GOW LANGSFORD GALLERY • Early Days at Gow Langsford Jill Trevelyan
• Let Art and the World Flourish Julian McKinnon
30
YEARS
• 1987 - 2017 A Celebration
GOW LANGSFORD GALLERY
30 YEARS
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Contents August 2017
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Introduction
Gow Langsford Gallery was established by John Gow and Gary Langsford in 1987. This year marks 30 years in business, an achievement to be celebrated. The purpose of this newspaper is to highlight recent projects and events by Gow Langsford Gallery’s represented artists, and to reflect upon the gallery’s 30-year history. Its production coincides with the exhibition 30 Years which runs from Wednesday the 23rd of August – 16th of September.
30 Years Later
John Gow reflects on 30 years as director of Gow Langsford Gallery
Image, left to right: Gary Langsford, Anna Jackson, John Gow
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Current
Gallery artists on the local and international stage
Image: Gregor Kregar, Perun Cloud, 2017, stainless steel and cold cathode lights, 6000 x 5000 x 1500mm
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Shaky Beginnings: Early days at Gow Langsford Jill Trevelyan
Image, left to right: Gary Langsford, John Gow. Source: Southern Skies, October 1987. Photography by Sally Tagg
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Let Art and the World Flourish
Julian McKinnon
Image: Hugo Koha Lindsay, Forensic Cue 1 (detail), 2017, graphite compound and acrylic on canvas,1500 x 1200mm
Note from the Director Anna Jackson
It’s hard to imagine that, as an undergraduate, having started at the Gallery as Registrar in the early 2000s, I would still be here some 15 years later. Granted there has been a hiatus or two along the way but now, as the Gallery celebrates 30 years, I am suddenly surprised that I too can contribute to the telling of its history. What strikes me most when thinking about the 30 years is the commitment that people have made to our shared vision – namely to providing a platform for New Zealand audiences to engage with contemporary art. For the artists, it is a dedication to their practices. In spite of the challenges the ‘life of an artist’ presents, they are fundamentally committed to their creative output and are active participants in the discourse of New Zealand art. Some may say that this life chose them but I know well the energy, focus and determination needed to become an established artist. I admire their tenacity in choosing an unpredictable and at times uneasy career path, and I am rewarded with the relationships that have developed over the years of working together. Gary and John have always been passionate advocates for the arts and committed to the artists we represent. Over the past three decades they have pioneered the changing landscape of the New Zealand art scene and, while primarily focussed on Australasian work, the pair has enthusiastically sought to introduce local audiences to international art. Their high standards are reflected in the caliber of artists and artworks exhibited, and in the ambitious projects they have undertaken along the way. Although, for me, the partnership between artists and Gallery is foremost the key to its successes, there is also, of course, the role of our clients in achieving these. From collectors who have supported the Gallery since the very beginning to others who are at the start of their art collecting journey, they all enable us to continue to exceed our expectations in the results we deliver. At 30 years there are no signs of slowing down. As some artists (and Directors!) edge toward retirement, the Gallery rejuvenates itself with new a generation of artists and staff.
Note from the Director Gary Langsford
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The Exhibition
The lastest work from represented artists, 23rd August - 16th September 2017 across both Gow Langsford Gallery Lorne Street and Kitchener Street
Image: Michael Hight, Aruhoe (detail), 2017, oil on canvas, 1200 x 1530mm
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30 Years in Review T.J. McNamara
Image: Gary Langsford and John Gow, 1998 with Pablo Picasso, Femme Nue avec Tête d’Homme, 1967
On the cover: Judy Millar Rock Drop (installation in progress), 2017 wood, digital print on vinyl, synthetic rope Commissioned by Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, 2017 Purchased with support from Auckland Contemporary Arts Trust, Auckland City Sculpture Trust and the Auckland Art Gallery Foundation Annual Appeal 2017 Photography by Jennifer French
Credits Text key: GM- Gemma Mansell, CT - Cass Thompson, HV Hannah Valentine Design: Hannah Valentine for Gow Langsford Gallery Printed by Print Consultants LTD We have attempted to list all photo sources where possible and apologize for any that have not been listed. Copyright © All authors and artists, 2017 All rights reserved
As is usually the case I am the last person to write my contribution to a Gow Langsford Gallery publication. As you will read, many of the contributors to this celebratory publication have more than adequately covered the gallery's history so there is no need for me reiterate that here. I have just spent a week in Florence, one of the great art capitals of the world, and what a wonderful experience it was. It brought back memories of all those hours of art history study that began when art history was first introduced to the secondary school curriculum in 1969, and the years that followed at Auckland university where I completed my fine arts degree. As Anna rightfully pointed out I should be thinking about retirement. However one only retires from a 'job' and what I do is not a job. Being involved in the art world in any capacity, be it artist, collector, dealer, curator or writer, is not a job! It becomes who you are - it defines you. You are what you do. From the moment I began looking at those masterpieces from the Renaissance to my obsession with minimalist sculpture I was hooked, an addict destined to be submerged in the visual arts for a lifetime. I initially thought I would be a sculptor but the realities of 'making a living' ultimately saw me become a dealer, and what a fabulous career choice it turned out to be. John and I have a very unique partnership. This partnership has endured because we are very different people with very different skills. It has taken these two skill sets to make Gow Langsford Gallery the business it is today. Recently Anna Jackson has become a director of the gallery and she also brings to it her unique vision. After thirty years the gallery business is as exciting as it was the day we opened in August 1987. I wish to acknowledge and thank our artists, for without them there is no gallery: our dedicated and talented staff, our committed and supportive collectors and, most importantly, John Gow for indulging my lofty aspirations and my obsession for buying warehouses!
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30 Years Later, Business as Usual John Gow reflects on 30 years as Gallery Director
Image, left to right: Gary Langsford, Anna Jackson and John Gow in front of Gordon Walters, Untitled, 1994. Photography by Tobias Kraus I consider myself very lucky. I love coming to work every day. I deal with some of the most precious taonga made by artists since our islands were inhabited. I work with our country’s best art practitioners on a daily basis, and I am surrounded by a very supportive family and extremely talented staff. I get to meet a diverse range of interesting people, from our collectors and clients, through to museum directors and curators, not to mention the many industry-related people integral to keeping ‘the art business’ functioning behind the scenes. Yes, I am indeed blessed. The 9th of August 2017 marks 30 years since the opening of our first exhibition at our newly converted petrol station in Richmond Road, Grey Lynn. Gary Langsford had been a client of John Leech Gallery (where I worked with my parents) and one night ‘out’ we hatched the idea of forming
“I consider myself very lucky. I love coming to work every day. I deal with some of the most precious taonga made by artists since our islands were inhabited.” a new contemporary gallery. In the haze of the following morning I thought that it was an interesting conversation, and I could see the merits of opening such a space, but work and life took over and I did not give it a lot more thought. To my surprise, six weeks later I got a call from Gary saying he had found the perfect space… the rest, as they say, is history. When I think back to my beginnings in the art world some 35 years ago, I marvel at how much has changed. Sitting here in front of this computer was not an option, let alone the plethora of other technology we now have. I can clearly recall the first fax we ever had. In the office at Gow Langsford we would send out images to clients via fax. We thought we were terribly hi-tech. This was followed closely by
“the fundamental principle remains: we rely on the extraordinary work of our artists to capture the imagination of our collectors, and artworks change hands due to the passion of all those involved.” the mobile phone. Gary had the classic ‘brick,’ while I opted for a phone in my car. To send an image to London took at least a week. A transparency required a photographer, which would then be taken to a lab to be developed. A letter would be written containing the work details, and then Fed-ex or DHL would be summoned to courier the parcel to the other side of the world. We now work in a world where one keeps track of ‘likes’ and ‘followers’ and where a client can know as much about your stock room as you do through the gallery’s website. People email from all parts of our country, and indeed the world, enquiring about artworks online. People of ‘our’ generation have had to learn and adapt as our business model twists and turns to the whims of technology. Despite this, the fundamental principle remains: we rely on the extraordinary work of our artists to capture the imagination of our collectors, and artworks change hands due to the passion of all those involved. Our stable of artists is the very foundation that our business has been built upon. There are artists such as Judy Millar, Dick Frizzell and Michael Hight who have been with us through the entire 30 years, and there are many who exceed 20 years of regular exhibiting. We have watched them develop and change, grow in stature and importance, and unfortunately, as is the nature of the art world, we have watched some leave our stable to continue on their separate paths. We have celebrated highlights: Max Gimblett being curated into an exhibition at the Guggenheim, New York (The Third Mind: American Artists Contemplate Asia, 1860 to 1989); Judy Millar representing New Zealand at the 2009 Venice Biennale; being at the opening of the New Zealand War Memorial, Hyde Park Corner, London, 2006, and watching
Paul and Fran Dibble being greeted by the Queen. There are many such highlights, too many to mention but all equally gratifying. Gow Langsford Gallery has travelled the world with art fairs in Germany, Japan, America and Australia. Our artists have exhibited everywhere from Easter Island to Venice, Eastern Southland Gallery, Gore, to the Guggenheim, New York. Gary travels extensively, which has led to exhibitions by artists such as Pablo Picasso (1998) at our Kitchener Street Gallery, and to representing international names such as Tony Cragg and Bernar Venet. Our international programme has brought many fine works to New Zealand, to sit beside or contextualise New Zealand artists’ practices. As I write we are exhibiting a sculptural work by Ugo Rondinone, which many people have come to admire due to their knowledge of the artist’s work in the Nevada desert just out of Las Vegas. The logistics of bringing some of these works to our shores are mind-boggling, and the economic model is often questionable, but Gary and I have rarely shied away from these challenges. It is this very attitude that has allowed our business partnership to endure the last three decades. The challenges have been many and varied, the first being the share-market collapse in October of 1987. This came not two months from our opening day, which impacted upon every aspect of New Zealand life, the art market being no exception. We have carried a vision of professionalism, of concentrating on being located in New Zealand but trading globally, and of providing the best platform for our artists to be presented within. Integral to this is the many staff who have helped us achieve our goals. I thank you all, and in particular, our current team who work incredibly hard and put up with the eccentricities that age brings to the founding directors. I take this opportunity to welcome Anna Jackson as a fellow Director of Gow Langsford Gallery, a thoroughly professional and talented individual to become a Director of the company. In closing I would like to thank Gary for a great 30 years. Despite the odd speed bump, and the very occasional disagreement, it has been a pleasure to be your business partner and achieve what we have together. I am proud to stand back and look at the success of our business, and the place it holds within the story of New Zealand art history.
