art all
artists alliance magazine issue 103 / winter 2011
artists alliance
Artists Alliance is a non-profit organisation established in 1991 to represent and advance the professional interests of the visual artists of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Features
Staff Executive Director and Managing Editor: Maggie Gresson Administrator: Amberleigh Carson Education Programmes Manager: Jude Nye
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Board John Eaden, Matt Blomeley, Juliet Monaghan,
Living and working in Palmerston North
Naomi McCleary, Justin Morgan
Acknowledgements Artists Alliance acknowledges the support of: Artstation, Studio Art Supplies and Auckland City Council
Address
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1 Ponsonby Road, Newton, Auckland Ph (09) 376 7285, Fax (09) 307 7645 admin@artistsalliance.org.nz
Five questions Jennifer Buckley, the Director of the Auckland Art Fair
www.artistsalliance.org.nz www.watchthisspace.org.nz This issue and more at: www.artistsalliance.org.nz The opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the Editor or the Artists Alliance Board. Artists Alliance recommends that our members join www.thebigidea.co.nz ISSN 1177-2964
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Design: Verso Visual Communications Printing: Soar Print, Auckland
Feature Gallery – ABC
Artists Alliance receives significant funding from Creative New Zealand and ASB Community Trust.
Front cover: Shane Cotton, image courtesy of the artist.
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Professional development
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5 First up
9 Opportunities Awards, residencies and exhibitions
issue 103 / winter 2011
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In every issue Editorial
artists alliance magazine
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Every city has one or two or three... The artist-run space in NZ
26 Review: books / tv
Art and the internet Legal considerations when marketing and promoting in the online environment
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27 Dr Paynt R.I.P. A great British brand
Regional arts worker Emma Godwin
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Bill Cooke
34 Postcard from Seville Emma Pratt
Publishing schedule 2011
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#104 Spring 2011 Booking deadline: July 15 Copy deadline: July 29 Distribution week: August 15 #105 Summer 2011 Booking deadline: October 28 Copy deadline: November 11 Distribution week: November 28
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From the editor perspectives. And then as those articles arrived, heartening news came from Christchurch based Jane Zusters – see page 7. The earthquake did not stop the establishment of artist-run space ABC (see Feature Gallery page 25). We also take a look at new and established artistrun spaces on page 13. If you run a space or are considering starting up such a space then please contact us at the office. The plan is to run a regular quarterly feature on artist-run initiatives. And then there is the Auckland Art Fair to look forward to! See page 11.
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Late last year I went to lunch in Palmerston North. As you do. In the course of my conversation with Mark Dustin it became apparent that there was a lot to be said for being an artist living and working in Palmy. I asked Mark if he would be interested in sharing the story and so began a very engaging process of gathering up many stories which start on page 16. I hope you enjoy reading them. And thank you, Mark. Art in times of catastrophe is the theme addressed by both Elizabeth Caldwell on page 6 and Bill Cooke on page 32. Of course, Christchurch is uppermost in our minds, but Elizabeth’s list gives us both historical and contemporary
Maggie Gresson
First up Supporting art students through new initiative After conducting research amongst our student audience and engaging external consultation on our tertiary programme, Artists Alliance has made some significant changes to our online presence which affects tertiary and student members (and potential members). In order to bring art students into the wider arts network and to provide further and specific information of relevance to students, Artists Alliance has created a new student section on the Artists Alliance website. This information which is currently being compiled will assist students and graduates to bridge the gap between art school and the real world. Many of our members will find the information in this section relevant, whether they are a student or not and all will be able to access it. Student related information throughout the website will be denoted by a blue ‘S’ symbol to alert students. Most importantly, we are very pleased to announce that students attending
art schools which hold current tertiary membership with Artists Alliance will now be able to join as individual members for free (current ID required). The institutions which at the time of print hold Artists Alliance membership are: Auckland University of Technology, Eastern Institute of Technology, Elam School of Fine Arts, Unitec, Waiariki Institute of Technology, Whitecliffe College of Art and Design, and Wintec. Students who are studying outside of these institutions are able to join Artists Alliance at the significantly discounted rate of $32.
Senior artists A reminder to our members who are 60+. At Artists Alliance we know that 60 is the new 30 but never-the-less we do offer a concession rate of $32 for those over 60. If you would like to get in touch with us to talk about the senior rate, please do not hesitate to call Amberleigh Carson on (09) 376 7285 or email admin@ artistsalliance.org.nz and she will be happy to assist.
Venice update As was announced late last year, artist Michael Parekowhai will represent New Zealand at the 54th International Art Exhibition – la Biennale di Venezia. Parekowhai was invited to take part by the Arts Council of New Zealand and 2011 54th International Art Exhibition – Commissioner Jenny Harper. His new work On first looking into Chapman’s Homer pays tribute to the poem of the same title by the nineteenth-century English Romantic poet John Keats, and references notions of discovery, exploration, and the cultural interplay between the old and new worlds. Music and performance will be a central aspect of the installation, of which Parekowhai says, ‘While the objects in On first looking into Chapman’s Homer are important, much of the real meaning of the work will come through music, which fills space like no object can.’ Follow the latest developments on what is happening in the lead up to Venice via the New Zealand at the Venice Biennale Facebook page: www.facebook.com/home. php#!/NZatVeniceBiennale
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At the Venice Biennale: Michael Parekowhai, Chapman’s Homer, 2011. Bronze, stainless steel, two pieces: 2510 x 2710 x 1750mm, 560 x 870 x 370mm. Photo: Jennifer French.
Top five: Art in times of catastrophe Pablo Picasso, Guernica, 1937, Museo Reina Sofia, Madrid A tour de force technically, stylistically and conceptually. Painted in response to the bombing of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War, this work has gained a monumental status, becoming a perpetual reminder of the tragedies of war.
Francisco Goya, The Third of May 1808, 1814, Prado Museum, Madrid Goya sought to commemorate Spanish resistance to Napoleon’s armies during the occupation of 1808. The painting’s content, presentation, and emotional force secure its status as a groundbreaking, archetypal image of the horrors of war. This issue’s top five comes from Elizabeth Caldwell, Director of the Dunedin Public Art Gallery. The topic: Art’s ability to respond to and articulate human response to catastrophe, be it engineered by people through war and political oppression, or wrought by nature.
Théodore Géricault, The Raft of the Medusa, 1818 – 1819, Louvre, Paris Depicts the aftermath of the wreck of the French naval frigate Méduse, which ran aground in 1816 off the coast of what is today Mauritania. At least 147 people
were set adrift on a hurriedly constructed raft; all but 15 died in the 13 days before their rescue and it is the moment when the survivors view a ship approaching from a distance represented in this painting.
Ai Weiwei In 2010 Ai Weiwei created an internet audio project in which volunteers read the names of the 5,000 children who were killed during the earthquake in Sichuan Province in 2008.
Ralph Hotere, Black Painting: Human Rights Series 1964, Dunedin Public Art Gallery Hotere’s work from this time reflects his growing political awareness with a number of series exploring issues of war, human suffering and oppression, and the nuclear arms race. The Human Rights series, speaks to black Americans struggle for civil rights in the face of brutality and oppression.
epithalamium Something old something new something borrowed from the zoo. Oops! sorry, is that your husband?
