so it could continue to add to the collection. Nothing is ever sold, so the
works, now numbering 5,000, remain a cultural resource for present and future
generations. The Pah Homestead where the Arts Centre is to be located is a
heritage building that has been restored by the Auckland City Council.
Popular spots
WELLINGTON’S City Gallery had huge success for its Yayoi
Kusama: Mirrored Years exhibition. Groups of three or more tripled to 35% – a
big change from past exhibitions, where nearly half of all visitors came on
their own. The gallery also saw an increase in the number of families visiting,
and had four times the average number of under 18s.
Art in Melbourne
WORK from two developing artists, Campbell Paterson and
Seung Yul Oh, has been commissioned for the Project Rooms at the Melbourne Art
Fair, 2010. Three NZ galleries, Tim Melville, Orexart, and Jensen, are showing
at the fair, which takes place from August 4-8. In 2008 seven NZ galleries
showed.
Top Tate judge
VICENTE
Todoli, director of London’s Tate Modern will judge the $50,000 Walters Prize,
2010. The winner will be announced on 8 October at a gala dinner and exhibition
in Auckland. The finalists selected
are: Dan Arps, Fiona Connor, Saskia Leek and Alex Monteith. Todoli, who leaves
the Tate this month after seven years, has been a prime mover in the Tate’s
global success. It is now the most visited modern art museum in the world.
Auckland Art gallery director Chris Saines said “There could hardly be an art
museum director anywhere in the world so perfectly qualified for the task.”
Globgobs in Newmarket
A new sculpture in Auckland’s Newmarket has been unveiled.
Auckland artist Seung Yul Oh has created nine brightly coloured egg-shaped
Globgobs, a symbol of the marriage between old and new, on Teed and Osborne
Streets. The work was commissioned by the Newmarket Arts Trust, and adds to the
flavour of Osborne Street’s recent $1.67m upgrade.
City Scape additions
SEVEN new large-scale temporary public artworks will join
four of Christchurch’s permanent works, to form a public art walkway. The new
walkway will start at the Convention centre in Kilmore Street, and finish at
Wilson’s Reserve at the entrance to Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of
Technology during SCAPE 2010. This the sixth event presented by the Art and
Industry Biennial Trust. The Trust is commissioning temporary works by New
Zealanders Darryn George, Joanna Langford, Richard Maloy and Ruth Watson. Ash
Keating, Ahmet Ogut and Hector Zamora round out the international commissions.
SCAPE 2010 runs from 24 September to 7 November.
Peacemaker steps in
SIR Don McKinnon, a former Commonwealth Secretary-General
with a reputation for peace making, has stepped in to help Auckland Museum put
a troubled period behind it. He has been appointed by the Museum Board as
interim director. Since former director Dr Vanda Vitali resigned in March after
two controversial years, there have been calls for the Board to quit and be
replaced by a commissioner. However, the Museum legislation states it must have
a director. McKinnon says he is not going to pass judgement on what has gone
wrong, and will instead look to the future.
A hummer
A wind sculpture by renowned sound artist Phil Dadson has
completed Wellington’s Evans Bay Meridian Wind Sculpture Walkway. Dadson’s Akau
Tangi consists of 10 poles with cones on top that pivot, spin, hum and light up
at night as the wind flows through them. The poles are staggered from the water
to Cobham Drive. Akau Tangi is the largest of the five sculptures commissioned
for the Walkway, at a cost of $330,000.
Through the veil
CATHRYN Monro is one of the next artists to be exhibited in
Wellington’s Courtenay Place Light boxes. The project is an initiative set up
by the Wellington City Council to exhibit art outside in weather proof boxes.
Cloudfold is a photographic series of cloudscape glimpsed through net curtains.
This is not the first of Monro’s works to be seen in Wellington. The weathered
steel Per Capita is outside the Museum Hotel on Cable Street.
A new intern
ROMAN Mitch is the sixth recipient of the Artspace
Curatorial Internship. Mitch graduated with a Bachelor of Visual Arts from AUT
in 2006 and gained experience as an exhibition technician, artist and curator.
The internship established in 2004 offers budding curators an opportunity to
learn in a mentored relationship with Artspace director Emma Bugden. The
internship is supported by Creative New Zealand and private funds.
South Auckland art centre
UENUKU the Maori god of creativity is the inspiration for
the naming of Manakau’s first purpose built art facility. The Mangere Art
centre – Ngã Tohu o Uenuku opens at the beginning of September. The centre will
feature a 250 seat auditorium, two art galleries, a community kitchen, café and
large outdoor courtyard.