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GOW LANGSFORD GALLERY
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Current
Spotlighting recent local and international projects
Magma Now an Instagram-famous wall and the backdrop of a multitude of wedding photo shoots, Sara Hughes’s Magma has transformed a 512 square-metre water tank in the central city of Auckland into a vibrant public mural. Situated on the corner of Symonds St and Mount Eden Road, the site of Watercare Khyber Pass reservoir, it was the perfect canvas for Hughes’ latest creation. Inspired by the surrounding volcanic landscape of Auckland, Hughes used over 300 litres of paint in vibrant hues of pink, purple, red, yellow and orange to represent the geological climate. Hughes commented: "I consider the work a 'volcanic scape', it is abstract in form yet
"I consider the work a 'volcanic scape', it is abstract in form yet is influenced by the history and geography of the area.” is influenced by the history and geography of the area. The real feature of the wall for me was its extremely rough surface, I have used this surface as a feature of the work applying the spray paint to create many veiled layers of paint to build up a rich surface (you only see this close up)” The Uptown Business Association commissioned and funded the project, along with aid from Resene, O’Neil Professionals, Pacific Environment Architects, and Gow Langsford Gallery, the project was completed over the space of a month with help from recent art school graduates. This visual feast is a long-term installation and is set to be on the reservoir for five to ten years. CT
FEATURED Sara Hughes Magma, 2017 300L of paint 512 sqm metres, Watercare Watertank, corner of Symonds Street and Mt Eden Rd. Commissioned by Uptown Business Association. Sponsored by Resene Photography by Tobias Kraus
Lines in Action
Simon Ingram collaborates with Anna-Maria Bogner at Basement, Vienna Whilst exhibiting a new body of works for the solo exhibition Digital Plastique at Gow Langsford Gallery, Simon Ingram was busy with another exhibition in Austria. In cooperation with Austrian artist Anna-Maria Bogner, Lines was exhibited at Basement Wien, Vienna from 9 -25 June 2017. Bogner and Ingram’s works were fused together in symbiosis, with similar themes and underlying catalysts informing their works. Bogner works within minimalist methodology and drawing is a large part of her practice. She creates a dialogue about space, how it is perceived and how we, as viewers, interact with space. For this collaboration, Ingram employed one of his robotic painting machines and responded to Bogner’s compositions, directly painting on them, in and out of the boundaries of each composition. The contrast of Bogner’s light, delicately drawn line was compared with Ingram’s thick, vibrant strokes of bright paint and the space of the drawing was both described and upended. CT
FEATURED Simon Ingram Lines, 2017 Collaboration with artist Anna-Maria Bogner, installation views of work in progress. Photography by Manuel Carreon Lopez
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Illuminating Public Space
Gregor Kregar reveals two major outdoor commissions, one in Christchurch the other in Melbourne
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Gemma Mansell talks to Gregor Kregar about the work, sites and logistics. Both works seem to be suspended in the air and appear to be floating – how did you find the logistics of installing a work like this and did you run into any problems? These structures allude to ideas of utopian flying machines and natural cloud formations. I like the idea of bringing clouds down to the ground to become the focus of our attention. It is usually a bit tricky to install large-scale pieces in the air as they are always unique and you can’t plan everything. The hanging work in Christchurch was especially difficult as it is suspended on an angle between tall (20m) and lower (6m) buildings and it has 30 custom-made neons wrapped around it. You are dealing with industrial-scale metal object on one side and fragile neon glass on other. How much did you find you had to adapt your original ideas for the sculptures to the requirements of the space? Did it limit or help you to think about them differently? Both pieces were specifically designed for these locations. We were discussing the specifics of the sites long before I started the production and I could plan well ahead. I find this way to be the best approach in terms of permanent public works. It was also very good to have the complete trust and support from the client and the freedom to do what I wanted. Can you tell me about the specific sites of the sculptures? How did you go about ensuring the works were relevant for the locations? Both sites are not exactly typical sites for sculpture. The Melbourne site is a large wall positioned in the dark urban laneway and the Christchurch site is in the laneway between
Golden Monkey Climbs to Great Heights Lisa Roet works with inflatibles across China
To coincide with the 2016 Chinese Zodiac Year of The Monkey, Beijing Design Week 2016 and China's Golden Week, Australian artist Lisa Roet installed an impressive 14m tall inflated Golden Sneezing Snub-nosed Monkey aloft The Opposite House Hotel in Taikoo Li Sanlitun shopping hub in the Chaoyang District, Beijing. The exhibition ran from 22 September to 31 October 2016. This work is the second inflatable by Roet, after her success with the 10m tall monkey installed on the side of The Melbourne Town Hall as part of Melbourne’s White Night Festival. The Golden Sneezing Snub-nosed Monkey is made from a specially designed golden metallic expandable material. The work engages with a number of environmental concerns, as the sneezing snubnosed monkey was only discovered in 2010 and is critically endangered, with the species found only in Southern China and in northern parts of Vietnam and Myanmar. Along with the sculpture, a soundtrack of field recordings of their distinct sneezing sounds was played. Roet’s artistic practice is particularly concerned with the connections between humans and primates; this installation engages a conversation concerning the contrasts of our urban and natural environments, and issues of global warming and sustainability. CT FEATURED Golden sneezing Snub-Nose Monkey, 2016 The Opposite House, Beijing Right: Golden Monkey, 2016 Chengdu, Chinahina
two office buildings. I am interested in the idea of how sculpture can transform the space and create an experience for someone walking through. I try to formally and conceptually respond to architecture and the specific use of space. It is my aim that the works invite/draw the visitor into the laneway and to add a new dimension to the buildings. The work responds and changes due to the changing natural and artificial lighting conditions of the space. My intention is that the viewer forever finds new ways of looking at the work and that the sculptures create an interactive experience for the viewer with the constant change of reflections and colours on the surface of the works. The lighting in the works adds an interesting dimension to the shapes and would be particularly striking at night - how does the feeling of the work change from day to night and is this something you considered? For both works I was using mirror-polished stainless steel which reflects almost 100% of light. In other words it always responds to the lighting conditions of the site. I like how the experience of sculpture can completely change during the night or day. During the day the natural light creates an ever-changing series of delicate reflections and fragmentations of light that moves across the surface of the work as well as reflecting onto the surrounding area. At night the reflection of neon light almost breaks the perspective and confuses the experience of the overall shape. FEATURED Gregor Kregar Top left: Perun Cloud, 2017 stainless steel and cold cathode lights 6000 x 5000 x 1500mm 35 Spring Street, Melbourne, Australia. Image courtesy of the artist
Below and opposite: Paradox Void, 2017 6000 x 5000 x 3000mm stainless steel and custom made neon 123 Victoria Street, Christchurch Images courtesy of the artist
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Crossing Paths with Art A mighty gift to the University of Otago Pathways by Paul Dibble was unveiled in November 2016, a major new commission gifted to the University of Otago by the Stuart Residence Hall’s Council in celebration of their 75th Anniversary. The work consists of five larger-than-life geometric figures, placed around a cross referencing Saint Andrew’s Cross, the national emblem of Scotland. Scottish and Celtic elements reflect the Stuart Residence Hall council’s make-up, and are combined with local flora and fauna. The figures are set into a busy pedestrian area, which was key to both artist and the University as a wide range of people will interact with the works on a daily basis. The reduced, geometric forms of each figure take inspiration from constructivists of the 1920s, in particular Alexander Archipenko, Ossip Zadkine and Jean Arp. Dibble has worked with geometric figures for over 20 years, in which time they have taken on a language of mass and movement that is uniquely his own. He comments, “By reducing the forms, it gives them a strong sense of gesture and humanism. They reflect early works by the Cubist constructivists almost 100 years ago. This came about because of the huge social and technological changes taking place at this time. Our own time definitely has a parallel with this.” The gift contributes to the University’s aim to provide an outstanding campus environment, with what they expect will become an iconic work. HV FEATURED Pathways, 2017 cast bronze Junction of Union Walk and Castle Walk, between the union lawn and Clocktower Building, University of Otago, Dunedin Photography by Sharron Bennett
'The Greatest' in Graphite Martin Ball selected for the Parkin Drawing Prize, fifth year in a row Since the inaugural Parkin Drawing Prize in 2013, Martin Ball has been selected as a finalist every year. This year he was nominated for the work Ali-Clay (2016), a drawing which is part of an ongoing series focusing on famous individuals including John Lennon and Robert Mapplethorpe. Inspired by a photograph of a sweaty and bruised Muhammad Ali, the drawing captures a moment in the ring where Ali looks up for a fleeting second. Ball selected the source material for AliClay from research into a variety of print media surrounding the boxer’s life, spanning multiple decades. Inspired by his political activism and humanitarian pursuits outside the ring, Ball portrays the multi-faceted Ali through a complex, labour intensive drawing of layered graphite on paper. Ali-
Clay is a poignant image, completed before Ali’s death in June 2016 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. Valued at $20,000, the Parkin Prize is New Zealand’s premier art award for drawing. Operating in association with The Academy of Fine Arts, the award will be judged before a select panel at their central Wellington building. GM FEATURED Martin Ball Ali-Clay, 2016 graphite on paper 325 x 475mm
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GOW LANGSFORD GALLERY
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Toward an Independant Artwork
Dale Frank on the nature of painting In January 2017 Dale Frank presented his first solo exhibition with Pearl Lam Galleries in Hong Kong. The exhibition, held at the Pedder Building, comprised of sixteen paintings completed in 2016. We ask Dale Frank to discuss his ideas on painting. From the very beginning, my work has been premised on the notion that the art produced is independent of myself. I longed for the day a painting might get up and walk out of the studio while I wasn’t looking. The moment the artist turns or disappears, the works exist independently. The object becomes more than a sum of the parts that you have formally constructed. It has prejudices. It has a life and lifespan all its own. It has a message. It represents a kind of opinion. That’s how most of the world operates—there are biases and sides. Painting should formally create a kind of schizophrenia among the mediums and aesthetics, an “abstract conceptual schizophrenia” of sorts. Painting doesn’t have to speak. Art can operate under more than one principle. It can catch, hold, and contain an idea, but it doesn’t have to communicate it. It can also operate formally. Painting addresses both its material qualities as well as its own symbolic formal language, and in order for the conceptual potential to be activated, a painting must produce its own justification by means of formal self-scrutiny and the creation of contextual relations to other mediums and conceptual practices; it must be judged in relation to conceptual practices in other media, and in turn it must “hold its own” in this comparison. The meaning of painting (like that of an ironic remark) is not transparent, but latent. Painting today understands painting not as a singular event with validity, but as a strategic intervention with a situational meaning. The medium of painting is by nature “conceptual”, and its conceptuality is produced by way of positioning itself within a particular set of external references. When people write or talk about what an artist produces, there is a tendency to mine their own influences and their own background to provide theories on the concepts and metaphors for the forms. There’s verbiage, which arises from an anxiety about wanting to say something meaningful or different about the practice before them. The thing is, I’m sure that nothing really needs to be added. Paintings tend to be more interested in pointing out how they exist, act, and “live” beyond the realm of human perception, a paradox of sorts given the contrived nature of artworks. FEATURED Dale Frank, His homeless eyes left you legless, 2016 colour resin in liquid glass on Perspex, 2000 x 1600mm Image courtesy of Pearl Lam Galleries, Hong Kong