Hi Maggie, Just letting you know on Tuesday I got my filbert brushes back. I went to help Rua Pick who had got a call as a result of registering for the Hamish Keith ‘Lost Art Site’ and so we were assigned engineers and Civil Defence staff who were awesome. They got carried away helping us as you can see in the photo below. This was not part of their work brief. We had been told not to expect them to carry stuff for us in our initial briefing and the threat of jail, if we left the group and went sightseeing. When we got there, the entrance to my studio at 84 Lichfield St was red stickered and a complete no go area which means no one is allowed in. The whole of the top floor was sitting on our floor. Until the engineers had inspected we did not know the roof had not caved into my part of the building. Initially they said it was too dangerous to go into 82 Lichfield St, the entrance to Rua’s studio. I burst into tears when they told us this and got a big hug from
the guy you can see in the photo below rolling up the canvas. Then they changed their minds and gave us 10 minutes. I got in through the back door so to speak through a hole in the wall. I was told by Civil Defence, if I was too frightened, not to go in but this never crossed my mind. I was assigned two engineers and allowed to go in through the 82 Lichfield entrance and enter my studio through Rua’s studio where part of the wall had fallen down. With help, you can get out a lot of stuff in 10 minutes. My area of the studio was very badly water logged so I was really pleased to get my brushes, staple gun, canvas pliers, Peter Langland’s photos, Ben Woolcombe’s prints, heaps of Karen Giles’ sketch books and paintings, and one sodden, crumpled canvas of mine as a souvenir. We are so, so, so grateful we were able to retrieve any work – a miracle actually! Cheers, Jane
Christchurch update At a meeting facilitated by Creative New Zealand on Wednesday April 27 a seven member committee was elected by attendees to represent the arts community of Christchurch. The elected representatives on Arts Voice Christchurch are: Deborah McCormick, Director, Art & Industry Biennial Trust & SCAPE Christchurch Biennials deborah@scapebiennial.org.nz Steph Walker, General Manager, Christchurch Arts Festival steph@artsfestival.co.nz Dr. Jane Gregg, Dean of Creative Industries, CPIT Jane.Gregg@cpit.ac.nz Dr. George Parker, member of Free Theatre Christchurch and manager of Te Puna Toi Performance Research Project george@freetheatre.org.nz Philip Aldridge, Chief Executive, The Court Theatre ceo@courttheatre.org.nz James Caygill, CEO, Christchurch Symphony Orchestra and Southern Opera james@torshin.net Sean Whitaker, General Manager, Christchurch School of Music gm@csm.org.nz The Christchurch arts community seeks a vision and strategy for the arts that secures the arts as an essential part of the new city. The group represents and serves the arts community of Christchurch, by whom it has been appointed. The vision statement is: Christchurch, the Arts City – with creativity at its heart. For full details or to sign up for updates go to the website: http://artsvoicechch.com/
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Jim McGregor
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Opportunities Awards, residencies and exhibitions Artspace 2011 Curatorial Intern Programme | Call for applications Application deadline: June 10, 2011
McCahon House Trust Call for residency now open Application deadline: August 8, 2011 The McCahon House Trust is calling for applications from professional artists for the McCahon House Artists Residency Programme. Three residencies, each of three months duration, are available between March 2012 and February 2013. Residencies are available to outstanding emergent or mid-career professional artists. Artists receiving the residency live and work in the new
2011 Whanganui National Art Exhibition and Awards Application deadline: September 7, 2011 The 2011 Whanganui National Art Exhibition and Awards entry form has been released for artists aiming to submit to the competition in September. The exhibition is open to all artists living and working in New Zealand. The 2011 entry form is available to download from www.24bar7.com and http://media.tripod.lycos.com/1855353/ 1725408.pdf The Whanganui National Art Exhibition and Award Trust are the conveners of the exhibition. The trustees are pleased with the growing recognition of the event. The Best in Show Award includes a $500 prize. Two Certificates of Merit carry a prize of $100 each. Receiving days are September 5 to 7, 2011 at the Wanganui Community Arts Centre. The awards presentation will be made at the opening function on September 9, 2011. The exhibition runs till October 2 at the Wanganui Community Arts Centre, 19 Taupo Quay, Wanganui. For further information contact: Aaron Potaka, Chairman, Whanganui National Art Exhibition and Award Trust, Mobile: 021 296 4451, email: contact@24bar7.com
Call for entries: The Arthouse Installation Project Application deadline: July 29, 2011 The Arthouse Installation Project which started with huge success in November 2010, is now into its second year and is calling for artist submissions for the 2011 / 2012 installations.
The project, which links art and architecture, is available to two artists annually, with prize money of $4000 each. Submissions close on July 29, 2011. The first of the two installation projects will be installed by November 19, 2011 and each work will be exhibited for several months at Arthouse Architecture in central Nelson. The prize money has been generously provided by Nelson art philanthropist Sally Hunt, patron of the project, and by award-winning Nelson architecture firm Arthouse Architecture. The selection panel includes representatives from Arthouse Architecture, the local arts community and one judge yet to be named from outside the region. The competition is open to artists in New Zealand and overseas. Entry forms can be downloaded from the website: www.arthousearchitecture.co.nz For more information contact: Caroline Marshall Arthouse Architecture Ph (03) 546 6664 or email: caroline@arthousearchitecture.co.nz
2011 Curator Tour to Korea and China Application deadline: June 7, 2011 Creative New Zealand, in association with Asia New Zealand Foundation, will support up to three curators to visit Korea and China from October 1 – 24, 2011. The maximum amount you can apply for is $12,000. The next round of applications closes: June 7, 2011. First-time applicants should please contact the artform adviser. Full details and eligibility is available on the Creative NZ website: www. creativenz.govt.nz/en/getting-funded/findfunding-opportunities/2011-curator-tourto-korea-and-china-411405211109522/ general-info
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The Artspace internship offers someone with a commitment to curating the opportunity to learn in a 12-month mentored relationship with incoming Artspace Director Caterina Riva. The successful candidate will be proactively assisting in the implementation of their annual programme of activities. The ideal person is passionate about contemporary art, taking the initiative when required, willing to take on diverse tasks and able to work in a small dedicated team. Preferably they will have an art history or fine art background, a proven talent for writing and a strong desire to be involved in contemporary art. Some degree of technical or practical experience would also be an asset. This is a one-year, fixed-term training position, which receives a small remuneration. It is 35 hours per week including Saturdays and commences in July 2012. You must be a New Zealand citizen or resident to apply. Forward your CV and a brief statement on your motivations and aspirations for the future to: ARTSPACE 2011 Internship PO Box 68418, Newton, Auckland 1145 or email your application to anna@artspace.org.nz If you require any more information please contact Anna Gardner at Artspace, on Ph (09) 303 4965 or via email: anna@artspace.org.nz
purpose built French Bay house with attached studio. To find out more and download the application form visit: www.mccahonhouse.org.nz Contact Chris McBride if you require additional information – McCahon House Trust, Ph (09) 817 6148 mccahon@mccahonhouse.org.nz
EE TO ss to o.nz FR ES AYddre sco.c 30 PL AWand a o@ja M E e i nf SA IV r namLE at G ou P y M a il S A E m FI N F RI
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Five questions The Auckland Art Fair, New Zealand’s premier contemporary art event will be returning to the Viaduct Events Centre on Auckland’s Harbour front this year on August 4 – 7. We spoke to Jennifer Buckley, the Director of the Art Fair.
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How many people does it take to run an Art Fair and what sort of work are those people doing? It takes a large team of people – but our budget allows for just a couple of really, really busy ones! I’m the only full-time person working on the event but the assistance of Deborah White – my colleague, fellow trustee and general partner in crime in all things art – is indispensible. In the months leading up to the event, I oversee a team of overworked and underpaid contractors who assist with PR, marketing, production etc. and I drive them all completely nuts by sticking my nose into everything they do!
How does a dealer gallery become part of the Art Fair? Participation in the art fair is by invitation. A selection of local, national and international galleries are invited by the fair to make submissions. The submissions are reviewed by a panel comprised of arts professionals including members of our board, leading gallerists and curators from major institutions across the country. Exhibitor submissions are assessed on a variety of criteria including exhibition history, previous fair presentations and project documentation submitted. As there are more submissions than we have space to accommodate, inevitably and regrettably we disappoint some galleries.
This August will mark the fourth Auckland Art Fair and it certainly seems to be going from strength to strength – how has the audience changed over this time? The audience is getting a lot more savvy and sophisticated about the fair itself and the work they encounter in it which is great to see. One thing we are really hoping to emphasise is the all important relationship between artists and galleries that drives the primary market and forms the foundation for a thriving contemporary visual arts community.
discussions, workshops, artist talks, guided tours and heaps of other things. There is also the keynote lecture with Artforum magazine’s Knight Landesman that promises to be highly entertaining and enlightening.
Tell us about the special events and speakers we can expect to see at this year’s Art Fair.
Trivial, yet never-the-less interesting … will you be buying new shoes for the vernissage?
Whew – we have a really full on public programme running throughout the fair featuring thought provoking daily panel
Since when are shoes trivial?? ANY excuse to buy shoes works for me. I may need boots as well…
Jennifer Buckley, the Director of the Auckland Art Fair.
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Every city has one or two or three… The artist-run space in New Zealand
Founding members of artist-run space, Second Story.