Michael in Venice
PORIRUA-BORN artist Michael Parekowhai has been invited to
represent New Zealand at the 2011 Venice Biennale. He was recommended to
Creative New Zealand (CNZ) by an external advisory panel convened by 2009 and
2011 Venice Biennale Commissioner Jenny Harper. “He is at an ideal stage in his
career to take on the challenge of Venice,” says Harper. “Michael’s work is
topical and polished; he can be relied on to create a sense of drama and
surprise.” Parekowhai is currently developing a proposal for CNZ, which will
invest $650,000 into the Biennale.
Public art boost
BRIDGET Sullivan and Bruce Richards are the first trustees
appointed to the Art in Public Places Trust, established by the New Plymouth
District Council. Established to increase public art in the New Plymouth
District, the independent trust will administer the district council’s $250,000
fund, raise additional money, as well as commission new artworks. Sullivan is a
trustee of the Govett-Brewster Foundation and a member of the Friends of the
Govett-Brewster Art Gallery. Richards is the deputy chair of TSB Bank and a
trustee of the Taranaki Art Festival.
Creative move
CREATIVE New Zealand’s (CNZ) board and committee members
look to be reduced from 28 to 13. A more streamlined service is needed to allow
staff to concentrate on responsibilities “rather than servicing bureaucracy,”
says Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Chris Finlayson. Under the
proposal, CNZ’s four governing bodies (Arts Council, the Arts Board, Te Waka
Toi and Pacific Arts Committee) will become one. The move could save about
$200,000 a year. The new board will include four members with knowledge of
Maori arts and at least two with Pacific arts knowledge.
Govett-Brewster turns 40
THE Govett-Brewster Art Gallery celebrates its 40th birthday
this year. To mark the milestone the gallery hosted an artist-led multimedia
and performance event on March 27, and commissioned the new John Reynolds
exhibition and a short three week season of Len Lye’s kinetic sculpture Trilogy
(A Flip and Two Twisters).
Fisher Scholarship
AUT University Masters student Anthony Cribb is the new
recipient of the Iris Fisher Scholarship. Named after a founding member of the
Pakuranga Arts Society and the driving force behind the creation of the Fisher
Gallery, the $5,000 scholarship aims to
encourage tertiary-level visual art practice.
“We are thrilled that that scholarship has been awarded to such a
talented artist,” says director of Te Tuhi James McCarthy. “And to a student of
another of our city’s highly regarded art institutions, reflecting the calibre
of art students in post-grad study.”
Size matters
Weighing in at 13.5 kilos and 2400 pages long, The
Compendium Finale of Contemporary Jewellers is a two volume behemoth featuring
1044 jewellery makers from 54 countries. Fingers Gallery in Auckland have 24
artists represented. Darling Publications in Cologne, Germany is responsible
for this mighty tome. A range of binding options are available including
goatskin, snakeskin and cobalt blue calf leather.
New internship
Artspace has created a new position as part of an initiative
to attract Asian audiences to its exhibitions. The inaugural Education and
Media Internship has been awarded to Vera Mey.
Currently finishing an MA in Museum and Heritage Studies, Mey has gained
curatorial experience at Porirua’s Pataka Museum and Wellington outsider art
gallery Roar.
Seoul searching
CHRISTCHURCH’S Scott Flanagan has won a South Korean
artists’ residency. Flanagan will be the fourth New Zealand artist to take up
the three month Asia New Zealand/The Arts Centre Christchurch, residency. He
will be based at South Korea’s National Museum of Contemporary Art’s Goyang
Studio on the outskirts of Seoul until June. The annual exchange was
established in 2006 as an annual exchange to increase artistic and cultural
dialogue between South Korea and New Zealand. Hee-Kyoung Bae will be in
Christchurch for the New Zealand side of the residency.
Bright artist wins
KAPITI Coast’s Harriet Bright won the 2010 Adam Award for
her portrait Kayte. Bright beat 93 entrants to take home the $15,000 prize.
“The wining portrait possesses a real quality of truth,” says awards judge
Andrew Sayers. “There is a strongly evident sense of rapport and trust between
artist and subject, and a real quality of friendship comes through.” The
runners up are Rosalind Fair for her portrait of artist Philip Butler, and
Donna Demente’s portrait of Oamaru restaurateur Fleur Sullivan.
Museum director out
CONTROVERSIAL Auckland Museum director Vanda Vitali resigned
in March. Issues between the Auckland Museum Trust Board and Vitali arose over
the installation of a bronze memorial sculpture honouring veterans of World War
II, and an 18 month battle with the family of Sir Edmund Hillary over written
articles and photographs bequeathed to the museum. The Canadian was the first woman appointed as director, and took
over from Dr Rodney Wilson in September 2007. Vitali previously worked as vice
president of public programmes and director of content development at the
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County in California.