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Art with a View Headland Sculpture on the Gulf 2017 Every two years Waiheke Island becomes the location for Headland Sculpture on the Gulf, with an extensive programme of sculpture and installation by local and international artists that draws crowds of thousands over its three-week duration. Gow Langsford Gallery artists Paul Dibble, Gregor Kregar, and David McCracken each contributed works this year, and the Gallery exhibited a significant work by American kinetic sculptor George Rickey. As visitors exited the ferry, they were greeted by Gregor Kregar’s Glass Room (2016), an illuminating circular space made from Kregar’s distinct glass bricks and recycled timber flooring. Sections of the bricks were filled with neon rods which illuminated the sculpture from within and visitors were encouraged to walk through and interact with the space. Paul Dibble, known for his use of native New Zealand bird imagery in corten steel and cast bronze, exhibited a large scale work, Fantail on Ring (2012), which looked out across the water from a high point on the track. David McCracken’s Tokamak (2016), leaning against the side of a cliff on the water’s edge, playfully appeared as a washed up inflatible despite being constructed out of stainless steel. George Rickey’s Three Squares Gyratory, Variation 2 (1971), situated close to the main pavilion, was animated and oscillating within view of dining and observing visitors. The artist’s ongoing interest in engineering and mechanics has seen him emerge as the foremost kinetic sculptor of all time. Three FEATURED 1. David McCracken Tokamak, 2016 stainless steel and industrial coating 2200mm D x 750mm 2.Gregor Kregar Glass Room, 2017 cast glass and Neon lights 6500 x 6500 x 3000mm
Squares Gyratory, Variation 2, much like Double L Excentric Gyratory (1985), currently on display in the surrounding landscaped terrace of the Auckland Art Gallery, moves with the breeze and requires no power or motors to move the sculpture’s constituent parts. CT
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3. Paul Dibble Fantail on Corten Ring, 2012 bronze and Corten steel 2930 x 1500 x 1400mm 4. George Rickey Three Squares Gyratory, Variation 2, 1971 edition 3 of 3 stainless steel 175 x 150 x 150 inches / 4445 x 3810 x 3810 mm
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Christchuch Strong on Public Art
BNZ Acquires First Works in 29 Years In 2016 The Bank of New Zealand acquired three of Darryn George’s works - Schedule #2, #3 and #4 breaking the bank’s 29-year hiatus in collecting. Prior to this period BNZ amassed a substantial collection. The artworks were purchased to celebrate BNZ’s return to the BNZ Centre in central Christchurch after the February 2011 earthquakes. The three works embody George’s signature, linear style, and are part of a series completed with automotive paint on melamine board. The materials utilised by George give the works an industrial feel, through glossy sheens and highly reflective finishes. The viewer is encouraged to read between the lines to uncover narratives that reflect George’s Nga Puhi heritage, Christian faith and local history. During the months from September 2016 to February 2017, Darryn George’s work Atua (Psalm 22) (2012) was exhibited in Kōwhaiwhai at Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu
alongside Shane Cotton, Gordon Walters, Michael Parekowhai and Buck Nin. The group show connected artists who employ forms found within the wharenui. The oil on canvas work Atua (Psalm 22) with its repeated letter structures and tessellated shapes, resembles a woven mat compiled of grid-like sections. The stitching together of contrasting text integrates aspects of both Maori and Christian belief systems. The merging of these two cultural ideologies and their relationship with each other is a concept George continues to investigate and showcase. Following the success of Kowhaiwhai, Darryn George exhibited at SOFA, the School of Fine Arts Gallery at Ilam Campus in Christchurch earlier this year. The show had a special significance for George who had attended that very art school 24 years before. Equally, the show had a profound resonance for the Christchurch public. Entitled Prayers and Progress, the works included in the
Christchurch has always been a strong advocate for public art and in recent years SCAPE Public Art has been at the forefront of bringing installation and public art to the masses. Originally biennial, the now annual six-week season sees art installed across the city from predominately New Zealand artists. David McCracken is a usual
exhibition were specifically borne out of George’s experiences of the Christchurch earthquakes of 2010-2011, and the devastation caused. More importantly however, it drew directly on the experiences of people coming together in the face of hardship and presenting a united front despite the sombre circumstances. Darryn George’s work continues to offer solace for his hometown in the recovery process by offering hope and guidance through the spiritual medium of painting. GM FEATURED Front to back: Darryn George Schedule #4, Schedule #2, Schedule #3 All works: 2015, automotive paint on melamine 1200 x 600mm On display at the BNZ Centre, 120 Hereford St, Christchurch Central Image by Simon Baker, Digiflicks
fixture in each new season and contributed a selection of works for the most recent season in October and November 2016. Placed in the historic Christ’s College Quadrangle, McCracken’s Portrait of Mass Ascending (2014), constructed from corten and stainless steel, was part of the curated exhibition element, Presence and marked the final stop as part of the SCAPE Public Art Walkways. Works from his most recent solo exhibition, Plain View held at Gow Langsford Gallery Kitchener St, were scattered around the city. Based on the forms of early aircraft delivered bombs deployed in 1944, the ‘bomb’ sculptures are in the form of playful, aesthetic, inflatable toys that transcend their hard materiality of stainless steel; a stark contrast to the utilitarian objects that they have been derived from. CT FEATURED David McCracken Portrait of Mass Ascending, 2013 fabricated cor-ten and stainless steel 3375 x 515 x 515 mm Photo by Ron Thow, installed on Christ’s College Quad for SCAPE Season 2016, Christchurch
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A Taste of New York Karl Maughan takes hyperreal gardens to The 360 Space Last November, Karl Maughan jetted over to New York with a selection of his vibrant garden paintings in tow, marking the first showing of his works in America. His bold, distinctive garden landscapes adorned the walls at 360 Design Inc. in Soho from 11 – 19 November 2016. The exhibition consisted of eight new paintings, and one earlier work titled Cirl Bunting from 2003. The inclusion of Cirl Bunting created an interesting dialogue around the evolution of Maughan’s techniques. The paintings in the exhibition from 2016 clearly
showcase how Maughan’s recent works have become more abstract through the use of broader brush strokes and a more rhythmical application.CT FEATURED Left: Karl Maughan Installation view, The 360 Space, 104 Charlton St, New York, NY 10014 Below: Karl Maughan in front of Forest Hill, 2016 oil on canvas, 1829 x 2743 mm. The 360 Space, New York
Just Another F***ing Art Gallery
Gow Langsford Gallery returns to Christchurch In the wake of the devastating Earthquakes of 2010/2011 and the continuing aftershocks, the Christchurch art scene was inevitably put on hold. The closure of the Christchurch Art Gallery and a number of prominent galleries around the city meant many were looking for new and more creative ways to exhibit art in the earthquake damaged environment. Gow Langsford Gallery artists Judy Millar, Sara Hughes and Chris Heaphy began this process by creating ambitious large scale public artworks in the Central City. The success of their engaging outdoor installations eventually led to Gow Langsford Gallery taking a large empty space at the Tannery in Woolston in November 2016 with its first pop-up gallery: Just Another F***king Art Gallery. Open for three weeks, ‘JAFA’ showcased a collection of works from Gow Langsford Gallery artists, as well as a selection of international heavyweights such as Damien Hirst, Pablo Picasso and Jeff Koons. Highlights of the New Zealand section of works included Colin McCahon’s The Canoe Mamari, 1969, and Gordon Walters’ Tautahi, 1971. Tautahi has particular ties to Christchurch as it refers to Te Potiki Tautahi who gave his name to Ōtautahi (Christchurch) as one of the first Ngāi Tahu people to settle in the Cantebury region. Encouraged by the response from visitors in 2016, Gow Langsford Gallery returned for a second pop-up exhibition held in the same warehouse space in 2017. A selection of works by painters Antonio Murado and Karl Maughan featured alongside sculptures by Gregor Kregar and Paul Dibble. Karl Maughan’s epic four panel work Salamanca Road, commissioned by the Dowse Art Museum, Wellington in 2014, was the focal point of the exhibition which also included two new paintings
by Maughan. Spanish born Antonio Murado sent four recently painted works directly from his studio in New York, which were greatly admired by visitors to the exhibition. A range of works from Paul Dibble’s latest Geometric Figures series were set on plinths throughout the space and Gregor Kregar’s large stainless steel sculpture Fragmented Echo provided an interesting link to the public works he has in the Christchurch International Airport, and his newly installed works on Victoria Street. CT
FEATURED Above: Invitation by Dick Frizzell for the origional pop-up event in Christchurch, 4-20 November, 2016 Below: Installation view, The Tannery, Christchurch. 7 - 25 June, 2017.
Kehe Tau Hauaga Foou To All New Arrivals Kehe tau hauaga foou (To all new arrivals) (2007), a significant mural sized work by John Pule is currently being exhibited in the Auckland Art Gallery’s exhibition To All New Arrivals. The show, which is part of the wider exhibition New Zealand Art: Opening the Past to the Ever-changing Present | Toi Aotearoa: Mai i Mua ki te Ao Hurihuri is on until Sunday 19 November 2017. This momentous work was gifted to the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki by the Patrons of the Auckland Art Gallery in 2007 Bold oil markings come in stark opposition to the intricate ink and pencil markings that populate the five panels of this work. The contrasting rythyms between mediums mirror the complexities of the narrative running through the painting. As scenes from the New Testament weave into Pacific mythologies, Pule develops an intricate web of symbolism. CT
FEATURED John Pule Kehe tau hauaga foou (To all new arrivals), 2007 enamel, oil, pencil, pastel, oil stick and ink on canvas each panel 2700 x 2000mm, overall 2700 x 10000mm Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, gift of the Patrons of the Auckland Art Gallery, 2007
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Reuben Paterson Wows at the 28th World of Wearable Art Awards In 2016 the 28th World of Wearable Art Awards in Wellington was given a glittering make-over with Gow Langsford Gallery artist Reuben Paterson as part of the creative team. Paterson’s works were used as the main source of inspiration, providing the focal point and backdrop for the inspiring, creative garments that paraded the stage to over 55,000 people during its three-week run in September and October. Paterson’s works in diamond dust and glitter provided the setting for each section of the show with an animatronic tiger, inspired by the painting Estrous (2010), as the show’s narrator, voiced by Jemaine Clement. From one scene to another, Paterson’s works were recongizably brought to life in outstanding scale. The most impressive was an epic recreation of The Golden Bearing, a 4.5 metre gold-glittered tree which was installed in 2014 for six months at Pukekura Park, New Plymouth. Another was an installation of large hanging flowers modelled on those Paterson paints in vibrant and exotic coloured glitter. CT
FEATURED Left: The World Of Wearable Arts stage inspiration from Reuben Paterson’s The Golden Bearing, 2015. Right: Animatronic tiger as narrator at the World Of Wearable Art, 2016, inspired by the work Estrous, 2010. Created by Richard Taylor and the team at WETA, voiced by Jemaine Clement. Photoraphy © World of Wearable Arts.