of its total budget on the visual arts, the days when individual artists could apply to CNZ for funding to pay for childcare while they made work for their next exhibition are long gone. Such a proposition would send shudders down a bureaucrat’s spine in the current economic climate where according to the Minister for Social Development, Paula Bennett, now is not the time ‘to follow an artistic dream’. The artist-run space then, is ‘an aid for survival,’ according to editor of EyeCONTACT and artist, John Hurrell. ‘Artists fresh out of school can exhibit a programme that builds up their own audience of supporters and friends, and hope eventually for attention from so-called media “gate keepers” and municipal curators’. The history of artist-run spaces in NZ goes back several decades. Hurrell comments that in the seventies and eighties ‘there was a backlash against the “anti-narrative” white cube and its elimination of the historical context of a building – in the name of neutrality’. The founders of Teststrip in 1992 (all well established artists today), declared their gallery as the ‘loosest, laziest and most badly run gallery in town.’ 1 Not content with a charitable sheltered workshop approach, this spirited group of individuals wanted their art and activities to provoke a response. Looking back, founding member, Daniel Malone commented, ‘Sometimes we say we were the first, and sometimes people argue about this on technicalities. Who cares?! The fact is things weren’t the same after us, for better or worse. Even with the utmost deliberation we were forcing something we couldn’t control.’2 As a result Teststrip spawned a network of similarly inspired artist-run space in cities around the country, some of which still exist today. RM, a few doors along from Second Story, was founded in 1997 at the time when Teststrip was winding up. Motivated by similar intentions ‘to maintain critical integrity and support one another once they had left art school,’ founding member, Nick Spratt is still very much a key player and an enthusiastic advocate for artist-run spaces. Before too long, RM’s programme expanded from predominantly showing their own work to that of developing a platform for other artists whose practices they sought to champion. Having relocated several times, RM is still going strong and pushing in new directions. With informal links to international residency programmes and a move to engage viewers through artists’ talks and publications, RM has become somewhat ‘establishment’ amongst the artist-run space scene. Intentional or not however, RM remains a fairly well kept secret amongst the general public. This begs the question of course, does the artist-run space have a responsibility at all to the general public? Spaces like RM with a well-developed infrastructure and a proven track record have over the years been able to secure CNZ funding. Enjoy in Wellington, Blue Oyster in Dunedin, and
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Climbing the dimly lit staircase of a building located somewhere in the back and beyond of K’Rd, I found myself standing in freshly painted rooms, white of course – no surprises there, wooden floors and above the dairy on the second floor because the rent is cheaper. Friends and family have rallied to help out with the hard graft – painting, lighting, setting up the accounts, reading the fine print of leases and contracts – all the stuff you don’t learn about at art school. What am I doing here? Witnessing another artist-run space in the making, born out of a desire to maintain the sense of community that these six recent graduates developed while studying together at art school. Their aim is to bring people and ideas together, to encourage experimentation and collaborative dialogue. Within spitting distance of Personal Best, another new artist-run space down the road, Second Story aims to build a community that is ‘open and diverse, valuing critique and rigorous making’. Acknowledging the difficulty graduates face when they hit the ‘real’ world, Second Story will offer exhibition opportunities to their contemporaries as well as showing their own work. As art consultant Rob Garrett says, ‘if emerging artists simply waited to be picked up by institutional curators, galleries or collectors, they would mostly wait in vain’. In Auckland for example, there are five art schools producing scores of graduates every year. While this might satisfy financial targets of the universities there seems scant regard for the future prospects of this glut of graduates. It seems they are largely left to sink or swim. With Creative New Zealand spending just six per cent
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The Physics Room in Christchurch all attract public funding. While public funding might be great for financial security and certainly worth defending, dependency is not necessarily good for artistic health. It’s prone to creating a system of control over what is made, the tail wagging the dog situation. The shows we don’t get to see because they don’t get the funding may have been the more interesting ones, the ones that change the way we think about art. So as the financial stakes are raised experimentation is sometimes compromised. Consequently not all artist-run spaces are interested in complying with the limitations that come with government or local body funding, preferring instead to be financially independent. One of the most successful models for artist-run spaces is that in which studio space is hired out – the studio rental covering the costs of the lease. This still allows the opportunity to curate shows in a separate designated project space. Expenses can be kept to a minimum by using blogs and social networking sites – cheap ways to keep audiences updated and allowing for critical feedback and discussion within the larger blogging community. Other groups of artists eschew the costs of a physical space entirely, utilising virtual space instead, giving rise to a number of online artist-run spaces (e.g. Window online). Temporary venues like pop-up spaces, or small venues such as window spaces (Window onsite), suitcases, and portable spaces appear from time-to-time. And then there is Cuckoo which began in 2001. A New Zealand based initiative, its members use other people’s spaces to present their program. Founding member of both Teststrip and Cuckoo, Judy Darragh, commented that having already experienced the hassles of
Jude Nye 1. Amery, Mark, ‘Teststrip tease’, New Zealand Listener, 31 July 1993, p.42 2. (Ed.) Teststrip Board, Test trip a history of an artist-run space (1992 – 1997), Auckland, Clouds 2008, p.145
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Teststrip photoshoot for Stamp Magazine, 1992.
running a gallery such as Teststrip, (paying rent, painting walls and fund raising etc.) the group was looking for an alternative way of running a gallery space. Like the lazy cuckoo bird they decided ‘to find other nests to occupy, using gallery and institution art spaces in their down time’. What all these projects have in common besides frugality and understanding the value of shared resources and relationships, is a strong sense of community and collegiality. ‘An intimate dialogue between a small group of people’ is how artist, Ralph Paine, described his experience with Gambia Castle. A tight coterie of friends, guarding itself against intruders. Set up as an alternative space to realise projects outside of their dealer gallery relationships, members could sell their works but with no red dots visible denoting sales, thus challenging the status quo. (Dealers can normally expect their percentage commission from sales their artists make outside their gallery.) Paine, also a member of Teststrip, talked about the social aspect of artist-run spaces. He described them as ‘a kind of drinking club – a Masonic lodge without the secret handshake’. Nick Spratt recalls David Thomas, one of the directors of the legendary Sydney based artist-run space CBD, using the analogy of a Rotary Club – every city has one. Speaking the same language, sharing the same concerns, they provide a network of contacts wherever one goes. The one thing that nobody mentioned however, is the fact that many artist-run spaces are annoyingly difficult to find! And by the time you do find them they are either not open or have shut up shop and moved on. Garrett explains it this way: ‘needs change over time as major project spaces and even public art galleries change focus from time-to-time and create new “gaps” in the scene … so the careers of the core artists who formed a space may grow beyond it.’ But while they do exist they offer a context outside of the established art hierarchy, for both success and failure. Given that the NZ art scene is somewhat ‘modest’ and ‘there are simply too few institutional curators, public galleries and dealer galleries to show all the very best work on an on-going basis’, the artist-run spaces mean ‘that artists are not compelled to entirely leave the country in order to be creatively and financially nurtured and rewarded’. This must be a plus. And what is more, if it hadn’t been for the enthusiasm and initiative of groups of young artists forming their own project spaces, the careers of many artists and curators now familiar to the local art scene would more than likely not have got off the ground.
Living and working in
Palmerston North
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People who live in Palmerston North are all too aware how others view their city. For me, this was made very apparent when I gave my daughter (who lives in Auckland) an ‘I ♥ Palmy’ badge. She thanked me kindly and with a wry grin said she would wear it with irony. If the city is as bad as others think, then why would emerging and established artists, recognised both nationally and internationally, choose to live and work in the city? Of the artists we spoke to, it was very clear that there were three very sound reasons for living and working in the community: people, lifestyle and the arts community. Primarily, it was the support of families and wh¯anau that they regarded as fundamental. Kelcy Taratoa fell in love and married his wife Melanie there and two of his three children were born in the city. It is the place ‘where everything most important to me, my wife and family and art career all began’. It is also the place where Ngataiharuru (Ngatai) Taepa and Saffron Te Ratana’s two children were born, while for Shane Cotton ‘it’s a great place to raise a family’. For some, the city is also where their wider families live and it is their support (along with that of friends) that gives Ngatai the strength and confidence needed when facing the challenge of creating a new series of artworks. Similarly, for Saffron it is where
Greg Cole, Returning Column, photograph by Ian Rotherham.
her Mum’s extended family live and therefore she can call on her cousins to ‘feel that connection’. Te Papaioea (P.N.) has a small but strong Ma¯ ori community and this also informs Ngatai’s practice. He feels extremely fortunate to be part of the kaupapa Ma¯ ori in the Manawat u. ¯ Similarly, for Rachel Rakena, Robert Jahnke, and Saffron Te Ratana, it is their students, colleagues and graduates of Massey University’s Te Putahi ¯ a Toi (School of Ma¯ ori Studies) that both inform and actively support their practice. For Rachel these people not only inspire her, but she also enjoys brainstorming and socialising with them. For masters graduate, David Pearce, it was the support of staff, students and graduates, in conjunction with their strong links to galleries that made the transition from student to practising artist relatively easy. Massey University has allowed Robert Jahnke to create a programme that is the manifestation of his philosophy about teaching and research in the Ma¯ ori world. The mission of the school is to provide academic and research leadership in Ma¯ ori artistic, cultural, social and economic development, while retaining Ma¯ ori heritage and the advancement of indigenous peoples. As a result he gets to enjoy the best of two worlds; one of teaching and the other of making art.
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Apart from wh¯anau, family and colleagues, it is people in the city that were also fundamental to an artist’s practice. Catherine Russ, director of Thermostat Gallery, and her partner Simon Francis, have been extremely supportive of Saffron’s practice, ‘even when it’s not saleable – which is something quite different from the dealer gallery – the gallery space is just the right size; beautiful, but neither overwhelming or claustrophobic’. Thermostat opened in 2001 and has worked actively and extremely successfully to profile some of the regions strongest talent, while also continually introducing an element of the new. Catherine believes that the opportunity to show work is crucial if an artist’s practice is to develop. She points out that Palmerston North has long been the home to some of the country’s top artists. Besides the support of gallerists, the support of the team at Te Manawa is also valued by artists. Te Manawa’s curator Nicola Jennings, believes that ‘as a regional institution we believe that we can’t just be a marble palace on a hill top, inaccessible and perceived as snobs and intellectuals who don’t care about engaging with their community! Alongside exhibiting and collecting the work of established and emerging artists from the region, we support secondary and tertiary institutions in Palmerston North with annual graduate shows from Massey University’s Bachelor of M¯aori Visual Arts and UCOL’s Applied Visual Imaging programmes, and exhibitions such as Top Secondary Art from the Manawat u’. ¯ And in Kelcy Taratoa’s opinion, the staff at Te Manawa are a great team, ‘who ensure the public are nourished and challenged with quality examples of national and international art practice’. So, firstly and most importantly it is the people in Palmerston North that artists value, but of added value is the networks that these people create. Being a student city with a focus on tertiary education results in access to numerous experts in the creative sector. For Mark Dustin, a real positive is that these people generate a genuine and highly valued sense of community, a group of people who are willing to share ideas, experiences and collaborate. The artistic community, in Mark’s experience, is supportive across institutions and creative specialisations. As a place to live, Palmerston North offers easy access within and without. For Rachel Rakena it’s 7 minutes to the airport, 7 minutes to the university and 4 minutes to town or the pool. This ease of access gives Mark Dustin even more time to spend on his practice. For Ngatai, there is also a lot of room to walk his dog, Kape. It is a short drive (between 45 minutes and 3 hours) to a diverse range of forward thinking regional galleries. For Kelcy Taratoa, it is galleries such as Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington’s City Gallery, New Plymouth’s Govett-Brewster, Pataka Museum and Gallery (Porirua), Hawke’s Bay Museum and Art gallery and the Whanganui’s Sargeant Gallery that provide opportunities to get out and about and see what’s happening in other centres. These visits renew his energy levels and give him the ‘inspiration injection I need from time to time’. Similarly, for David Pearce, they provide an important and welcome ‘big city fix’. While Palmerston North may be considered by some to be too isolated, for Shane Cotton this has been a bonus. It is the city’s distance from the large centres that allows him to concentrate solely on his work without the ‘b/s distractions that larger city environments and art worlds throw out. On the other hand if you need an art worldly fix, Palmerston is close enough
Anton Parsons, Numbers, photograph by Ian Rotherham.
