New Zealand Contemporary Art Turangawaewae A Place to Stand
Issue 26:2 | June 2006
Well known Australian writer, artist and editor, Stephanie Radok is the editor of New Zealand Contemporary Art Turangawaewae: A Place to Stand, launched at the Sydney Biennale and at ARTSPACE Auckland. Artists and galleries throughout New Zealand have never been so active, with international programs and new media activity building on the work of far-sighted pioneers. Experienced NZ writers look closely at established and emerging artists and spaces, regional practice, publishing, and new events. Artists include the installation group et al., Eve Sullivan, Michael Stevenson, Francis Upritchard, Peter Madden, Shane Cotton, Terry Urbahn, Simon Denny. The documentary strand in contemporary photography is scrutinised. Writers include Tina Barton, Emma Bugden, Sarah Farrer, Natasha Conland, Lara Strongman, Andrew Paul Wood , Tessa Laird, Kate Montgomery and Emma Velde.
In this issue
Braided Rivers: Regionalism in New Zealand Art
Andrew Paul Wood focuses on some of the issues pertaining to New Zealands regionalist tensions, particularly the obvious division of the North and South Islands. Furthermore he looks at some of the opposing aesthetic qualities to have come from artists of the North and the South regions. This is here discussed through reference to artists Colin McCahon, Don Binney, Pat Hanly, Bill Sutton, Rita Angus, Gordon Walters, Milan Mrkusich, Gretchen Albrecht, Ronnie van Hout, Bill Hammond, John Pule, Elizabeth Allan, Dorothy Irvine, Sandy Gibb, Billy Apple, Sofia Tekela-Smith, Ani ONeil, Niki Hastings-McFall, Shigeyuki Kihara, Peter Robinson, Shane Cotton, Ralph Hotere, Robyn Kahukiwa, Tony de Latour, Seraphine Pick, Saskia Leek, Grant Takle, Peter Wheeler and James Robinson.
New Arrival: Brian Butler, Director of Artspace
Interview with Brian Butler, the new Director of Artspace, Auckland. Questions are raised regarding Butler's decision to leave his position at the Los Angeles cutting edge art gallery 1301PE in order to direct a publicly funded space in Auckland and his visions for the future of Artspace.
Special (Auckland)
Special Gallery is an activity centre at Level 1, 26 Customs St East, Auckland. Exhibiting artists have included Jason Lindsay, Tahi Moore, Fiona Conner, Seung Yul Oh, Nick Austin, Tao Wells, Daniel Du Bern, Helga Fassonaki, Alex Vivian, Chris Cudby, Dave King, Julian Dyne, Fraser Munro, Eddie Clemens, Richard Bryant, Patrick Lundberg, Simon Denny, Jennifer Mason, Robin Kydd, Fin Ferrier, Ben Tankard, Chris Fitzgerald, Stephan Neville, Lou Darlington and Nate Williamson.
State of the Art New Zealand
This essay draws on some of the themes and issues raised by the 1997 report 'New Vision: A Critical View of the Visual Arts Infrastructure', commissioned by Creative New Zealand and the Chartwell Trust to document the state of New Zealand's visual arts infrastructure of the time. It is here used in reference to offer a series of (partial, personal and biased) snapshots that consider the state of the visual arts scene in New Zealand. Some key figures here referred to include Gordon H. Brown, Lee Weng Choy, Greg Burke, John Maynard, Cheryll Sotheran, Priscilla Pitts, John McCormack, Pae White, Sam Durant, Lee Bul, Peter Robinson, Ann Shelton, Fiona Clark, Giovanni Intra, Fumio Nanjo, Jonathan Watkins, Mercedes Vicente, Tyler Cann, Robert Leonard, David Hatcher, Louise Garrett, Simon Rees, Michael Stevenson, Ronnie van Hout, Francis Upritchard, Denise Kum, Yuk King Tan, Joyce Campbell, Hamish McKay, Andrew Jenson, John Gow, Gary Langsford, Michael Lett, Heather Galbraith, Jenny Todd, Brian Butler and others.
You And Me And Everyone We Know: Photography
This article looks at the controversy that surrounded Ans Westra's pictorial essay Washday at the Pa, published during the 1960's, as a way of addressing the current trends in New Zealand photography. Emma Bugden uses this example to raise issues of Maori and Pekeha representations in New Zealand art and the renewed interest in social realism among New Zealand photographers in recent years. Artists included in this discussion are Edith Amituana, Andrew Ross, Marti Friedlander, Peter Black, Peter Peryer, Anne Noble, Laurence Aberhart, Greg O'Brien, Justin Paton, Ava Seymour, Joel Peter Witkin, Fiona Amundsen and Neil Pardington.
Enjoy (Wellington)
Enjoy was born out of transparency and openness and a focus on critical dialogue combined with some utopian ideals such as being 'Liberated from Commercial Constraints' and has been a place for dissent and discussion. Artists Ciaran Begley and Ros Cameron with administrator Rachel Smithies established enjoy in 2000. Exhibiting artists have included Caroline Johnston, Eve Armstrong and Violet Faigan.