Sweeping Gestures
Art of Remembrance goes to Te Papa
1 In 2015 ARTTFORM director Paul Baragwanath and artist Max Gimblett developed a project to raise consciousness and funds to save Khyber Pass Road’s St. David’s Memorial Church from the threat of demolition. 10,000 of Gimblett’s hand screenprinted, brass quatrefoils – each the size of a soldier’s hand outstretched – adorned the exterior of the historic church for three months, a visual gesture of peace and remembrance for the close to 100,000 New Zealanders who served in WWI. Each quatrefoil for sale, the project raised $1 million towards the building’s restoration - the largest sum ever fundraised through art in New Zealand. From March to May of 2016 the project was on display at Ngā Toi Arts Te Papa Tongarewa. Kirstie Ross, on Te Papa’s blog, writes of the history of St. David’s church and war remembrance. She states, “In 1920, parishioners decided to replace their current place of worship with a more substantial, ‘soldier’s memorial church’. This was in light of two anonymous donors clearing the mortgage on the existing wooden church and giving monies to start a fund towards this end.” The exhibition titled The Art of Remembrance reflected the significance of the project, a rare moment when thousands of New Zealanders owned a piece of work on display at a national museum. The Art of Remembrance quatrefoils
2 are also on longterm display on Te Pourewa Whakamaharatanga The Tower of Remembrance at Auckland War Memorial Museum. Max Gimblett is a patron of The Friends of St David’s Trust that continues its work to fundraise for the restoration of St David’s and to create The St David’s Centre – a civic destination for Auckland and place of remembrance. HV
www.SaintDavidsFriends.org.nz
FEATURED Max Gimblett 1. The Art of Remembrance screenprint on brass 250 x 250mm 2. Installation view, Ngā Toi, Arts Te Papa, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
Last year Katharina Grosse was commissioned to work with the large face of an interior university building with her sweeping, vivid strokes of spray-painted acrylics. The installation can be found at Washington University in St. Louis, and reaches a monumental 12 x 26 metres. The work features Grosse’s iconic use of colour, with lucid tones overlapping and melting together within her enormous swooping gestures. Integrated into the interior space, the work covers entrance ways and wall cut-outs over the multi-level complex. Grosse showcases the varying approaches to her dynamic spray-gun technique with rough areas that expose the layering of paint on one side juxtaposed against sharp, clean lines on the other. Residing in the Athletics Centre of the University, the work fittingly reflects the physical activity designed to take place in space. The sheer energy and movement of Grosse is embodied in the installation, as one imagines the full-body act involved in creating the gestural work. Since 2016 Grosse has been represented by
Gagosian Gallery, the largest commercial gallery in the world. She opened her debut solo exhibition in Gagosian’s New York 24th Street Gallery in January this year. The exhibition featured a selection of recent paintings on canvas, which continue to push the boundary between dynamic gesture and fluid colour. The exhibition was a promise of big things to come from Grosse, of which she again exceeded expectations. In June of this year, Grosse was involved in the first triennial of the ARoS Aarhus Art Museum, Aarhus, Denmark where she contributed a colossal site-specific installation that stretched along the coast of Aarhus. Titled Asphalt Air and Hair, the spray-painted work cascades down a grassy bank, dips under the road, before emerging on the other side where it reaches out to sea. At an impressive 4000 sq metres, the work is Grosse’s largest to date, and questions the changing relationship between humans and nature. GM
FEATURED Katharina Grosse Asphalt Air and Hair, 2017 Group show: ARoS THE GARDEN – End of Times; Beginning of Times. The Garden - The Future, Aarhus, Denmark, 03.06. 30.07.17. Photography by Nic Tenwiggenhorn Copyright: © Katharina Grosse and VG Bild-Kunst Bonn, 2017 Overleaf: Katharina Grosse Untitled, 2016 acrylic on wall 12 x 26 m Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA. Copyright © Katharina Grosse und VG Bild-Kunst Bonn, 2016
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Looking Forward
After the announcement of representation with Gallery Blain|Southern in London last year, Bernar Venet began preparations for his solo exhibition with the gallery titled Looking Forward 1961-1984. The exhibition (8 June 2017 – 22 July 2017) explored the pivotal influences on Venet’s developing practice as a young French artist living in New York, and how these factors continue to shape his work today. The show was one of two retrospective exhibitions held last year; the second exhibited closer to the artist’s home in France, Bernar Venet: Les Origines 1961-1966 at L'Espace de l'Art Concret. In June last year, Venet exhibited as part of Art Basel in Switzerland. A corten steel work was produced by the artist and located in close proximity to the Rhine in Parcours - an area dedicated specifically to site-specific works. Effondrement: 20 Arcs measured a total of 13 x 11 metres, dwarfing the viewer in its colossal coil of multi-stacked arcs. Venet’s other public installations in 2016
included the installation of Disorder: 9 Uneven Angles in Union Square, New York - a monumental 8 x 2 x 6metre towering triangular form. This piece coincided with with Venet’s inclusion in the Armory Show in New York where his piece Indeterminate Line was featured. Of special note in 2016 was Venet’s acceptance of the Lifetime Achievement Award from The International Sculpture Centre (ISC) in New York. The award marked the 25th ceremony for the ISC, which is dedicated to honouring artists who continue to contribute to the world of sculpture. Venet has an equally busy year coming up in 2018, with his inclusion in Art in the Gardens at Long-House Reserve in East Hamptons, New York. This group exhibition will have Venet in the company of other major artists such as Yoko Ono and Willem de Kooning - and is entirely dedicated to outdoor sculpture. GM
Jono Rotman wins Images Vevey Book Award
FEATURED Bernar Venet, Looking Forward: 1961-1984, Installation view, 2017 Courtesy Archives Bernar Venet, New York and Blain|Southern Photography by Gary Langsford Left: Bernar Venet, Effondrement: 200 tonnes, 2015 Cor-ten steel, Site-specific dimensions, Photography by Xinyi Hu, Paris / Bernar Venet Archives, NY
American based, New Zealand photographer Jono Rotman has been awarded the prestigious Image Vevey Book Award for 2017/2018 for his Mongrel Mob photographic series. Rotman has dedicated over 10 years to exploring this subject matter which will cumulate in the creation of a book project aided by the Amis d'Images. The award of a EUR 9,000 grant to assist in this publication was a unanimous decision by the jury. The jury consisting of artist Christian Marclay, Simon Baker (Curator of photography and international art, Tate London), Lars Boering (Managing Director, World Press Photo Amsterdam), Darius Himes (Head of Photographs, Christie’s New York), and Luce Lebart (Director of the Canadian Photography Institute) commented: "In his work Rotman demonstrates an unusual and highly sophisticated sensitivity to the ethical and
FEATURED Jono Rotman, Installation view Gow Langsford Gallery Lorne Street, 2014. Photography by Tobias Kraus practical concerns associated with a documentary project of this scope. The result is both visually compelling and textually rich. Comprised of portraits, archival material, and a comprehensive series of interviews to be designed as a kind of handbook
for the self-defined “Mongrel Mob”, a balance of form and content will ultimately define the finished book." Rotman was selected as the sole winner from 194 applications submitted from 34 countries. CT
Breaking the Surface
2016 was a significant year for André Hemer, including his first one man show titled Deep Surfacing at Luis De Jesus Gallery in Los Angeles. Closer to home, Hemer was awarded the Paramount Award in the annual Wallace Arts Awards. As part of the grand prize, Hemer was granted a six-month residency at the International Studio and Curatorial Program in New York, which he commenced in July 2017. The ISCP residency is widely recognised as one of the most prestigious artist programmes in New York, and has helped establish the careers of other Gow Langsford Gallery artists such as Gregor Kregar (2000), Judy Millar (2002), and Sara Hughes (2005). Hemer will be living and working in New York for the rest of this year. During his time in New Zealand earlier this year, Andre was busy organising the international group show Watching Windows with Andrew Clifford at Te Uru Waitakere Contemporary Gallery in Titirangi. Earlier in April, Andre was also invited to City Gallery, Wellington, where he hosted a public talk with curator Justin Paton titled Painting Re-Booted. Andre continues to split his time between New Zealand and Vienna, where he is currently producing works for upcoming exhibitions in 2018. GM FEATURED Left: André Hemer Works in progress, artist’s studio, Vienna. Right: André Hemer New Tuscan Sunset Scans (detail), 2015, featured in Watching Windows, Te Uru Waitakere Contemporary Gallery
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ROCK DROP Words by artist Judy Millar
Rock Drop began to take form during the summer of 2016 as I was re-reading Homer’s Odyssey. The passage of the Wandering Rocks captivated me as it laid out the way perception confounds our ability to grasp the physical world we navigate every day. The divide between our mental and physical existence seems to me to be the wonder and challenge of our human realm – the reason for art and the need we have for belief as we try to tie the two forms of existence together. Rock Drop has evolved out of these thoughts. It plays with perception, appearing to change as we move around it. It is theatrical, comic, lumbering and finely tuned. It makes the South Atrium of the Auckland Art Gallery into a space while at the same time consuming the space. It is paradoxical and full of pathos. I was imagining it as somewhere between The Flintstones and Dubuffet. I have just received a note to say it sits between Duchamp’s Nude Descending a Staircase and Transformers – that’s a better description.
FEATURED Judy Millar Rock Drop, 2017 wood, digital print on vinyl, synthetic rope. Commissioned by Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, 2017. Purchased with support from Auckland Contemporary Arts Trust, Auckland City Sculpture Trust and the Auckland Art Gallery Foundation Annual Appeal 2017 Photography by Jennifer French
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Matakite
Words by Mark Hutchins-Pond, curator, Pātaka Art + Museum MATAKITE is a name Māori give to a visionary, one with second sight who perceives life in translucent, overlapping layers of time and space. Walsh’s paintings of monumental landscapes populated by mysterious anthropomorphic creatures offer us, as ordinary mortals, a glimpse into a realm we may have heard described in mātauranga Māori but never fully imagined. Walsh’s technical abilities as a painter and his imaginings entwine to create images that float between the physical world and what might lie beyond. Of Aitanga a Hauiti and New Zealand Irish heritage, Walsh had a small town East Coast upbringing. His adventurer forbears, who sailed into the wilds to discover this land, have always been his inspiration. During his career, this has at times seen him at odds with more traditionally-minded approaches.