to the main centres to get it! There’s nothing better than knowing you have the sanctuary and peace of Palmerston to go home to. Bliss.’ While all artists valued the lifestyle and proximity of the city to large centres, there is also a lot going on within the city. As Nicola Jennings, Curator at Te Manawa notes, What isn’t happening in our city?! Besides the art galleries here at Te Manawa we have a handful of thriving commercial galleries; Thermostat, Taylor Jensen, Zimmerman and van Uffelen, which all exhibit original New Zealand art and provide further opportunities for local artists to exhibit and for locals to see a range of art. We’re particularly lucky to have the School of Ma¯ ori Visual Arts here and the students and tutors that it’s brought to Palmerston North. Thermostat and Community Arts are also supportive of the work emerging from this school, so it’s great for us to see the students who exhibited here as Bachelors graduates exhibiting further work at these venues. To have a gallery like Thermostat in a regional centre that will happily exhibit an installation work for example is pretty amazing too. And of course the ongoing installation of new public art through the efforts of the Palmerston North Public Sculpture Trust helps give the visual arts a stronger presence in the city. We have Palmerston North Community Arts a.k.a The Square Edge, which provide artist studios, and theatre and exhibition spaces for hire in a beautiful art deco building in the centre of town.
It is clear that these artists value their city for its people, the professional and personal support those people provide and for its lifestyle. Why wouldn’t an artist want to live and work in Palmerston North? Dr Mandy Rudge
I moved here in May 1990. I call Palmy home now because of all that has occurred for me here over a period of some twenty years. I fell in love with and married my wife Melanie here; two of our three children were born here, Judea and Manasseh, our eldest Daughter, Aprege, was born in Hamilton; I completed my bachelor and masters degrees here at Massey University; I had my first public gallery show here at Te Manawa; secured my first teaching position here at UCOL; and became a full-time artist, all here in Palmy North. So for me, Palmy is the city where everything most important to me – my wife, family and my art career, all began.
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Catherine Russ – Thermostat Gallery www.thermostat.co.nz
Can you explain the role / aim of Thermostat Gallery as it contributes to, and supports the arts within Palmerston North? Thermostat opened in July 2001 and aims to support the arts by profiling some of the regions strongest talent as well as continually introducing an element of ‘new’. We provide a varied schedule and are constantly keeping one eye on happenings at a national level while working in our own particular environment. Ten years has seen us grow considerably. We believe that the opportunity to show work is crucial if an artist’s practice is to develop. We also know that Palmerston North will benefit from a community that is prepared to take an active interest in the visual arts and hope that our existence has made a contribution here.
As a gallerist living and working in Palmerston North how do you perceive the wider creative arts scene within the city? Knowing the nature of Palmerston North (relatively small, family orientated) has meant taking a determined approach to keep the gallery feeling buoyant, relevant and robust. We have worked with a good crowd of creative people and remained focused on serving the artists and art community. We have managed to make this work for us over the years and I am really proud of that. Palmerston North has long been home to some of the countries top artists and there is a solid contingent of artists here now who work at a consistently high level. We enjoy being part of that. Massey University, College of Education and UCOL all continue to contribute to the gallery having a solid skill base of artists residing in the city. Many come here in a teaching capacity. We also enjoy the fact that we’re close to and have a relationship with other near-by regions including Whanganui and Wellington. The interaction with artists and dealers from these two centres in particular is inspiring to us and necessary for our own professional development. The ground work is in place for Palmerston North to continue to develop in a very positive way.
Kelcy Taratoa As an established artist both nationally and internationally, why call Palmerston North home? Ok… firstly I wouldn’t say that I am established internationally yet. However, this position is exactly what I am aiming for and working very hard to achieve – and why not from Palmerston North? Palmy has been my place of residence for many years now.
Are there benefits that Palmerston North can offer your practice that other cities can’t? Truthfully, there’s no extraordinary benefits that Palmy offers my practice over another … however, there are well established artists that live here, which provides opportunities for much needed artistic dialogue, together with Palmy’s central location, are two benefits I definitely appreciate and take advantage of. The artistic community is broad, but there is a sense of belonging and fellowship. Palmy’s central location means it is positioned well for quick one-day excursions to many of New Zealand’s important galleries and museums. Included are: City Gallery Wellington and Te Papa Tongarewa, New Plymouth’s Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, Pataka Museum and Gallery, Hawke’s Bay Museum and Art Gallery, and Whanganui’s Sargeant Art Gallery. All galleries and museums mentioned can be reached within 45 mins to 3 hours drive from Palmy. As an artist, I believe its essential to get out and about and see what’s happening in other centres. These centres and galleries make for a worthwhile day visit. So, whilst landlocked, Palmy compensates its residents with its close proximity to these centres. This means I can quickly renew my energy levels and get the inspiration injection I need from time-to-time.
What networks exist for you in Palmerston North that helps support you and your work? The networks I utilise the most, are institutions and people I have formed relationships with. Massey University, UCOL and Te Manawa Art Gallery are three institutions I have a lot to do with. Each has made a significant impact on my development. Having studied at Massey, I’ve formed connections with the visual arts programmes, artists / lecturers and students working there. I visit from time to time and see what the next wave of students are creating. All the lecturers are established artists, and I enjoy discussing art, their working and where it is heading. I find it a very inspiring place to visit.
Mark Dustin As an established artist, why call Palmerston North home? When I moved to Palmerston North four years ago to take up a lecturing position, I was surprised to learn how many established and emerging artists lived and worked in the city. It was great to see how many of these artists are established internationally and that they are able to do this successfully from Palmerston North. To be able to experience the genuine sense of community that exists here within creative circles and also from the wider community as a whole, is a real positive of the city.
Are there benefits that Palmerston North can offer your practice that other cities can’t?
The Bachelor of Applied Visual Imaging aims to prepare students for professional careers within those creative industries that contribute to contemporary visual culture. It takes a postmodern approach to the increasing integration between traditional disciplines created by emerging technologies, and the growing influence of visual images on contemporary culture. This has resulted in an expanding range of related careers, which the programme aims to fill by creating multi-skilled graduates with a high level of visual literacy and conceptual skills.
I think the major benefit that Palmerston North offers me is the access to more affordable housing and studio space. Coming from Auckland this is a real benefit, and the chance to have good amounts of studio space can have a real impact on the work that you can create. Palmerston North is conveniently located within a short drive from a diverse range of forward thinking regional galleries and institutions such as Te Papa Museum and the City Gallery in Wellington, Pataka Museum and Gallery in Porrirua, Hawke’s Bay Museum and Art Gallery, New Plymouth’s GovettBrewster Art gallery, and Whanganui’s Sargeant Art Gallery. Palmerston North also has its own established museum in Te Manawa Museum, which has a long history of supporting the many successful artists that have at some stage called Palmy home, as well as touring many major exhibitions from the other city galleries around New Zealand. As a smaller city that is growing and expanding quickly, Palmy still maintains its ability to allow you to get around the city quickly. Everywhere seems to be only 10 minutes away from everywhere else. This means that on a practical basis you can achieve so much more in your daily job, which allows you even more time to work on your practice.
How does the Bachelor’s degree contribute to and enrich the arts in Palmerston North and further afield?
What networks exist for you in Palmerston North that helps support you and your work?
Clive Jones Can you explain the role / aim of the Bachelor’s degree in Applied Visual Imaging at UCOL Palmerston North?
Although the Bachelor of Applied Visual Imaging is not aimed at producing artists in the traditional sense of the term, due to its commercial focus, UCOL recognises the need for practitioners who are able to reflect on their practice and engage in meaningful discourse about their profession, and its relationship to the broader context of visual culture. On this basis, graduates not only contribute to the visual literacy of the local region, but are integrally involved in the process of visual communication that is fundamentally linked to the majority of people in Palmerston North and New Zealand, due to our visual and consumer culture.