Balanced design
ROBERT Foster of Australian design company FINK & Co
will speak at the Balance design symposium at Hawke’s Bay Museum and Art
Gallery, on May 8 and 9. Foster will be joined by Gretel Harrison who will talk
about the marketing and business model for FINK. Other designers and commentators
attending the design symposium include Candywhistle, Chris Jackson, David
Trubridge, Douglas Lloyd Jenkins, Genevieve Packer, Katy Wallace and Lucy
Hammonds. Symposium delegates are also encouraged to compete for cash and
prizes in the F. L. Bone Balance design Challenge. Winning teams are rewarded
for their energy, innovation and quick thinking.
Photography fiesta
Harvey Benge is this year’s patron of the Auckland Festival
of Photography. Now in its seventh year the festival has developed into two
distinct programmes. Signature encompasses 25 main exhibitions while a Fringe
programme includes 44 events ranging from digital online shows to cafés, shop
windows and dealer galleries.
Waswas was here
Te Papa has purchased a piece of art from Papua New Guinean
artist Daniel Waswas. His Auckland gallery Okaioceanicart said the $18,000
price for Look Within 2 was a record for a Melanesian work of art. Waswas
initially came to New Zealand to do an art degree but ended up staying on for
ten years. Now back at home he is pleased to have left something of his behind.
Te Papa is yet to confirm when the painting will be displayed.
Art for homeless
FUNDS raised from a new exhibition at Auckland’s Artstation
gallery will be donated to Auckland City Mission. House-to-House, curated by
Artstation’s Domestic Craft and Contemporary Art Group aka the Knitterati, has
asked community groups, schools and artists to create “house artworks” for the
installation. Knitterati’s previous project, Shelter, involved a giant shelter
made out of hand knitted blankets which were donated to the New Zealand Red
Cross for newly arrived refugees.
A silver lining
Artists and property developers are working to fill empty
commercial sites in Wellington through a new project. Letting Space is a visual
arts project funded by Creative New Zealand and the Wellington City Council.
The project sees the effects of the recession on the property market as an
opportunity to explore creative ideas and fill empty spaces. Curators Mark
Amery and Sophie Jerram are preparing a May 21 exhibition with Artist Kim Paton
for 38 Ghuznee Street.
Auckland gallery closes
City Art Rooms is closing after three years. Conceived by
Kylie Sanderson as a venue for ambitious artist projects from New Zealand and
abroad its programme was steered by curator and artist Young Sun Han. Though
the exhibition programme continues until June, Young will be leaving in April
for New York after one last exhibition.
Dance of the Cockatrice will include a live performance paying homage to
Yves Klein.
Balance your design
Hot on the heels of HBMAG’s highly successful Volume symposium, Balance is a not to be missed design event. In May 2010 some of the brightest names in Australasian design will reveal the strategies that have shaped their careers. Explore the connections between design, craft and production, and ways to strike a balance in your design practice.
Visit www.hbmag.co.nz for more information.
Public art
THE Advisory Panel for Public Art (APPA) celebrated their achievements of 2009 at a conference at Auckland’s The Art Lounge in December last year. They showed details of public art commissions already awarded including Fort St, Fort Lane, Darby St, and Link Lane by Eden Park. The panel comprised of professionals leading in their respective disciplines including Auckland Art Gallery director Chris Saines and Architect Nicholas Stevens.
Easter is comingARTISTS as young as 10 years old have a chance of winning an art award with a prize pool of more than $40,000. The Royal Easter Show Art Awards, New Zealand’s largest open art competition, are open to artists of all ages from amateur to professional. Around 2,000 artists enter in a range of categories including painting, photography, printmaking, ceramics. This year’s theme is Reflections of New Zealand. Entries close February 26, and will be displayed at the Royal Easter Show at Auckland’s ASB Showgrounds, April 1-5.
Art to exSplore AN interactive visual art programme will take centre stage at the eighth Splore festival at Tapapakanga Regional Park from February 19 - 21. The biennale three-day festival includes works by architects, film makers, painters, writers, video artists, sculptors, photographers, and performers. New Art Curator Shea O’Neill says the programme will see installations weave through the site. “Expect retro, giant, neon, steam-pink, cycle-powered, nude, time travelling, pop art, multimedia, experimental, interactive, fun,” says O’Neill.
Walker’s choiceTHE former director of TheNewDowse Tim Walker has become the first curator of the Creative Hawke’s Bay Invitational. In previous years, a selection panel came up with a list of invited artists, but this time artists submitted their work to Walker who picked 32. The invitational is a major contemporary art exhibition. The selected artists all have a link to the Hawke’s Bay, and range from well established to emerging artists – including Des Helmore, Sara McIntyre, Prakash Patel and David Trubridge. The invitational will be held at the Hastings City Art Gallery, April 10-June 27.
Winning buildingOTAGO Polytechnic’s new Art School building has won a 2009 Southern Architecture Award. The $3 million building, designed by Dunedin firm McCoy and Wixon Architects, won recognition in the Public Architecture category, organised by the New Zealand institute of Architects. The building is a simple two-storey shed that includes an art gallery used by staff and students.