Writers position Walsh as a Māori artist of mythological worlds. While he escapes such nets, he uses them as part of his vocabulary to speak of issues of interest— voyaging, the environment, dogma, power-play, beauty and relationships. In so doing, he has become a recognised figure on the New Zealand arts landscape who continues to explore freely. Nothing is quite as it seems. Walsh presents ideas for viewers to explore, often working through them on the
“His language is endearing, intriguing, poetic, sensuous and mysterious.”
canvas. His language is endearing, intriguing, poetic, sensuous and mysterious. Contemporary issues are presented by ancient Matakite beings who come with their own stories while older issues are presented by sweet young lovers. We can wander beyond his dark headlands before “being caught in the wispy, foreground brush strokes that become the eyes of a messenger.”1 Fellow artist and close friend John Pule believes the driving purpose of Walsh’s work “is to show the beginning of first nation creatures… to depict quintessential fears … and raise important questions about finding a place in the world, why we must keep fighting to survive, why we must keep caring.”2 Others describe Walsh as operating in a territory that combines a painterly take on New Zealand light and landscape with Māori signifiers.3 Such territory can be tricky to navigate when myths and stories are jealously guarded. Walsh acknowledges this and generally chooses to avoid references to specific tribal narratives: “I’m orchestrating my
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John Walsh, Marakihau, 2013, oil on unstretched canvas, 1440 x 2900mm
own characters and stories. Sometimes I reference specific incidents, but generally I’m making them up, constructing stories and metaphors around current events and issues that beg comment.”4 To this end, the eerie settings for his densely layered narratives are usually non-specific yet strangely familiar.
“the eerie settings for his densely layered narratives are usually nonspecific yet strangely familiar.”
Herehereuma were commissioned by the current landowners, who remain captivated by the history and awesome presence of the site. The bluff was a refuge for Ngā Ariki Kaipūtahi when under attack and is named after the 1820s victory over Bay of Plenty invaders. Walsh describes these paintings as “a delicate dance between capturing the site’s spirit and affirming the whakapapa of Ngā Ariki Kaipūtahi to their lands.”5 Maintaining relationships with ancestors enables us to connect with the mythical world, even though it’s often “a universe away from how we live now”.6 Walsh’s works reflect this belief and demonstrate his aptitude to merge ancient myths with contemporary reality.
On the rare occasions when Walsh paints existing landscapes, he exaggerates the topography with dramatic lighting and shrouds the scene with dense atmosphere. The two paintings of Herehereuma bluff, inland from Gisborne, are prime examples. Walsh’s paintings of Otūhawaiki Pā atop
John Walsh: Matakite was a solo exhibition at Pātaka Art + Museum, 19 June – 18 September, 2016. This text is an excerpt from the essay Matakite first published in the John Walsh:Matakite exhibition catalogue, which was proudly sponsored by The Post Family Trust via the Pātaka Foundation.
Notes 1 WALSH, John and Louise. In correspondence with the author, May 2016. 2 PULE, John. Whakawhenua: responses to paintings by John Walsh in the exhibition Flying Solo, The Dowse Art Museum, 2009. 3 GIFFORD, Andrew. NZ Herald, 19 Sept 2009. 4 WALSH, John. ibid. 5 WALSH, John. In correspondence with the author, May 2016. 6 WALSH, John. Quoted by, Cushla Parekowhai, Real Art Roadshow: The Book, Real Art Roadshow Trust, 2009 (page 240). John Walsh: Matakite the full essay is available via www.pataka.org.nz
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Gow Langsford Gallery, Corner Richmond Road and Warnock Street, Grey Lynn, 1987
Invitation to the opening of Gow Langsford Gallery, Sunday 9 August 1987, 2-6pm
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Shaky beginnings: Early days at Gow Langsford Words by Jill Trevelyan
Looking back on the opening of the Gow Langsford Gallery in 1987, Gary Langsford admitted, ‘It was set up through naivety. The timing was appalling.’1 But the mood was upbeat at the launch on 9 August. The gallery in Grey Lynn was pristine: a converted gas station with vast walls, a whiff of engine oil betraying its former life. Vodka and oysters were served – a step up from the usual gallery fare. And why not? The art market was booming. As Garth Cartwright noted in the Listener that year, ‘New Zealand’s art investment market is skyrocketing with prices for some painters’ work increasing across the board by 80% per annum.’2 Langsford’s partner John Gow had watched the escalation in prices from his parents’ business, the John Leech Gallery, during the 1980s. The time seemed right for a new Auckland gallery. As he told Metro, ‘There are too many major artists who have been neglected by Auckland dealers.’3 Two months later it was a different story. On 20 October – ‘Black Tuesday’ – the biggest one-day stockmarket crash in history wiped out many of the new gallery’s clients. The value of the building – purchased with a hefty mortgage at an interest rate of 20% – halved. The crash changed the nature of the business. Corporate collectors disappeared overnight. And yet the business survived. The two young dealers were resourceful – at one point they swapped three paintings for an apartment in The Pines in Epsom – and a small group of collectors continued to buy art. Their support was almost philanthropic: they appreciated the role of dealer galleries in the local art ecosystem. And ironically a freak event that nearly killed Langsford gave the business a boost. In February 1989 he
“The two young dealers were resourceful – at one point they swapped three paintings for an apartment in The Pines in Epsom” was on US Airlines flight 811 from Honolulu to Auckland when an explosion ripped a huge hole in the plane. Nine passengers were sucked out while Langsford watched on, just a few seats back. Later he sued the airline and invested his settlement in the business, just when it was most needed. The Gow Langsford Gallery was part of a wave of growing confidence and expansion in the local art world during the 1980s, and a new professionalism in representing artists. The New Zealand art market had only begun to develop in the 1960s, when the first dealer galleries became established. Previously, artists had relied on group shows like the annual art society exhibitions, or rented premises to display their work – hardly a basis for professional practice. New Zealand’s early dealers tended to be enthusiasts who loved art but had little flair for business, but there were exceptions. Peter McLeavey in Wellington and Peter Webb in Auckland started small, opening their first galleries in their bedrooms, and both went on to have long and successful careers. However, Webb’s first gallery in High Street closed in 1958 after barely a year in business: McCahon’s Titirangi paintings failed to
lure buyers, and even Rita Angus’s affordable watercolours went unsold.4 Don Wood’s Ikon Gallery in Symonds Street took over some of Webb’s artists, including McCahon, and had some success, notably a sellout show by the young Don Binney. ‘Things are still very difficult here for both painter and art dealer but are gradually improving,’ Wood commented in 1963. ‘The New Zealand public … all pay lip service to the artist and his work but
Gary Langsford turning gas station to Art Gallery, 1987
“In the corporate world of the 1980s, contemporary art became a symbol of success and sophistication, and the idea of art as investment was fuelled by bull markets and rapid economic growth.”
never reach into their pockets.’5 But more dealers were joining the fray. In December 1964 Hamish Keith noted that the city’s four galleries – Ikon, Uptown, John Leech and Hayah’s – had hosted nearly sixty shows that year.6 By the 1970s five businesses dominated the Auckland market: Barry Lett (which became RKS Art under director Rodney Kirk Smith in 1976); New Vision, Peter Webb, Denis Cohn, and Petar/James. Peter Webb was influential, publishing editions of prints, starting the magazine Art New Zealand, and eventually launching a specialist art auction house. His auctions set record prices, encouraging more speculative buyers and nurturing a growing confidence in the primary market represented by the dealer galleries. Many Aucklanders became involved in the art market through a new phenomenon – buying groups. The Prospect collection formed in 1976 was a precursor, spawning a number of similar groups in the following decade and encouraging many members to become collectors in their own right. In the corporate world of the 1980s, contemporary art became a symbol of success and sophistication, and the idea of art as investment was fuelled by bull markets and rapid economic growth. As Rosemary McLeod observed, ‘You could get a decent car for what it takes these days to buy a painting by Gordon Walters … But a lot of people nowadays choose the art instead … Contemporary New Zealand art has come of age – and it may be the biggest growth industry we have.’7 By the mid-1980s there were more artists in Auckland than ever, and a growing infrastructure of public galleries and funding opportunities. Yet only RKS remained of the galleries that had established themselves in the 1970s, and a new crop sprang up to fill the gap: Sue Crockford, Artis, Red Metro and Aberhart
North.8 Sue Crockford signalled a new breed of art dealer in New Zealand, more ambitious and commercially focused and keen to develop international contacts – a model for the new Gow Langsford Gallery. John Gow and Gary Langsford were unlikely business partners, coming from very different backgrounds. Gow had grown up on a dairy farm in the Waikato and was ‘dragged around’ galleries as a child.9 His interest in art developed on his OE, and when he returned home in 1981 he worked at the business his parents had recently acquired, the John Leech Gallery in Remuera, which specialised in mid-20th century New Zealand art. Gary Langsford had studied sculpture at Elam Art School and played guitar in bands such as DD Smash while developing a business in the decorative arts market. The two got talking about a joint venture at Artex Art Fair late in 1986, a gathering of galleries at which they both had stalls. Gow recalled, ‘There was a lot of time to kill and we went out for a beer afterwards and as the night wore on it sounded like a good idea’.10 Gow soon forgot the discussion – ‘it was just a fantasy’ – but six weeks later Langsford rang to announce he had found the perfect building. Then it was a rush to strip decades of grime from the dilapidated gas station on the corner of Richmond Road and Warnock Street. Peter Shaw from Metro paid a visit, remarking on the transformation: ‘The lube bay has become a gallery of contemporary art while the workshop is now devoted to the decorative arts.’11 The opening exhibition featured an eclectic mix of artists (Dick Frizzell, Judy Millar, Rodney Fumpston, Mervyn Williams, Jenny Doležel and others), as well as Lalique glass, Clarice Cliff ceramics, and ‘a “superb” Tiffany daffodil lamp’.12 This approach – the two directors pursuing different fields – was a feature of the early years. ‘We want to create an atmosphere that gets away from the usual sterile art gallery’, Gow told Cha-cha. ‘It will be more like a domestic environment … we hope it will have a Greenwich Village feel about it – where people can come in, have a cup of coffee, relax and look at the art …’13 Also novel was the suburban setting in Grey Lynn: the other galleries, with the exception of Aberhart North, were located in the central city. For Gow, still involved with the John Leech Gallery in Remuera, it was a challenge to lure Remuera clients across town to his new venture. From the start, the gallery focused on painting, although sculpture was also well represented with shows by
Source: NZ LISTENER, July 16, 1988, p82
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Source: Southern Skies, October 1987. Image by Sally Tagg
Source: New Zealand Herald, Thursday June 16, 1988
Robert Jesson, Andrew Drummond, Chris Booth, Terry Stringer, Christine Hellyar and Barry Lett. Resales were always a crucial
Notes
decorative arts when the gallery moved to The Strand in Parnell, but by the time it relocated to Kitchener Street in 1992 – a smaller
nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_ id=1501119&objectid=10828176, retrieved 20 May
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part of the business, as were international art fairs and the inclusion of overseas artists. Gary Langsford continued to show
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space, but a great location – contemporary art was the sole focus.14 In thirty years there have inevitably been ups and
2017. 2 Garth Cartwright, ‘Auction boom $ellout’, NZ Listener,
downs. A branch in Wellington (managed by Hamish McKay, who later established his own gallery) ran for just two years from 1991-93, while a Sydney outpost in the early 2000s lasted a year longer. But in a business which is notorious for acrimonious
partings – artists leaving their dealers, dealers dropping their artists – Gow Langsford is notable for its long relationships with
“Gow Langsford is notable for its long relationships with key figures. Dick Frizzell and Judy Millar are two of the original New Zealand artists who remain with the gallery today, while Michael Hight, Karl Maughan, Max Gimblett, Paul Dibble and John Pule also joined in the first six years.”