Palmerston North is known as a student city. It has a young university population, which is supported by many academics who live and work in the city. This results in regular exposure to experts that can have direct relation to your practice, and also means that there is a local community that are very interested in the creative sector. There is a vibrant group of emerging and established artists that are all easily accessible and open to sharing ideas and possible opportunities for collaboration. The artistic community in Palmerston North is very supportive across different institutions and creative specialisations. There is a relaxed sense of family in most aspects of life in Palmy and this transfers to the support and
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After completing my masters, UCOL employed me as a lecturer on the new BAVI degree programme. I spent three years there. I worked alongside a team of diverse creative professionals – all highly skilled in their areas of expertise. My time at UCOL was beneficial to my own artistic development because of exposure to a broad range of creative approaches, technologies and processes. I like to stay in touch with the BAVI team, because like Massey, it’s a hive of activity and innovation. From 2002, I have been very fortunate to exhibit work on four occasions at Te Manawa. Te Manawa has been very supportive of my practice. They’re a great team, who ensure the public are nourished and challenged with quality examples of national and international art practice. Whilst exhibiting at Te Manawa, my work was viewed by curators from City Gallery Wellington and Christchurch Art Gallery, which later resulted in my showing at both these institutions. Last year Te Manawa commissioned me to paint a work for their permanent collection. I find all these networks very important to me because each has a positive impact on my art practice.
approachable nature of those in the creative industries. Having access to significant institutions such as Te Manawa Museum; Te P¯utahi a Toi, The School of M¯aori Studies at Massey University; The School of Photography, Art and Design at UCOL and Te Wananga o Aotearoa, all contributes to a thriving group of creative and inspiring individuals.
not being saleable which is quite a different proposition for a dealer gallery. I really appreciate that freedom. I also think the gallery space at Thermostat is beautiful and just the right size, not overwhelming, but not claustrophobic.
Ngatai Taepa and Saffron te Ratana As nationally and internationally established artists, why call Palmerston North home?
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Ngatai: While my iwi are Te Arawa and Te Atiawa, I have lived in Te Papaioea for the last 10 years. My partner Saffron and I have a home here that is very special to us, it is where Saff gave birth to our boys, Maungapohatu and Taioperua. Saffron: Ngatai and I live in Palmerston North because he works with Bob Jahnke and Rachael Rakena at Toioho ki Apiti, Massey University, and our son Maungapohatu attends Te Kohanga Reo o Mana Tamariki. I believe in and support the kaupapa of both places.
Are there benefits that Palmerston North can offer you and your practice that other cities can’t? Ngatai: Te Papaioea has a small but strong M¯aori community. This community constantly informs my practice and I feel fortunate to be a part of kaupapa M¯aori here in the Manawat u. ¯ There is also a lot of room to walk our dog, Kape.
What networks exist for you in Palmerston North that helps support you and your work? Ngatai: Te P¯utahi a Toi – Massey University, Te Manawa Art Gallery, Thermostat Gallery, Mana Tamariki and Te Wananga o Aotearoa have all supported and informed my art practice. Mentor, Professor Robert Jahnke constantly shares his wealth of knowledge and I feel very fortunate to be able to access this level of knowledge on a regular basis. My partner Saff knows me better than anyone else. I consider her to be one of the best artists of my generation. I trust her to critique my work / ideas and we regularly have art conversations that last for hours. The support of my whanau and close friends gives me the strength and confidence needed when faced with the challenge of creating a new series of artworks. Saffron: Other than Toioho ki Apiti and Mana Tamariki, my main support in Palmerston North comes from Catherine Russ, who is the director of Thermostat Gallery and her partner Simon Francis. She has been extremely supportive of my practice, even with it
Nicola Jennings and Sian van Dyk Te Manawa Museum Can you explain the role / aim of Te Manawa Museum as an arts institution in Palmerston North? When it comes to art exhibitions we see our role as three fold. We balance a programme which brings the wider world to the Manawat u¯ with national touring and in-house curated exhibitions. We recognise the importance of providing access for the people of the Manawat u¯ to the collections we hold in our in-house developed exhibitions, which also serve to provide a wider context to collection artworks. Lastly, we showcase artists working in the Manawat u. ¯ We are very lucky to call home the same place that some ground breaking and passionate makers do, and aim to get a balance between established and emerging artists, as well as opportunities for the community to be involved. A very important part of the role of Te Manawa is developing and caring for the art collection so it can continue to be available to the community through exhibitions, our education programme, and an online presence (currently very small!). A focus of our collecting over the last few years has been to ensure the collection is representative of the strength and successes of art in the Manawat u. ¯ Works from the collection are frequently included in exhibitions at museums and galleries around the country and reproduced in publications, which is testament to the strength and significance of a collection developed by many passionate curators and directors over the last 50 years. We are very proud of it; it is a national art taonga.
How does Te Manawa Museum support and contribute to the arts within Palmerston North? As a regional institution we believe that we can’t just be a marble palace on a hill top, inaccessible and perceived as snobs and intellectuals who don’t care about engaging with their community! Alongside exhibiting and collecting the work of established and emerging artists from the region, we support secondary and tertiary institutions in Palmerston North with annual graduate shows from Massey University’s Bachelor of Ma¯ ori Visual Arts and UCOL’s Applied Visual Imaging programmes, and exhibitions such as Top Secondary Art from the Manawat u¯ We also have the very popular biennial Manawat u¯ Arts Review where our community is invited to submit their work for a show that represents what creative people
are doing in our region. With exhibitions such as this we’re aiming to involve the community in the gallery, to encourage them to see it as their gallery. We often put ourselves in a situation where as curators we are by no means experts, we are facilitators. We have done so through working with local interest groups, such as the Applied Photography Group, the Manawat u¯ Pottery Society, and trusts such as Arohanui Hospice to develop art exhibitions which deal with issues the community wants to address.
As curators living and working in Palmerston North how do you perceive the wider creative arts scene within the city?
Rachel Rakena As an established artist both nationally and internationally, why call Palmerston North home? I came to Palmy for a great opportunity – to work in Massey’s unique Toioho ki Apiti M¯aori Visual Arts programme, alongside artists I greatly admire and respect, umbrella’d by a supportive M¯aori Studies department.
Are there benefits that Palmerston North can offer your practice that other cities can’t? Palmy offers great convenience. Everything is very easy and quick. From home it takes seven minutes to get to the airport, seven minutes in the other direction to Massey, four minutes to the pool or town. I grew up in small towns and like being able to access everywhere so quickly.
What networks exist for you in Palmerston North that helps support you and your work? My networks in Palmy are through work; my colleagues, students and graduates of our programme. These are the people I am inspired by, enjoy brainstorming and socialising with. Also many of my mum’s extended family are based here and I know I can always call in on my cousins to feel that connection.
Robert Jahnke – MMVA Massey Uni Can you explain the role / aim of Te P utahi ¯ a Toi at Massey University? The mission of Te Putahi ¯ a Toi, the School of Ma¯ ori Studies is to provide academic and research leadership in Ma¯ ori artistic, cultural, social and economic development, the retention and development of Maori ¯ heritage, and the advancement of indigenous peoples.
How does the Bachelor’s degree and the Master’s degree in M¯aori Visual Arts contribute to and enrich the arts in Palmerston North and further afield? This is best described in the achievements of Ngahina Hohaia, a graduate of the Bachelor of Maori ¯ Visual Arts degree programme. As an undergraduate student she exhibited in the 2006 seminal Bachelor of Ma¯ ori Visual arts degree exhibition at Te Manawa (her work was acquired by Te Puhi Ariki in New Plymouth). In 2007 she won a Te Waka Toi scholarship and featured in a publication entitled Matariki. As a graduate student she exhibited at Square Edge in Palmerston North in 2007 and subsequently at Te Puhi Ariki and in Sweden in 2009. Her thesis exhibition work was reconstituted at the City Gallery Wellington, Te Manawa and the Suter in Nelson. She capped off 2010 with an Arts Foundation of New Zealand and Freemasons ‘New Generation Award’ of $25,000.
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What isn’t happening in our city?! Besides the art galleries here at Te Manawa we have a handful of thriving commercial galleries; Thermostat, Taylor Jensen, Zimmerman and van Uffelen, which all exhibit original New Zealand art and provide further opportunities for local artists to exhibit and for locals to see a range of art. We’re particularly lucky to have the School of Ma¯ ori Visual Arts here and the students and tutors that it’s brought to Palmerston North. Thermostat and Community Arts are also supportive of the work emerging from this school, so it’s great for us to see the students who exhibited here as bachelor graduates exhibiting further work at these venues. To have a gallery like Thermostat in a regional centre that will happily exhibit an installation work for example, is pretty amazing too. And of course, the ongoing installation of new public art through the efforts of the Palmerston North Public Sculpture Trust helps give the visual arts a stronger presence in the city. We have Palmerston North Community Arts – a.k.a. The Square Edge – which provide artist studios, a theatre and exhibition spaces for hire in a beautiful art deco building in the centre of town. They also support a residency in the disciplines of creative writing, film or digital arts or theatre (in association with Massey University), actors, dancers, a burlesque troupe and a number of community groups. This alone is a reflection that the creative arts here go beyond a painting in a gallery. We have the only professional theatre outside the four main centres in Centrepoint, we have the Regent bringing us everything from ukulele orchestras, to kapa haka, to ballet. We have a new art festival, performance and production groups at Massey and UCOL, and a community theatre called the Globe, not to mention the dance schools and annual Festival of Cultures which highlights Manawat u’s ¯ cultural diversity.