Public choose portraitFOR the first time the public will select their favourite portrait in the 2010 New Zealand Portrait Gallery Adam Portraiture Award, opening on February 24. “The artist of the most popular portrait will receive a special $2,000 prize while the overall winner receives $15,000,” says gallery director Avenal McKinnon. Andrew Sayers, director of the National Portrait Gallery of Australia is the judge for the overall 2010 award. A record number of 311 entries have been received.
Council supports artTHE Christchurch City Council has launched its Challenge Grant Scheme in support of the Christchurch Art Gallery, as part of its Long Term Council Community Plan. The scheme will see the council match funds raised by the Christchurch Art Gallery Trust up to a set amount annually for the next 10 years to help the gallery purchase a significant amount of art. The Trust was established in 1991 by the Friends of the Robert McDougall Art Gallery.
It’s aliveA Maori artist has created artificial muscles using cutting-edge technology developed at the University of Auckland. Katherine Ngatai received a Smash Palace Creative New Zealand grant to create Maori painted designs made of plastic and electro-active polymers at the university’s Biomimetics Laboratory to make her designs move. The grant supports collaborations between artists and scientist on an art project. Ngatai’s artwork is part of a project called Live Sculptures and Soft Machines. “These designs are just a starting point. I’d love to show people this technology in action,” says Ngatai.
Furniture historyTHE first New Zealand Furniture History Symposium heads to Invercargill in October. The event showcases the works of early furniture makers in New Zealand, which will be exhibited at the Southland Museum & Art Gallery from October 8 to 10. Guest speakers include Christchurch’s William Cottrell, a leading antique restorer who is recognised as an authority on early New Zealand furniture.
Museum gets $10 millionCANTERBURY Museum has received the largest gift in its 130 year history, a $10 million posthumous donation from Arthur Henry Harrison, a retired company secretary. The Adson charitable trust , purchase historical items for public display at the museum. Harrison died in November last year in his Blenheim home. He left instructions in his will for the Adson Trust. The name is derived from his wife’s maiden name, Adams, and his own.
Govett-Brewster’s 40thNEW Plymouth’s Govett-Brewster Art Gallery turns 40 this year. To celebrate, a year-long programme of events has been organised, kicking off with an artist-led multimedia and performance event on March 27. “The street party is a fitting commemoration for the gallery’s achievements to date,” says Govett-Brewster Director Rhana Devenport. Artist John Reynolds will exhibit Nomadology [Loitering With Intent] especially for the anniversary, from March 27 to June 13.
Museum controversyIT is unclear whether the performance dispute between Auckland Museum Director Vanda Vitali and the museum’s board has been resolved. In December last year the board began conducting a performance review with Vitali that involved rigorous debate “over matters of concern to the board”.
“The issue is a personal employment matter so we can’t comment,” says museum spokesperson Laura Westphal. The Canadian director, who came from a senior role at the Los Angeles Museum of Natural History, has been at the centre of several controversies.
New Auckland galleryELAM School of Fine Arts, at the University of Auckland, opens a new gallery in March. Called projectspaceB431 and located at Whitaker Place, it will present workshops, exhibitions, and events by staff and students. “Galleries situated within a university provide a space for students to test ideas,” says Elam Head, Jonathan Mane-Wheoki. Other highlights will be an Elam Jubilee exhibition, celebrating 60 years since the school joined the university.
A roundabout wayMORE than 100 works by artists from New Zealand, India, China, South Korea, Thailand and Tibet will feature in the City Gallery’s new exhibition roundabout. The international exhibition has a distinctly New Zealand flavour with Maori and Pacific artists contributing. The exhibition opens on September 25 and includes Shane Cotton, John Pule and Michael Parekowhai. The works were selected by Senior Curator Heather Galbraith and roundabout project curators David Teplitzky and Julie Paama Pengelly.
Two new galleriesWELLINGTON’S JJMorgan and Co opened in February with Spreading Blankets on the Beach, curated by Melanie Moreau. The gallery at 3 Cruikshank St Lyall Bay features the work of seven artists including Victoria Birkinshaw, Steve Carr and James R Ford. Meanwhile Prime Minister John Key opened The Long Gallery at The Museum Hotel on February 9. Museum director Chris Parkin, has an extensive art collection already decking the halls of the hotel.
Art Roadshow winnerOUR youngest major arts philanthropist and director of the Real Art Roadshow Fiona Campbell won the Supreme Award at the 12th National Business Review’s Sponsorship of the Arts Awards. The Roadshow, one of New Zealand’s largest art exhibitions visits schools free of charge. The exhibition is housed in two trucks that unfold featuring more than 60 pieces of original art. The Art Roadshow toured more than 200 secondary schools nationwide in 2008 and 2009, attracted over 100,000 visitors and will continue touring for the next eight years.