key figures. Dick Frizzell and Judy Millar are two of the original New Zealand artists who remain with the gallery today, while Michael Hight, Karl Maughan, Max Gimblett, Paul Dibble and John Pule also joined in the first six years. Those recruited in the early 2000s include John Walsh, Sara Hughes, Reuben Paterson, Chris Heaphy, Darryn George and Simon Ingram: more recently Alex Monteith, André Hemer and Hugo Koha Lindsay have joined the gallery. Meanwhile international exhibitions have always been a vital part of the calendar, and Gow Langsford has a long association with Antonio Murado, Dale Frank, Anthony Goicolea and Katharina Grosse, among others. In thirty years the nature of the gallery business
has changed, and dealers all over the world have had to adapt accordingly. Auction houses have captured more of the resale market for contemporary art, and the internet has eroded the old geographical base of a gallery’s clientele. Today a buyer in
Auckland can browse the offerings in Queenstown and Sydney, and vice versa. At the same time artists are more mobile than
ever, the most successful exhibiting in multiple venues around the world. Perhaps only one thing is certain in the dealer gallery world – nothing will stay the same in the years ahead. Gow Langsford’s resilience and longevity, in reaching its thirty-year milestone, stands it in good stead. Jill Trevelyan is a Wellington curator and writer. Her book Peter McLeavey: The Life and Times of a New Zealand Art Dealer was published by Te Papa Press in 2013.
Linda Herrick, ‘Dealers mastering the art of selling’, NZ Herald, 21 August 2012, http://www.
28 March 1987, p. 34. 3 Peter Shaw, ‘What comes after breakfast?’, Metro,
August 1987, p. 244. 4 Webb sold just one – a flower study, purchased by
McCahon. 5 Letter from Don Wood to John Blackburn, 15 July 1963, Ikon Gallery Archive, Auckland Art Gallery Research Library, box 1, folder 1.
Hamish Keith, ‘Auckland is so “big-headed”’, Auckland Star, 16 December 1964, p. 24. 6
Rosemary McLeod, ‘The State of New Zealand Art’, North and South, November 1986, p. 46. 8 Denis Cohn was the last to go, closing in 1986. Of the new galleries, Artis was run by Trish Clark, Red Metro by Brad Smith, and Aberhart North by Kerry Aberhart. 9 Peter Shaw, ibid. 10 This and the next quotation are from Linda Herrick, ibid. 11 Peter Shaw, ibid. 12 Chris Bourke, ‘Breakfast with Tiffany’, Cha-cha, No. 4, 1987, p. 42. 13 Ibid. 14 The John Leech Gallery (managed by Gow since his parents’ retirement in 1996), moved next door in Kitchener Street in 2002 before becoming an online gallery in 2011. 7
Images: 1. Karl Maughan Untitled, 1988 oil on canvas 1600 x 1440mm Exhibited 1988, Richmond Road, Grey Lynn
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2. Max Gimblett The King, 1989-91 acrylic and 23.75kt gold on linen 105 x 105 inches / 2667 x 2667mm Exhibited 1991, The Strand, Parnell 3. Michael Hight Maungakakaramea/Rainbow Mountain, 1998 blackboard paint, resin and found materials on board triptych, 2250 x 3150mm Exhibited 1998, Kitchener Street, Auckland Right: Gary Langsford, Anna Jackson and John Gow outside Gow Langsford Gallery Kitchener Street, 2017
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Let Art and The World Flourish Words by Julian McKinnon A click of a button labelled ‘next’ causes a ripple to run across a screen. Dozens of images replace those that displayed a moment ago. Paintings and more paintings, from artists across the globe, glow in miniature. Another click changes the display to sculptural works, or photographs, prints, etcetera. Thousands of images conjured at will. This, as we’ve all experienced, is one of the main ways art is viewed today. Multitudes of websites collectively hosting millions of images of artworks populate the web. This could be a kind of paradise for art lovers – or is it a pale simulacrum of the real thing? There are more artists, galleries, collecting institutions, etcetera now than at any time previously. Vast repositories of online images detail artworks from the modest home-crafted variety to the highestend output of global superstars, along with everything in between. Making sense of this has become difficult; what warrants our attention? How do we filter all that’s available? Is experiencing art in this way fundamentally changing its role? “Art consumption has
“Making sense of this has become difficult, what warrants our attention? How do we filter all that’s available?”
Image: Hugo Koha Linday, 2016, Installation view, Gow Langsford Gallery Lorne Street. Left: Judy Millar, This is the Moment, 2016, oil and acrylic on canvas, 1400 x 950mm
accelerated, provoking new ways of looking,”1 claimed American art historian David Joselit. This was in the context of discussing the trove of digital information about art that exists around the world. If we take Joselit’s statement as given, the way we perceive art is starting to shift. Is this a good or a bad thing? It seems like a case can be made either way. In 1935 Walter Benjamin wrote about the nature of image reproduction in a particularly prescient essay, The work of Art in the Age of its Technological Reproducibility.2 Benjamin’s thesis was complex, though two points are particularly relevant to this discussion. Firstly he claimed that reproducibility diminished what he called the ‘aura‘ of the artwork – that is its unique existence and associated esteem as a physical object with a material history. Secondly he claimed that this liberated the artwork from the purpose of ‘ritual,’ its traditional role of service to mystical or religious ideas and power structures. It could be argued that this twofold action simultaneously detracts from the importance of art whilst also liberating what it can do. In Benjamin’s time, the media of reproducibility were, for the most part, photography and film. They were changing the very nature of visual communication, and the way people responded to images. In our present moment of electronic distribution via computer screens and smart phones, this seems all the more accelerated. Bart Verscaffel in his text A Laboratory for Cultural Anthropology claimed that, “The surprising generosity of each work of art… (is) precisely that the artist may spend a year creating it, whereas the spectator can watch and learn what it contains, sometimes in just a few minutes. The great gift of cultural production is that the entire process of creation is condensed in a transmittable form.”3 Baring this observation in mind, is our accelerating culture, and all that it transmits, offering us new insights and depths of understanding? Judy Millar, a great exponent of contemporary painting in New Zealand, has made a point of following developments in neuroscience. “It’s one of my main interests, a field that has been advancing very rapidly and providing us with so much new information about the workings of the brain. We now know the brain is very plastic and has the potential to be reprogrammed right up until the time of our death,” she says. “If we think of the senses being primarily filters that block out a great deal of information while letting some select stimuli in to the neural pathways, it seems reasonable to assume that the basis of what our senses filter changes as our general environment changes. Significant variations in environment, which have come about through our use of technology, effect what is filtered in and out. Can art track those changes? It seems to me yes, and if so it will also track the emergence of new neural reactions – new 'emotions'. I believe the arts generally have turned away from the importance of emotion as they have sought to secure themselves
“We now know the brain is very plastic and has the potential to be reprogrammed right up until the time of our death” within the academic hierarchy - this has actually diminished one of the central roles of art.” Millar’s point rings true - the power of an effective artwork stretches beyond its capacity to stimulate the intellect – the most moving works transport the viewer viscerally, into unexpected thoughts and feelings. Our changing environment – digital, psychological, and physical – is shifting the possibilities of that experience. One possible interpretation of the present moment is that there has never been a better time for contemporary visual art. The diversity of content, and the rate at which it develops, give us fresh experiences and possibilities almost daily. There are more opportunities for artists, greater avenues for exhibition, and new means of producing work. New forms of the unseen can be made visible. Though, all this comes with its own set of challenges. Public funding for the arts is being eroded. For many artists the path is difficult, at times perilous. It’s never been easy to live as an artist, yet in this new horizon of digital overload it can be that much more tricky to stand out from the ever-growing crowd. Though, if nothing else, artists are innovators. They make studios and workspaces from converted garages, spare rooms, and temporarily leased commercial buildings. They improvise with materials. They find new ways of utilising technology. They repurpose philosophical ideas. It seems
“artists are innovators. They make studios and workspaces from converted garages, spare rooms, and temporarily leased commercial buildings. They improvise with materials. They find new ways of utilising technology. They repurpose philosophical ideas. It seems inevitable that artists will find ways to respond to and help shape our rapidly shifting contemporary culture.”
inevitable that artists will find ways to respond to and help shape our rapidly shifting contemporary culture. Hugo Koha Lindsay could be described as a rising star of the New Zealand art scene. His work brings incidental visual markings from the streets and the studio together with the sensory logic of technology. He says “When digital technology first started to really appear in our daily lives it was like an accessory. Something you could opt into if you wanted. Network technology is now a given facilitator of everyday life. It’s everywhere. The visual language of the digital interface is
“I’m not interested in mimicking digital imagery, but I’m interested in the logic behind the platform, and how that can be adopted or co-opted into a logic of art making.” something quite different from the pictorial norms that preceded it. I’m not interested in mimicking digital imagery, but I’m interested in the logic behind the platform, and how that can be adopted or co-opted into a logic of art making. I’m interested in bringing that back to haptic and gestural relationships to the activity of painting.” Turning to his working approach, he states, “I’m interested in navigating the multiple ambiances within an urban space, as a method of research. I spent most of my youth skateboarding (with a spray can in my bag some of the time), exploring the surface and lean of the land, the geology and geography of the city. My paintings are a dialogue between the gentrified space and forgotten, or marginal spaces. They’re fixed in half-renovated states. The techno-centric discourse within that relates to the ‘flâneur’ and the situationists’ ‘dérive’, but perhaps an updated version of these, that embraces the act of wandering technological as well as physical spaces.” In the case of both Millar and Lindsay a balance has been struck between participating in the art market, and attunement to the ideas and motivations that drive them as artists. The idea of an oppositional binary between art that is commercially viable and art that is socially or politically meaningful is outmoded. Art can be both. Art, in fact, needs to be both. Our time and our culture demand it. Galleries, whose role in many ways is as arbiters of quality, pick up artists when they reach a stage of significant development - few artists prosper without gallery representation. Similarly, galleries are unable to thrive without the ongoing commitment of their artists. This is one of many types of interrelationship that piece together the art ecosystem, each artist, curator, gallerist, writer, or art lover is a part of that network.