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Shane Cotton
As an established artist both nationally and internationally, why call Palmerston North home?
As a practising artist yourself why locate your practice in Palmerston North, and are there benefits that this city offers your practice?
At this stage I don’t consider myself as either a nationally or internationally established artist. I recently completed a masters degree in painting and are starting to develop my art practice. There are a number of reasons why I call Palmy home. I have lived here since the age of 14, with the exception of four years in Christchurch, so for me it is my hometown. My wife and I are very family orientated and our parents live here as well as several siblings. Living in Palmy is a reasonably cheap and easy place to bring up children. Palmy is also central to a number of other places such as Wellington, Taupo, New Plymouth and the Hawkes Bay. All these places are within 2 to 3-hours drive, and each one offers a real change in landscape, which I treasure. I frequently travel to Wellington to visit galleries and network with other artists. This provides a big city fix, but I also like to come home to a slower paced lifestyle.
Are there benefits that Palmerston North can offer your practice that other cities can’t? Nothing really stands out as major benefit but the cost of living, family support, and Palmy’s closeness to other places, all have a role in supporting my practice. There is also a significant proportion of the Palmerston North population involved in education and the tertiary institutions here have a large impact on the local art scene. The Bachelor of Applied Visual Imaging programme at UCOL, and the School on M¯aori Visual Arts at Massey, bring a lot of creative students to this region. When I completed my Masters in M¯aori Visual Arts at Massey there was amongst the staff and students a strong sense of community and support. The programme has strong links with local galleries, and focused a lot on professional practice and public exhibitions. As such, the transition from being a student to a practising artist was relatively easy.
What networks exist for you in Palmerston North that helps support you and your work? There are several well-recognised and important artists living in Palmy, as well as a number of recent graduates just starting out. My experience as a student and work at UCOL has allowed me to establish a number of creative networks here. I work with some great people, a number of whom are practising artists, and we frequently discuss issues and share ideas. The size of the city, the nature of the local tertiary programmes and the role the regional public gallery Te Manawa‚ plays in supporting the local art scene means it has been easy to meet and network with other artists.
Palmerston North is one of those cities that allows you to focus on work 24 / 7. I locate my practice in Palmerston North because Massey University has allowed me the opportunity to create a programme that is a manifestation of my philosophy towards teaching and research in Ma¯ ori visual culture. Consequently, I enjoy the best of both worlds; one of teaching art; the other of making art.
As an established artist both nationally and internationally, why call Palmerston North home? I came to Palmerston North in 1993 to work at the Ma¯ ori Studies Dept. Massey Uni. The dept at that stage was looking to expand specific fields of study, which included a program dedicated to Ma¯ ori Art History and Practice. In 2005, I left my position in the dept to work full-time as a practising artist. At this stage it was a natural choice to make Palmerston home. We continue to live here primarily because the lifestyle is very good and it’s a great place to raise a family.
What networks exist for you in Palmerston North that helps support you and your work? When I came to Palmerston North, in the early 90s I was a fledgling artist who had not long been out of art school. In many ways Palmerston North was not considered a great place to expand and develop an artistic practice / career. It was a long way from the main art centres of Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. I dedicated myself to my new job and the support networks that Massey University and the Ma¯ ori Studies Dept. provided. These immediate networks were critical in establishing my future practice and career.
Are there benefits that Palmerston North can offer your practice that other cities can’t? For me the most important benefit that Palmerston North offers is its isolation. While this sounds like a negative, as a practising artist it’s ideal, because it allows you to concentrate solely on your practice without the b/s distractions that larger city environments and art worlds throw out. On the other hand, if you need an art worldly fix Palmerston is close enough to the main centres to get it! There’s nothing better than knowing, you have the sanctuary and peace of Palmerston to go home to. Bliss. Photos: Ian Rotherham and Leilani Hatch.
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David Pearce
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feature gallery
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ABC ABC is a space that brings together a selected number of exhibitions and projects each year, from emerging and established artists, with local, national and international backgrounds. The space aims to promote critical and engaging contemporary art practices through shows, performances, publications and talks. The ABC programme is comprised of invited and proposal based projects. ABC is initiated and run by Matt Akehurst, Zhonghao Chen, Oscar Enberg and Sebastian Warne. Here Matt Akehurst answers a few questions.
How and why did the four of you decide to open a gallery? Through the years 2004 – 2010, the four of us studied at the University of Canterbury, and within this time we discussed the idea of starting a gallery. I think none of us wanted to fall into the trap that occurs for a lot of post-university artists of working on your own, drifting away from dialogue with peers and losing touch with the art world itself. In other words, we wanted to keep the ball rolling, involve others, and bring to Christchurch works that are critically engaging. Soon after university finished in 2010, we put together the group show Pig Sty / Toxic Pie and through this process we found we all brought different skills to the organisation of the show, which progressed into a working formula. Five months later we opened the doors to ABC.
Can you describe the gallery and how it works? The gallery is situated in a row of first level offices within a larger warehouse. Initially a row of windows spanned the length of the inside wall offering a panoptic gaze over the factory floor to its original occupants Steelbrothers, a company that constructed truck and trailer units. Currently the space is occupied by a storage company. These windows are now plastered over giving ABC two rooms; one large with no windows, and a smaller room that has a somewhat strange window at knee height looking out onto the now busy Lincoln road. The window may offer
a challenge to artists, but we decided it should remain; it’s sometimes nice to have that connection to the outside world that artists so often draw upon. In addition to this there is a studio space. Post February 22 we have an additional two artists whose own studios were destroyed by the earthquake. Presently we are running the gallery through invite only as things became rather hectic around the time of the earthquake and to keep things ticking over we invited artists to show. Currently we are putting together the proposal system but we will continue to have invited artists in the future. We also do not run shows back-to-back; as we are all artists, we each have our own practices and time constraints to deal with. By running fewer shows we are able to pay them the attention they deserve and for this reason to visit the gallery it is best to check out its opening hours on it the website: www.abcgallery.net.
Opening a gallery under normal circumstances is hard, how did the earthquake affect you? The earthquake personally affected us all in different ways; however, the gallery itself only suffered minor damage. In a lot of ways it offered us all a distraction to take our minds off what had happened. The area we are in pre-earthquake was a little quiet, in contrast to what it is like now with businesses moving into the area, a great cafe down the road and a few artists moving into studios around the area: Addington is the new place to be in Christchurch. We have benefited from more media exposure as there is so little around, however we are all in agreement that in the long run we want to be part of a strong Christchurch arts community that offers viewers various galleries to go to. We would like to think that maybe our efforts to open a gallery in these difficult times is offering inspiration to artists and the wider arts community to become involved in the reconstruction of the arts in Christchurch. ABC is located at 337 Lincoln Road, Addington, Christchurch. Their website address is: www.abcgallery.net
Review How to Look at a Painting, Justin Paton
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If you haven’t seen Justin Paton’s brilliant television show – How to Look at a Painting – it’ll be because it’s over on the somewhat obscure TVNZ 7 and is at 9:05pm on a Friday night. I have to admit this time slot is marginally better than the usual 11pm on a Sunday night (think Artsville), but if you’re not of the ‘Friday night in’ or My Sky persuasion then you may have missed it, which would be a shame. The programme based on the book of the same name (winner of the 2006 Montana New Zealand Book Award for lifestyle and contemporary culture) covers a wide range of subjects in relation to painting in New Zealand, demystifying the ecology of the art world and breaking it into palatable pieces. Each episode focuses on a different theme, portrait painting one week, collecting the next. Paton takes us from the Venice Biennale, to the Hocken Library, the caves of Canterbury and the artist’s studio (definitely the best bit!) and beyond in order to contextualise the many ways to look at painting today and in the past. I particularly want all my non-artaware friends and family to watch it in order to get a better grip of what is happening in New Zealand’s art scene and how important and relevant it all is. In my opinion Paton achieves that fine balance between not dumbing it down for the art newbies and keeping it insightful for the art-aware amongst us. The 12 episodes which took two years to film will unfortunately be finished by the time this magazine is published. I did try to find out if it will be re-run or available on DVD but alas we have not yet heard back from TVNZ…. but we’ll keep you posted!
Keepsakes – Recipes, Mementos, Miscellany, by Frances Hansen, 2011, Hardie Grant Books This cookbook is art artwork in its own right. Artist Frances Hansen combines a
Unfold, published artist book. Offset (17cm x 24cm).
large number of recipes, many handwritten on scraps of paper, postcards or torn refill, with her trademark talent for drawing and collage making the book a rich and nostalgic collection. Alongside the delicious looking recipes such as ‘Spinach and Gruyere Fritters’ and ‘Mum’s very 70’s Pineapple curried fish’ lies a list of fascinating and at times hilarious miscellany, for example: the list titled ‘my budgies vocab’ and instructions on ‘How to make a woolly ball’. The book is beautifully designed and a very worthwhile addition to either your art book or cookbook collection.
John Di Stefano – Unfold Unfold is an artist-book published with Enjoy Public Art Gallery for the occasion of the recent exhibition The Return. The publication reads like an intimate family album, mostly black matt pages displaying typically well-handled, sometimes fuzzy, amateur family photographs from the past. The layers of memory and nostalgia are underpinned by elements of both belonging as well as displacement, which are eloquently explained in Mercedes Vicente’s essay included in the cover / fold out exhibition brochure which accompanies the book.