Don't Misbehave! SCAPE 2006 Public Art Biennial
This article looks at the argument for public art in Christchurch subsequent to the phenomenal public debate sparked when Michael Parekowhai's 5m high fibreglass bunnies became the centrepiece of the SCAPE 2002 Biennial. Velde further examines some of the recent aims for SCAPE 2006 by curators Natasha Conland and Susanne Jaschko who are looking to embrace contemporary art's exploration of different media channels.
Visions and Revisions: Recent Work by Shane Cotton
Strongman here looks at the recent works of New Zealand artist Shane Cotton. Issues of transformation - of an ebb and flow of changes in form and meaning over time, of visions and revisions of and between cultures - have been central concerns of Cotton's work for more than a decade. Through extensive reference to Maori and Christian culture, Cotton explores what he describes as the 'collision and collusion' of New Zealand's two official cultures.
Reality-technicians: everyday sorcery in installation art in New Zealand
'There was a flash of light, a smell of laundry and the penetrating fumes of a powerful cleanser, then a neutral nothing-smell, not even the usual substituted forest glade or field of lavender or carnation, and all that remained of Tommy were two faded footprints on the floor.'
Cuckoo
Cuckoo was formed in January 2001 by dreamers Ani O'neill, Daniel Malone, Judy Darragh (artists), Jon Bywater and Gwyneth Porter (writers). Collectively they created this space as a means for discussing ways to present artist's projects outside the traditional method of running a gallery space. Some of the artists involved with cuckoo are Dan Arps, Kate Newby, Sriwana Spong, Ben Tankard, Janet Lilo, Fiona Connor, Seung Yul Oh and Nick Austin.
An Artist's Economy: Madden, Stevenson, Upritchard
New Zealand artists Peter Madden, Michael Stevenson and Francis Upritchard have each worked within disparate environments and local economies for some years, in Auckland, Berlin and London respectively. Each of them self-consciously explores alternative economies available to them through the production of art. Between them Madden, Stevenson and Upritchard have participated in such art events as the Venice Biennale and exhibited at the Tate Gallery, Darren Knight Gallery, the Museum of New Zealand, Herbert Read Gallery and the Bart Wells Institute.
Of New Zealand Art and Letters
When it comes to New Zealand publications, the excitement generated by each forthcoming issue is as good a yardstick as any to judge by.
RM103 (Auckland)
In 1997 a tiny office overlooking a record store in Auckland was turned into a gallery space called 'rm3'. Directors of the now 'rm103' include Andrew Barber, Kylie Duncan, Kirsten Dryburgh and Nicholas Spratt. Previously exhibiting artists include Bjorn Houtman, Sarah Gruiters, Finn Ferrier, Gaelen Macdonald and Erica van Zon.
Charles Merewether: Director of 15th Biennale of Sydney
It is always hard to characterise an exhibition as vast and sprawling as the Biennale of Sydney as it takes over the city, but every time the Biennale has taken place, it has taken on the flavour of its artistic director. Joanna Mendelssohn has conducted an interview with Charles Merewether - art historian, writer and curator - who has produced what could be the most confronting Biennale for many years. His take is at first glance the external world of war and conflict, of cultural difference and exchange but ultimately he wanted to do 'a show that tried to interfere in the way in which contemporary art was being seen'. Included in this article is the work of artists Akram Zaatari Saida, Elena Kovylina, Raeda Saadeh, Ghada Amer, Ruti Sela, Maayan Amir, Sejla Kameric, Mladen Stilinovic, Milica Tomic, Imants Tillers, Savanhdary Vongpoothorn, Julie Gough, Adrian Paci, Liza Ryan, Sharon Lockhart and Antony Gormley.
Steve Kurtz: Critical Art Ensemble
An interview between Mireille Astore and Steve Kurtz, member of the Critical Art Ensemble (CAE) and Professor of Art at University at Buffalo. Kurtz participated in Home Works III, a recurring production of Ashkal Alwan, the Lebanese Association for Plastic Arts. Lectures, discussion panels, video screenings, performances and book launches, all contributed to the wealth of ideas offered and generated during an intense week from 17-24 November 2005. Astore asked Kurtz about his practice and its relationship to Home Works III.
2006 Contemporary Commonwealth
Australian Centre for the Moving Image: 24 February - 21 May National Gallery of Victoria 24 February - 25 June Festival Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games
21st Century Modern: 2006 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art
Curated by Linda Michael Art Gallery of South Australia 4 March - 7 March 2006
Colliding Worlds, First Contact in the Western Desert 1932-1984
Curated by Philip Batty Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Centre Adelaide Bank Festival of Arts 18 February - 28 May 2006
What Survives: Sonic Residues in Breathing Buildings
Performance Space, Sydney 25 March - 22 April 2006
The Late Sessions
Videos presented by 1/2 dozen Curated by the 'pixel pirates', Soda_Jerk George Street Cinema, Sydney 25 January 2006
Corrupting Youth
Curated by Tristan Stowards Contemporary Art Services Tasmania, Hobart 4 March - 2 April 2006