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With uncharted political and ecological situations at play, our times may seem perilous. Though the global situation was in many ways more dangerous when Walter Benjamin penned his great essay: totalitarianism held sway over much of Europe and Asia, warfare was soon to engulf the planet. In a rebuke to the Italian Futurists, and their explicit support of war and fascism, Benjamin said, “Let art flourish – and the world pass away,”4 as he assessed the attitude of their manifesto. What could we say of the present, rich as it is with both opportunity and strife? Looking to the best of what’s possible, averting the crises of environment and capital, seeing art rightfully celebrated and assuming its fullest potential: ‘Let art and the world flourish.’ Julian McKinnon is an Auckland based artist and writer. His practices examine contemporary painting in its relationship to internet culture. He is currently working towards a Ph.D. in Fine Arts at the University of Auckland. NOTES 1 David Joselit Marking, Scoring, Storing, and Speculating (on Time). Published in Painting Beyond Itself – The Medium in the Post-medium Condition, edited by Isabelle Graw & Ewa LajerBurcharth (2016, Sternberg Press) 2 Das Kunstwerk im Zeitalter seiner technischen Reproduzierbarkeit (commonly translated into English as The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction). 3 Published in Agonistic Academies, edited by Jan Cools & Henk Slager (2011, Sint-Lukas Books). 4 Benjamin made the statement in Latin – “Fiat ars – pereat mundus” a play on the motto of 16thC Holy Roman emperor Ferdinand I: “Fiat iustitia et pereat mundus” (“Let justice be done and the world pass away”).
Market Hightlights Words by John Gow
Over the past 30 years the art market has grown considerably. Grown in the sense that there is now a much broader base of clients and collectors but also in the sense of what is offered for sale. We have been in business during the beginning and phenomenal growth of the internet. This changed the very nature of selling, removing the geographic boundaries that were traditionally respected by Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin. The artist, dealer, client model evolved into the 21st century and dealer galleries now have a very active websites, Facebook pages, Instagram and more. When I started in the business I had a phone and a type writer, now I spend all day on a computer – what on earth did I do all those years ago?? In 1987 we caught the very end of the heady share market days. It is interesting to note that selling a Colin McCahon for $30,000 in the late 80’s was a big deal. The market shifted in 1993 when The Last Painting (I Considered All Acts of Oppression) sold at auction for $506,000. The next significant price increase being the sale of McCahon’s multi panelled painting ‘Walk’to Te Papa Gallery by Gow Langsford Gallery for the sum of $3,100,000. This remains the highest price paid for a New Zealand artwork as of today. Gow Langsford Gallery sold two late paintings by Pablo Picasso in in 1998 for US$900,000 and US$1,100,000 respectively . This seemed like a lot of money 20 years ago but today late paintings by Picasso sell foranything between US$6,000,000 and US$20,000,000. Nothing gives us more pleasure than revaluing a collection for our clients and demonstrating such dramatic shifts in value. I can clearly remember Warwick Brown walking in to the first Dick Frizzell exhibition we had in our Grey Lynn Gallery. It was a landscape exhibition and Warwick just loved them. He bought one for himself and one for his law firm at $12,000 each. This was 1988. Earlier this year Warwick sold his collection and the Frizzell made $94,000. At the time we thanked Warwick profusely for his patronage….I am sure he raised a glass to us after his sale. It is very easy to measure the gains of art in money terms but there is no scale of value available for the sheer pleasure of living with great art. It enriches one’s life on so many levels, takes you on emotional rides, down roads you may have never travelled to museums in all corners of the world. You find yourself in extraordinary places with extraordinary people or just at home in your lounge, glass of pinot in hand enjoying your latest acquisition. I do note today that my children are now traveling the same roads as a result of having lived with art all their lives. It is also nice to know that perhaps one or two of these artworks might one day help them pay down their mortgage…. Image: Pablo Picasso, Femme Nue avec Tête d’Homme, 1967, oil on canvas, 1300 x 970mm, sold in 1998 for US$900,000 © Estate of Pablo Picasso
Image: Judy Millar, Turning the world inside out: 30 years a painter, 2016, Installation view, Gow Langsford Gallery Lorne Street. Photography by Tobias Kraus
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Image: André Hemer, Deep Surfacing #12, 2017, acrylic and pigment on canvas, 2000 x 1400mm
Sydney Contemporary 2017 FEATURING
Tony Cragg
Dale Frank André Hemer Katharina Grosse Judy Millar
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Image: Dick Frizzell, Milling, 1987, oil on stretched canvas, 1500 x 1950mm. Courtesy of Mossgreen-Webbs. Made $94,000 at auction, May 2017
Artoon
Q & A with Gail Hofmann
By Dick Frizzell
Gail worked in accounts at Gow Langsford Gallery from 1994 - 2016 Which three artists would you invite to dinner? Colin McCahon to talk landscapes, Gordon Walters to find out how to create those korus without getting into a muddle and Tony Fomison in the hopes that he might make me a little drawing! But in the absence of those three, all the Gow Langsford Gallery artists – it would be like having a family dinner. Which piece in the Hofmann collection has the best back story? Maybe the three Dibble sculptures that the Hofmann offspring received in recognition of their 21st birthdays. Each time, the work arrived looking unexpectedly different - a wonderful Dibble twist had been added making each work truly unique. Or a work very fleetingly part of the Hofmann collection - a birthday cake iced by John Pule - absolutely recognisable as a memorable John Pule work – but never to be framed! What did 22 years of working at Gow Langsford Gallery teach you? That I can’t live with blank walls anymore!! That being surrounded by the artworks we love are an essential part of our lives. That everyone in the gallery has something to teach you – never be afraid to ask. Don’t hesitate when you are deciding about a work that you know you will love – someone else may have similar thoughts (I have a list of those!!). And that there are many unrecognised generous people in this world.
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Celebrating 30 Years
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Chris Heaphy, The floating World (detail), 2017, acrylic on linen, 2000 x 2000mm
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Michael Hight, Aruhoe (detail), 2017, oil on canvas, 1200 x 1530mm
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1. Max Gimblett, Silver Knight, 2017, gesso, resin, palladium leaf on wood panel, 50 inch quatrefoil/1270 x 1270 x 50mm 2. Karl Maughan, Springbank, 2017, oil on canvas, 1830 x 1830mm 3. Graham Fletcher, Untitled (Feature Wall, Yellow), 2017, oil on canvas, 1220 x 1220mm 4. Simon Ingram, Composition en gris, 2017, oil on canvas, 650 x 600mm 5. Paul Dibble, Huia and Kowhai, 2017, cast bronze and 24 carat gold, 740 x 420 x 380mm 6. Alex Monteith, Last Light I, 2016, edition of 5, archival pigments on paper, 640 x 440mm framed 7. John Walsh, Manuhiri, 2017, oil on canvas, 400 x 500mm 8. Dick Frizzell, King Country, 2017, oil on canvas, 1600 x 2200mm 9. Martin Ball, Study: After Goldie, oil on canvas, 660 x 900mm 10. Laurence Aberhart, “Nukumai”, Wainui, Northland, 30 March 2017, 2017, silver 11. John Pule, Untitled, 2017, enamels, oils, inks on canvas, 400 x 400mm 12. Chris Heaphy, The Floating World, 2017, acrylic on Belgian linen, 2000 x 2000mm 13. Reuben Paterson, Peace is Confidence, 2017, glitter on canvas, 1200 x 1200mm 14. David McCracken, Untitled (In progress), 2017, stainless steel, 1150 x 280mm 15. Judy Millar, Lovers Come Lovers Go, 2016, acrylic and oil on canvas, 1800 x 1250mm 16. Hugo Koha Lindsay, A plan for a house I will never own, 2017, acrylic, enamel, graphite compound on jute and cotton on cedar stretcher, 2100 x 1650mm 17. Sara Hughes, Do butterflies eat butter, 2016, acrylic on canvas, 900 x 1200mm 18. Allen Maddox, Untitled, 1977, oil on calico canvas, 1010 x 610mm 19. Antonio Murado, Untitled, 2014, oil on canvas, 865 x 610mm 20. André Hemer, Deep Surfacing #14, 2017, acrylic and pigment on canvas, 1600 x 1200mm 21. Jono Rotman, MC 1916, 2017, pigment print, edition of 5 + 2 AP, 1900 x 1500mm 22. Darryn George, The Crossing #11, 2017, oil and acrylic on canvas, 1010 x 760mm 23. Michael Hight, Aruhoe, 2017, oil on canvas, 1200 x 1530mm 24. Lisa Roet, High Nature, 2017, edition of 5, bronze, 24 carat gold plated, 1000 x 550 x 1000mm 25. Dale Frank, He felt such a failure at hand gestures, 2015, varnish on anodised Euromir Perspex, 1800 x 1400mm framed 26. Jan De Vliegher, Glass 8, 2014, oil on canvas, 900 x 600 x 25mm 27. Gregor Kregar, Terminator, 2016, cast stainless steel, 1200 x 900 x 550mm
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Laurence Aberhart, “Nukumai”, Wainui, Northland, 30 March 2017 (detail), 2017, silver gelatin photograph, selenium toned, 193 x 244mm unframed
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Dick Frizzell, King Country (detail), 2017, oil on canvas, 1600 x 2200mm
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30 Years in Review Words by T.J. McNamara
Dealing in art and representing artists is a business fraught with chance and difficulty. It requires not only business acumen but also specialist knowledge, entrepreneurship, skills, passion and the ability to interact sympathetically with the moods of people with exceptional talents. All of these things have marked the long-standing partnership of Gow Langsford Gallery. John Gow and Gary Langsford launched their gallery with a flourish 30 years ago and throughout changes of gallery space have always managed their business with style, rigour and insight. Thirty years is a long time but my memory of the origins and tradition of the gallery goes even further back than the fifty years I spent writing about the wonderful burgeoning of contemporary art in New Zealand, in which they have played a large part. When I was a student the only gallery I remember that sold original art was John Leech Gallery run by Alan Swinton in Shortland Street. It was a conservative business offering prints and framing as well as some original painting, and its history went right back to the 19th century when there was an art trade with tourists on their way up the street to the Grand Hotel in Princes Street. The declining old Society of Arts had moved from Queen Street to Eden Terrace. The John Leech Gallery made a significant move to Lorne Street close to where the much larger gallery of the Gow Langsford partnership is now established. With the great flourishing of art in Auckland that began in the Sixties two dealer galleries of a new kind provided a new forum for contemporary art. The New Vision Gallery in His Majesty’s Arcade (before the lamented destruction of that picturesque passage and theatre) allied painting and sculpture with the rising craft movement and the inspiring work of Len Castle and Barry Brickell. Even more radical was the Barry Lett Gallery run by Barry and the imposing figure of Rodney Kirk Smith. They set the tone for exciting openings filled with interested and argumentative personalities many of whom would adjourn to the Victoria pub further down the street to continue the heated discussion. They showed artists of the status of Colin McCahon when he was still intensely controversial and Michael Smither.