The publication is best described by Enjoy: Unfold is an artist book-work that explores what constitutes the public and private self within the context of writing history, with a particular emphasis on the displaced selfembodied by the immigrant. The project is inspired by the Deleuzian concept of ‘the fold’, and like much of Deleuze’s inquiries, it seeks to explore our understanding of subjectivity by proposing the discovery of new ways of folding the world ‘into’ the self. The physical book includes several fold-out images, and is composed of using the family archive, specifically those images of people leaving or arriving set alongside images of the same (or similar) sites where the images took place. These juxtapositions question the nature of both personal and public memory. This project engages at once with the documentary paradigm, but also ‘folds’ in the imaginary to query the currency and construction of multiple and concurrent histories.
Unfold is available from Enjoy Public Art Gallery, the book – $50.00, the Limited edition – $80.00 (with DVD, signed and numbered), the fold out / exhibition brochure – $7.00. Amberleigh Carson
R.I.P. A great British brand
Dr Paynt with thanks to The Harrow Times.
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This year, Winsor & Newton stopped producing its colours at Harrow in the U.K., moving all its production to France and China. This ends a history that began in 1832 with the manufacture of artists’ watercolours which were as English as Queen Victoria, who gave Winsor & Newton a Royal Warrant in 1841. The owners of Winsor & Newton, ColArt, own a number of art material brands, such as Liquitex and Le Franc & Bourgeois, and have cited restrictions in the residential make up of Harrow as the reason to move production to the Le Mans factory, where they produce both Liquitex and Le Franc lines, and to China. Neil Robson, the Managing Director of ColArt said, ‘It is with much regret that we have had to make this decision, but with the global fine art market becoming ever more competitive over the last few years, it is essential we combine colour manufacturing operations to improve the efficiency of our business and ensure its long term sustainability.’ One cannot help but question how this will affect the quality and unique characteristics of watercolours that were once the favourite of Turner, with three ‘competing’ brands being produced
at the same location, and wonder how much ColArt’s obligations to shareholders colours the mixture. Robson comments that Winsor & Newton’s ‘physical location in the heart of a residential area means it cannot absorb the additional capacity required and it has been decided that no other options explored during the consultation process are sustainable.’ However, Harrow Councillor Bill Stephenson disagrees there was consultation about other options: ‘I wrote to ColArt’s chief executive and outlined the council’s desire to sit down and discuss with him any issues ColArt had with the Wealdstone (Harrow) site, in particular the possibility of introducing further shifts … so far I have had no response to my letter. It is not clear what ColArt’s issues are with their present location. We have never had any planning applications from them to use the site at different times nor have there been any complaints to councillors from residents about the site. I am bitterly disappointed by this decision, as must be (180) ColArt employees and I am dismayed that the ColArt bosses have failed to explore all avenues for preserving manufacturing at Wealdstone.’ The more cynical might point instead to London hosting the Olympic Games in 2012 – a large property just 70 minutes by Tube from the heart of the city would be at its lucrative zenith right now. Whatever the reasons, it’s a sad day for the colour industry. R.I.P. the original English watercolours.
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Art and the internet Part two: legal considerations when marketing and promoting in the online environment
constantly becoming more and more concerned about the use of their personal information, as some of the issues confronted by Facebook in recent times have shown. Consequently ensuring people know exactly how any information they submit to you will be used, is not just important to ensure you comply with the Privacy Act, but is also vital ensuring people feel safe and confident in transacting with you via the internet. It is worth noting that these issues in terms of collection and use of personal information apply equally to the physical world as they do to the online world (e.g. the same kinds of issues need to be thought through for anyone who provides you with their name through an exhibition, or any stall you may run to sell your art). However, it is in the online environment with the ease of transfer and use of personal information that these issues become particularly important to keep in mind. When it comes to promoting your artwork online there is another piece of legislation that is particularly important to be aware of. This is the Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act 2007 (‘UEMA’) and this applies to any kind of communication in a digital fashion such as emails, texting and instant messaging. The UEMA was primarily aimed at stopping email SPAM sent within New Zealand and is enforced by the Department of Internal Affairs. Unlike the Privacy Act, it does provide for significant penalties and can be enforced against persistent senders of SPAM. Although to date the UEMA has only been used to target large scale commercial senders of unsolicited emails it is perhaps another reminder of the need to ensure you collect and use appropriately an individual’s contact information. A final point to be aware of when it comes to the internet – you need to remember that different countries will have different laws that govern how and from whom information can be collected and subsequently used. Although compliance with the general legal framework we have for such matters in New Zealand will put you in good standing in most other parts of the world, if there is a particular country (or state within a country) that you wish to particularly target via the internet for marketing and promoting your artwork, it would pay to do some research as to whether any local laws provide any particular considerations you need to be aware of. David McLaughlin is a specialist arts lawyer with Auckland law firm McLaughlin Law (www.mclaughlinlaw.co.nz). He can be contacted by email at david@mclaughlinlaw.co.nz or on 09 363 2038. Disclaimer: This article is intended to provide a general outline of the law on the subject matter. Further professional advice should be sought before any action is taken in relation to the matters described in the article.
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In the last issue of Art All we started looking at ways in which the online environment brings a whole new set of considerations when it comes to rights in your artwork. Having discussed some of the issues around copyright on the internet, as well as a website’s ‘Terms of Use’, in this edition of Art All we’ll be keeping the internet focus but will be looking at some of the legal considerations you need to bear in mind when looking to market and promote your artwork over the internet. The first of these issues relates to the privacy of personal information that people may have made available to you. In New Zealand most privacy related issues are largely covered by the Privacy Act 1993. One of the key aspects of the Privacy Act is that it requires any information which is collected from another person which may personally identify that person to be treated with respect in terms of how that information is used. In this regard, a key principal of the Privacy Act is that information which you collect (e.g. names and email addresses) can only be used for the purposes for which you made known at the time of collection. What this means is if someone has provided you with their name and email address for the purpose of, say, following through with a purchase you had listed on Trade Me, this does not mean you automatically have the right to add this person to your internet database for the purposes of promoting your artwork. Similarly, if you run a business which is in no way connected to your artwork you can’t assume you can use your customer contacts from this business for the purpose of promoting your art. If you work for someone else as an employee or contractor then even greater contractual restrictions outside of the provisions of the Privacy Act in your employment agreement, or contracting agreement, would similarly prevent you from making use of contacts you initially acquire in the course of your job. When you do openly collect information directly from people for the purposes of promoting your artwork online, to avoid any issues that may arise under the Privacy Act it pays to let people know as precisely as possible the full extent of what you would like to do with any information that they may submit to you. This can be achieved by simply having a brief statement on your website setting this out. For example, if they make an enquiry about a particular artwork on your website, an simple yes / no clause, would allow the use of their contact details to keep them informed about other artworks you have for sale from time to time, or any exhibitions you are running or featuring in. If for whatever reason you wanted to pass this information on to a third party (e.g. any gallery or agent you use to help promote your work) then this is the kind of thing you should also be clear about. In practice the Privacy Act does not have significant penalties for breach of its terms, however these days people are
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Regional arts worker Emma Godwin | Director, Arts Agency Aotearoa Ltd. What is your art practice? I’ve just started a new enterprise called Arts Agency Aotearoa Ltd, which promotes and sells the exceptional works of local and national artists via a website, a studio, an executive in-home service, a wedding registry and special events.
What is your day job?
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As well as running the agency, I work as a reporter for the local papers – this provides me with a great range of contacts for the business.
What is unique in your area? The Hokianga, it’s unlike anywhere else in New Zealand and there are some amazing artists here, such as Liz McAulifffe and Beverley Cox.
The launch of Arts Agency Aotearoa: Emma Godwin with artist Lester Hall (left) and friend Buck Jones (right).
Local favourite artist? I’m not allowed to have favourites but a new interest of mine is glass art, which I am just learning myself, and I represent a great Northland glass artist called Donna Feary who is an inspiration.
my studio in Kerikeri and I will be hosting a Queen’s Birthday High Tea with the artists on Sunday, June 5.
What are you working on now?
What can’t you do without?
I’ve got a show coming up that exhibited at Village Arts in Kohukohu earlier this year called Objects of Desire. It’s a group show of Hokianga artists that will run from June 4 to June 25 in
A beautiful painting by my good friend Charlotte Goodman whose work is reminiscent of Shaun Tan’s. I’m a nomad but the painting is always up on the wall no matter where I am.