“They set the tone for exciting openings filled with interested and argumentative personalities many of whom would adjourn to the Victoria pub further down the street to continue the heated discussion.” About this time I began to write art reviews for the New Zealand Herald under the initials TJMcN until bylines were allowed. Filled with the excitement of the time I would go straight up to the busy newsroom of the The Herald and write a piece for the next day’s morning paper. Other critics, notably Gordon Brown and Hamish Keith, would write for the long-gone evening paper The Auckland Star. The rush of new art was accompanied by a growth in commentary. It was news. It was an exciting time and the John Leech Gallery went quietly along launching such notable artists as Raymond Ching and David Barker. The gallery shifted to Albert Street. Alan Swinton retired and sold the business to an accountant somewhat unsympathetic to art and he sold it on to Mervyn and Beverley Gow who restored its panache and whose son John would become the Gow of Gow Langsford. The Gow family moved the John Leech Gallery to Remuera and after a time John Gow joined the business and learned the ins and outs of the profession of dealing in art. With this experience behind him he joined forces with Gary Langsford who had trained as a sculptor at Elam, had become a prominent musician with the rock band DD Smash as well as an expert on Art Deco furniture and art, trading successfully in that genre. Confident and knowledgeable in art and in business they launched the Gow Langsford Gallery in August 1987. The gallery opened with a flourish; oysters were served and vodka. They had chosen the fine site of a former garage and petrol station on a corner in Richmond close to the shops. It offered more space than other galleries and also could show sculpture outside. The filled-in lubrication pit was prominent on the floor. They began with young artists, notably Dick Frizzell, who still shows regularly with them. Particularly memorable were shows by Andrew Drummond and the last
The Strand, Parnell, 1992
one-man exhibition by the late Tony Fomison. The gallery became a centre of cultural activity: writers, poets, musicians, critics and, of course, buyers gathered at the lively openings of new and significant showings. They transferred the business to even more impressive premises. The vast, old woolstores on the The Strand in Parnell had been converted into stylish offices and galleries. They offered grand, well-lit flexible spaces and there was now room for up-and-coming sculptors Chris Booth and Neil Dawson. Max Gimblett a New Zealander, long settled in New York, had a sell-out show there. I was amazed to see him visit. I had been a friend at Auckland Grammar in his time there. He now returns almost annually with paintings that have established his long, successful international career. The Strand was magnificent and I thought they had found the perfect place but the developer went into liquidation and difficulties suggested a change to the central city was in order. This involved some downsizing, but in 1993 a space was found in Kitchener Street opposite the Auckland Art Gallery. The AAG itself had made immeasurable gains alongside the flourishing in interest in New Zealand art. It had been awakened from a long sleep in 1952 by the first professional Director, the lively Eric Westbrook followed by the scholarly Peter Tomory who was instrumental in establishing a policy of buying contemporary New Zealand art. Everything about the art scene in Auckland was in continual evolution. My writing for The Herald had changed from an immediate and newsy response done in the newsroom on the night of the opening to a weekly column reviewing three or four shows in the continually expanding variety of galleries throughout Auckland.
“Gow Langsford were pioneers in participation in big fairs in Japan, Australia, and Germany. The contacts made resulted international shows of artists from Australia from France, America. Britain and Germany.” Internationally there was also a huge advance in the importance of art fairs. Gow Langsford were pioneers in participation in big fairs in Japan, Australia, and Germany. The contacts made resulted in international shows of artists from Australia, from France, America, Britain and Germany. There were two shows of works by Picasso. One was paintings the other, even more memorably, a group of ceramics designed by him late in life. Famous French and British sculptors
working on a large scale found a place in the gallery alongside confident work by our own Paul Dibble. While all this was going on amidst the noise and dust of the rebuilding of the Auckland Art Gallery a change of premises had been made. The gallery moved to a handsome space in Lorne Street. The name John Leech Gallery was brought back from Remuera to the smaller gallery in Kitchener Street. When its name was deleted and it became an adjunct to the Gow Langsford a long history of art in Auckland was closed. I have retired from writing extensively. The Gow Langsford Gallery’s two branches continue the long line of exhibitions that are a roll call of outstanding artists here and internationally. Cheers. In 2016, Terence James McNamara celebrated 50 years of writing a weekly At the Galleries column in the New Zealand Herald, making him the world's longest-serving newspaper arts columnist. Since that first column, he's reviewed more than 10,000 exhibitions and chronicled the rise of New Zealand's contemporary arts scene.
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Gary Langsford and John Gow stand beside Pablo Picasso, Femme Nue avec Tête d’Homme, 1967 at the solo exhibition Pablo Picasso:1991-1973, Gow Langsford Gallery, Cnr. Kitchener Street and Wellesley Street, March - April 1998
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Photo Feature Alex Monteith
Production still, Composition with RNZAF No.3 Squadron for ThreeChannel Video Installation, Dip Flat, Aotearoa Photography by Sarah Munro
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Photo Feature Tony Cragg Spring, 2016 wood 2020 x 1940 x 520mm Photography by Michael Richter
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Top Ten
Graham Fletcher
Graham Fletcher is an artist based in Dunedin. In September this year he will participate in the International Painting Symposium “Mark Rothko 2017” in Daugavpils, Latvia.
We ask Graham Fletcher to select ten images that reflect his interests and inspirations
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Mies van der Rohe: Barcelona Pavilion A Modernist classic, Mies van der Rohe's Barcelona Pavilion was a pleasant respite for Holly and me from the fantastically expressive and eccentric architecture abundant throughout Barcelona. Although to some degree, despite its simplicity in form, there is an extravagant use of luxury materials including marble, onyx, travertine and chromed steel. Also a good place to get your authentic ‘less is more’ t-shirt.
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Albert Oehlen: I Will Always Champion Good Painting (Whitechapel Gallery, London, 2006) I’ve always admired Oehlen’s work - and rate him a more competent painter than Kippenberger - but this show was like a kick in the balls. Discordant, irreverent and confrontational, this exhibition really pushed the limits of painting through combining eclectic techniques and imagery. It brought new meaning to (good) bad art and left an indelible impression which challenged my painterly convictions.
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Lake Hāwea (Otago) A hidden gem in central Otago, this has become a summer getaway for my family and I over the last few years. It offers all the picturesque beauty of lake and mountain views, but with reletively fewer tourists compared to neighbouring Wanaka. What does take a little getting used to is that the lakefront has no sand whatsoever and is completly covered in flat stones which is great for skimming on the lake with the kids.
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Dave McKean: Cages (1990-6) Beautifully conceived and illustrated, the Cages series was first published over 25 years ago and still holds up remarkably well today. Strange and eccentric characters, elaborate timelines and mythological references all make for enjoyable reading, but for me, the artwork is what really sets it apart. Encompassing a range of styles, from scratchy linework to digital photo-montage, it’s a real feast for the eyes.
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Scribes Second Hand Bookshop (Dunedin) A great little bookshop located near the University, it’s crammed with eclectic stock so there's always a good chance of finding something if randomly browsing. On my last visit I picked up a copy of Joanna Margaret Paul’s Imogen in near mint condition.
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Maurizio Cattelan: All (Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, 2011) For pure art spectacle, this was hard to beat. The Guggenheim wouldn’t be the easiest space to display art with its cylindrical shape, but Cattelan’s 128 works suspended within the central atrium was an engineering marvel in itself. The exhibition was meant to be Cattelan’s last ever show and contained almost every work he produced over his professional art career, but in 2016 Cattelan came out of retirement and installed an 18-karat gold toilet in the Guggenheim bathrooms, a humourous footnote to his life’s work.
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The Memphis Group A flagship for 1980’s po-mo design, it was a panacea for the rigid forms and dark colour palette prevelent throughout 1970’s design. Typified by strong geometric motifs, vibrant colour and bold patterns MG’s designs were a shock to many aesthetes at the time. More recently, there seems to be a resurgance of interest in the MG as seen in its influence on many current furniture and product designs.
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Andy Warhol: Chairman Mao, 1975 (Hamburger Bahnhof Museum, Berlin) Among the impressive art collection held at the Hamburger Bahnhof is a colossal Andy Warhol work depicting Chairman Mao. It catches you off guard when you turn the corner on first viewing it, the sheer immensity of the work (over 14 feet tall!) makes you marvel at how Warhol managed such a technical feat in silk-screen printing.
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Carey’s Bay Hotel fish and chips (Carey's Bay) A historic building overlooking Carey's Bay, this is a wonderful place to enjoy a beer and fabulous fish and chips while taking in the scenery.
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Julian Schnabel: CVJ: Nicknames of Maitre D's and Other Excerpts from Life (1987) Schnabel often gets a hard time about his painting practice, perhaps deservedly, and yet his foray into film has received much critical acclaim. CVJ is an illustrated autobiography that shows the path the artist took to finding success. Despite its pretentiousness in parts (overt romanticism of New York in the 80’s and perpetuated myths around the artist genius) this was still a good read for me as an aspiring young artist. Although I should add that I was never a fan of those lumpen plate paintings.
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1. Barcelona Pavilion, photo by Holly Mackinven. 2. Albert Oehlen, Gerüstbau (Scaffolding), 2000, Oil on canvas, The Frank Cohen Collection. 3. Jasper, Lake Hāwea, Photo by Graham Fletcher. 4. Dave McKean, Cages, 1990, Issue #3, 8 1/2 in. x 11 in. 48 pages. 5. Joanna Margaret Paul, Imogen, 1978, edition of 300 numbered copies, 28pp, card cover in wraps, image scanned from source. 6. Maurizio Cattelan, photo by Graham Fletcher. 7. The Memphis Group, Photo by Zanone, Wikimedia Commons. 8. Andy Warhol, Mao, 1973, Hamburger Bahnhof Museum, Berlin. 9. Carey’s Bay Hotel, http://www.careysbayhotel.co.nz/, 10. Julian Schnabel: CVJ: Nicknames of Maitre D’s and Other Excerpts from Life, 1987, 12.2 x 9 x 1.1 inches, 222 pages
NOW REPRESENTING
HUGO KOHA LINDSAY
WWW.GOWLANGSFORDGALLERY.COM
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UPCOMING
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20 September - 14 October
Reuben Paterson
18 October - 11 November
Gregor Kregar John Walsh
15 November - 9 December
Karl Maughan Chris Heaphy
GOW LANGSFORD GALLERY Image: Reuben Paterson, Peace is Confidence, 2017, glitter on canvas, 1200 x 1200mm
26 LORNE ST / CNR KITCHENER ST & WELLESLEY ST AUCKLAND NZ PO BOX 5461 T: +64 9 303 4290 WWW.GOWLANGSFORDGALLERY.COM
GOW LANGSFORD GALLERY 26 LORNE ST / CNR KITCHENER ST & WELLESLEY ST AUCKLAND NZ PO BOX 5461 T: +64 9 303 4290 WWW.GOWLANGSFORDGALLERY.COM
James Cousins, Untitled (pl 291), 2016, oil and acrylic on canvas, 1700 x 1500mm