Bill Cooke Art after Christchurch
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The earthquake disaster in Christchurch has been a massive wake-up call for us all. We’ve heard lots of comment from survivors about getting a new understanding of what really matters, how precious life is, and all the rest of it. It’s even been described, by the prime minister, as New Zealand’s darkest day. While one can sympathise with Mr Key’s motives for making such a claim, it’s not strictly accurate. A brief look back through the country’s history throws up some days no less dark than February 22 2011. Here are the worst of them, in descending order. December 24, 1953, Tangiwai rail crash, 151 killed. February 22, 2011, Christchurch earthquake, 181 killed (at time of writing). February 7, 1863, sinking of the Orpheus, 189 drowned. February 3, 1931, Napier earthquake, 256 killed. November 28, 1979, Erebus plane crash, 257 killed. October 4, 1917, NZ attack at Passchendaele, 320 killed. October 12, 1917, second NZ attack at Passchendaele, 845 killed. So, on a crude scale of lives lost, the Christchurch earthquake may not be the darkest day in the country’s history, as has been claimed, but it’s up there. But if we turn to the financial cost, Christchurch will easily tip the scale as by far the most expensive of any disaster to affect New Zealand. And since then we’ve had the even more horrific earthquake in Japan to bring home the trans-national quality of human suffering. Another thing struck me when contemplating this brief list of death and suffering. I couldn’t think of an artwork that immediately came to mind when I thought of any of these awful days. Where is the work of art that is engraved on the national consciousness and which recalls any of these dark days? There aren’t any. That’s not to say there aren’t works of art exploring elements of those days. But none of them spring to mind immediately. None of them, to repeat my earlier phrase, are engraved on the national consciousness. When one thinks of the bombing of Guernica, to take the easiest example, one immediately thinks of Picasso’s painting by that name. Now, decades after the town has been rebuilt and the war that was the occasion for the outrage has been forgotten, Guernica lives on as a reminder and a warning.
So why this lack in New Zealand? Why are we apparently unmoved to give visual expression to these grim days in our history? Notice I’ve used the phrase ‘give visual expression’ rather than simply ‘record’. I’m not pleading for a socialistrealist style record of events. We’ve got books to record the events, pretty good one in most cases. Neither am I saying that artists have not responded to the tragedy. On the contrary, many have taken part in fund-raising activities and given their time openly and generously. There are some good reasons why this large gap in our art stock exists. Part of the reason is the concern artists have to avoid producing some dry narrative or memorial that will fade as memory of the disaster fades. There is also the related concern – a legitimate one – of the difficulty in avoiding a moralising tone in art of this sort. Art of this sort is what the Australian philosopher John Passmore called telic art, or art that seeks to persuade the viewer to some point of view. Religious art and socialist realism is usually telic art in this sense. And the problem with telic art is that its propaganda value almost always subverts its art value.
hink of Oliver Stone’s dreadful film T on September 11 as an example of what could go wrong. Any of the disasters listed above, Christchurch included, touch on big themes and so require proper treatment. Then there’s the risk of producing art so soon after a catastrophe that it can be seen as a cheap means by which to profit from the suffering of others. This is especially problematic if the work fails to memorialise the event satisfactorily and succeeds only in giving offence or being dismissed as bad taste or worse. Think of Oliver Stone’s dreadful film on September 11 as an example of what could go wrong. Any of the disasters listed above, Christchurch included, touch on big themes and so require proper treatment. And if one is not going to pay homage to the disaster in the form of unambiguously telic art, what art form would successfully convey the sense of loss, of helplessness, of reorientation of values, which events of this magnitude bring forth? And then, even were the art form to be decided upon, what would one actually say? So, there are lots of good reasons to steer well clear. But,
image of the Christchurch cathedral with proceeds going to disaster relief. Odd as it may appear, I’m happy to see him addressing the question in an art context, the money going to Canterbury is just an added extra. hat Christchurch, Japan and the W other calamities of the moment, natural and man-made, are showing us, is the fragility of our lives. What Christchurch, Japan and the other calamities of the moment, natural and man-made, are showing us, is the fragility of our lives. The twenty-first century is revealing to us, whether in the form of terrorism, fundamentalism, climate change or the fragility of technological societies in the face of the power of nature, that we can’t afford to take things for granted any more. And it’s a matter of pressing importance that our artists help us come to terms with this unpleasant new reality. Bill Hammond and Brad Novak are doing this. I look forward to others following their lead.
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difficulties notwithstanding, this seems unsatisfactory. One person who did traverse this difficult area, and who we could turn back to for guidance, was Peter McIntyre, the country’s official artist during the Second World War. McIntyre left a valuable record of New Zealand’s soldiers’ experiences through the course of that war. Wounded at Cassino (1944), for example, works really well as a painting and, incidentally, as a reminder of what people endured then. It depicts, from behind, two men stumbling over the rubble of destroyed buildings. The soldier on the right is shouldering the weight of his wounded comrade, but really the two are relying on each other to get to safety. The image we saw of Daniel Rockhouse helping his friend out of the Pike River mine up-dates that primal scene of one person helping another. Another McIntyre work, Journey’s End (El Alamein) (1943) depicts a bombed-out jeep in the Western Desert, with a man’s boot a few feet away. We’re left with a strong sense of the ones who didn’t get away. McIntyre’s work succeeds as art as well as an historical record, and thus escapes the telic art trap. But Passchendaele, of course, was during a different war. More New Zealand soldiers died on the Western Front than died in all other military combat the country has been involved in put together. And yet the appalling drain of New Zealand lives on the Western Front has largely been forgotten. We remember Gallipoli, as we should, but not the Western Front. It seems wrong, or at least unfortunate, that our historical memory is so selective. And when we think of the terrible battles of the 1914 – 1918 war, we usually think first of the war poets. And if we think of Erebus, once again, it is the poets who have led the way in giving expression to our response. So, in spite of all the legitimate concerns, the all-too-real difficulties of giving visual expression to our loss, who is going to step up and take this project on? Who can put aside the trivial juxtapositions and poses of so much contemporary art and look further afield? Surely, a tragedy on the scale of Christchurch, not to mention Japan, should help put our little forays into identity or the gaze, or other unimportant issues, into some proper perspective? One person not afraid to venture here is Bill Hammond, whose work Wishboneash: Urns and Burners, arose as a response to the September earthquake and was completed on February 22, the day of the second earthquake. Then there is Brad Novak, whose silk screens Hope for Canterbury reproduce, Warhol-like, an
Postcard from Seville Feria
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I really can’t recommend Christian Dior red nail polish enough. It’s lasting pretty well, though requiring a second coat after a few hours of painting and clanging things and digging for old tubes of paint. I try to be more careful. I try to clean the pots without touching anything with them. Just want them to last a little longer. It’s my birthday and you shouldn’t really have to clean pots on your birthday. To celebrate the reign of red nail polish, I watched the entire 1984 mini series of Lace on Sunday morning, while everyone else was asleep (‘Incidentally, which one of you bitches is my mother?’). Fantastic. Glorious. Wouldn’t recommend Lace II though. So, why the red nail polish? Well, because the La Feria de Sevilla took place last week, and you can’t wear a flouncy, polka dot dress with frills on the sleeves so wide you have to have your hands permanently on your hip, without serious nail polish. It goes with the oversized hoop earrings and massive red rose in your hair. Why else would I be wearing it? And come to think of it, where else would I be wearing such a get up? At the A&P show? Not bloody likely. Actually, Feria is more like the A&P show than you would imagine. I adored the A&P Show. I used to get entry tickets from granddad, A&P Show member and sheep judge (naturally). I’d agree to meet up with friends and wander around in a group of giggling girls, eating deep fried sausages, looking at which rides to go on and which boys were there.
Feria has its roots in the annual sale of cattle and horses, mixed in with socialising and spring festivals that date back thousands of years. Everyone would set up tents, talk shop and drink Manzanilla, a very dry white sherry and acquired taste. The ladies decked themselves out in their best dresses, no two were the same with embroidered shawls, frills, tassels, hair combs, flowers and lace. Spain’s finest equine culture would be on display in the city and the bull fighters would torear in the Maestranza. Fairground attractions and even a circus set up on the edge of the city and the party would go on 24 hours a day for a week. The only thing that has changed is that the sale has gone. The party remains. Seville forgets its economic woes for a week. The lights go on, the dresses come out and music starts. And there are serious economic woes. Unemployment is now 21 percent of the working population. The local Andalusian government can’t pay its bills and the banks won’t loan them money. Now that can’t be good. There will be an election next year and regardless of the outcome, life in Spain is set to get a lot harder. If tougher economic measures don’t come in soon, the country will go down the tubes. Ah, but forget the woes, distract yourself! You should have seen me. It’s a rite of passage to get your first flamenco dress. The day Clara and I got dressed up, the three of us went to visit La Tata, Javier’s old nanny. She is too old to go to Feria, so we popped in to her house.
‘Ah Emma, ya no eres de por allí, no eres de por allí.’ Emma, you’re no longer from there, you’re not from there. Well, not entirely Tata. I had the pleasure of a visit from an old friend just a couple of weeks ago. While she finally got to see my Andalusian world, I relished long talks about another place. She brought wetlands, and rivers. I smelt the salt and walked on grass. I went to inspect some cows. I felt the rain, the cold easterly wind on my face and saw it shape the trees leaning into the coastal hills. Then as soon as she arrived, we were hugging each other goodbye at the airport, Clara grinning at her Auntie Huhana.
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‘ You should hug people for at least eight seconds to get the full effect’, she said. I could hang on much longer than that my friend. Haere ra e hoa. Back out in the Andaluz light, in another time and place, I climb up with some kids onto a horse drawn cart to go to Feria. A tourist asks to take photos of us. I think of many years ago, when, as a tourist, I took photos of people doing exactly this, never realising that I would be sitting here many years later with my Spanish nephew on my lap. Emma you’re no longer from there. Little does Tata know that while the outside may be covered in polka dots and red nail polish, my pounamu, my ahi kaa is ablaze on the inside.
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