Call of the Wild Hayden Fowler
Hayden Fowler: Call of the Wild 12 June - 12 July 2014 Michael Reid is proud to announce a special two part performance Hayden Fowler Performance Part 1 - will be held at Michael Reid Berlin on: Thursday 12th June 2014 (from 5pm to 9pm) Saturday 14th June 2014 (from 5pm to 9pm) Thursday 19th June 2014 (from 5pm to 9pm) Performance Part 2 - will be held at Michael Reid Sydney in December 2014
Hayden Fowler - Call of the Wild (Berlin, 2014) By wearing mourning we pay tribute to those who have died. It is a public display that acknowledges their absence and our loss. Mourning jewellery - engraved rings or lockets, often bearing a portrait of the deceased - dates back to the sixteenth century, and black clothes are customary at funerals and during widowhood. After a period of days, weeks, months or years, the time arrives when such outward signs of grief may be cast off. But what if it is not an individual, but an entire species or a whole ecology that is being mourned? A loss of such magnitude surely deserves to be marked in a permanent, irremovable way. In Call of the Wild (Berlin, 2014), Hayden Fowler continues a lifelong memorial to extinct New Zealand birdlife, using his own body as the canvas. Over three sessions of four to five hours each, his chest is being tattooed with an image of a Whēkau – or laughing owl - by artist W.T.Norbert. The last recorded specimen of a Whēkau was found dead in 1914 in Canterbury on New Zealand’s South Island. It was no match for feral cats and stoats brought from the northern hemisphere to control a rabbit population that was breeding at breakneck speed. For Fowler the story of the now extinct Whēkau, symbolizes the rapid disappearance of so many of the bird species that once dominated his homeland. In a period of less than a thousand years since first human habitation, the introduction of predatory mammals and destruction of vast areas of ancient forests caused
New Zealand to lose a third of all its native and freshwater birds. Many of those remaining are like the living dead; existing in small, isolated colonies on tiny offshore islands. The surviving forests are all but silent. Fowler says the swift devastation of this unique ecosystem is “ like breaking an egg. It can never be put back together.” Call of the Wild (Berlin, 2014) continues a project Fowler started in 2007 when he sat in a high street shop window in Auckland while designs of the Huia were tattooed onto his back. In December this year Call of the Wild will transfer to Sydney where a further bird will emerge on his torso to add to the diorama. Both Berlin and Sydney performances will be documented in video and a series of stills. A white face and yellow-brown feathers give the Whēkau a less exotic-looking appearance than Fowler’s previous subjects - the Huia with its long tail feathers, or the fluffily-plumed heritage bred hens in New World Order (2013). Through the humbleness of the Whēkau Fowler represents all those extinct bird species not usually singled out by artists and natural historians. The design for the tattoo has been an act of interpretation, pieced together from nineteenth century watercolours and early black and white photographs.
On
Fowler’s chest the Whēkau is captured in flight, looking down, legs hanging loosely beneath it and talons empty. This Whēkau is not the predator; it is the prey.
Fowler’s white, geometric set prophesies a depleted, sterile future as an increasing number of species face the same fate as the Whēkau. In this world beyond nature all that remains is the haunting sound of recorded birdsong and two lone figures etching out memories of what has been lost. In taking Call of the Wild to Berlin, Fowler lifts the veil on the common northern hemisphere misconception that New Zealand is an untouched wilderness. Submitting himself to be tattooed, he sacrifices his own body in a ritual of repentance for the part humans have played in the extinction of wildlife. Call of the Wild is a demonstration of reverence, respect and regret; keeping what has been lost in nature, alive in the conscience of the world.
Hayden Fowler Call of the Wild I 2007 type c photograph 80 x 80 cm edition of 3
Hayden Fowler Call of the Wild II 2007 type c photograph 80 x 80 cm edition of 3
Hayden Fowler Call of the Wild III 2007 type c photograph 80 x 80 cm edition of 3
Hayden Fowler Call of the Wild IV 2007 type c photograph 80 x 80 cm edition of 3
Hayden Fowler Call of the Wild V 2007 type c photograph 80 x 80 cm edition of 3
Hayden Fowler Call of the Wild VI 2007 type c photograph 80 x 80 cm edition of 3
Hayden Fowler Call of the Wild VII 2007 type c photograph 80 x 80 cm edition of 3
Hayden Fowler Call of the Wild VIII 2007 type c photograph 80 x 80 cm edition of 3
Hayden Fowler Call of the Wild IX 2007 type c photograph 80 x 80 cm edition of 3
Hayden Fowler Call of the Wild X 2007 type c photograph 80 x 80 cm edition of 3
Hayden Fowler Call of the Wild XI 2007 type c photograph 80 x 80 cm edition of 3
Hayden Fowler Call of the Wild Berlin working sketch 2 2007
whekau photographed in wild 1909
Hayden Fowler Born 1973, Te Awamutu, New Zealand. Lives and works Sydney, Australia. Academic Current PhD candidate, School of Art, College of Fine Arts, UNSW, Sydney, Australia. 2009
Guest Student, Universitat der Kunst, Berlin, Germany, Class Hito Steyerl.
2007-13 Sessional Lecturer, School of Art, College of Fine Arts, UNSW, Sydney, Australia. 2004-06 MFA (research), College of Fine Arts, UNSW, Sydney, Australia. 2000-02 BFA (1st class honours), College of Fine Arts, UNSW, Sydney, Australia. 1993-95 BSc (biology), University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand. Solo Exhibitions 2013 New World Order: Ilam Gallery, Canterbury University, Christchurch, NZ, August.
New Romantic: Artereal Gallery for Sydney Art Month, Sydney, Australia.
2011
The Long Forgetting: Dubbo Regional Gallery, Dubbo, Australia.
2008
Call of the Wild: Fremantle Arts Centre, Fremantle, Australia.
Second Nature: Gallery Barry Keldoulis, Sydney, Australia.
2007
Video Projects: Christchurch Art Gallery, Christchurch, New Zealand.
Call of the Wild: Centre for Contemporary Photography, Melbourne, Australia.
Call of the Wild: Gallery Barry Keldoulis, Sydney, Australia.
2006
AS SEEN ON TV: Gallery Barry Keldoulis, Sydney, Australia.
2005
White Australia: Elastic residence, London, United Kingdom.
Product Placement: Gallery Barry Keldoulis, Sydney, Australia.
2003
Postcards from Utopia: UNSW roundhouse, Sydney, Australia.
2002
Progress in Harmony: Space 3, Sydney, Australia.
Selected Group Exhibitions 2013
MCA Collection: New Acquisitions in Context, MCA, Sydney, Dec 2013 – Feb 2014.
The Wandering: Moving images from the MCA Collection. Touring Australia 2013-14.
Somewhere: Among the Machines, Dunedin Public Art Gallery,
New Zealand, July–Nov.
Intra-action: Multispecies becomings, Mop Gallery, Sydney, July 8-29.
Inside the Silos, Delmar Gallery, Sydney, April 7-28.
2012
When I grow up I want to be a video artist: Plimsoll Gallery, Hobart, Australia.
The Visitor: Black & White Gallery, Brooklyn NY, US.
The Secret Cabinet: Antje Oklesund, Berlin, Germany.
2011
The Blake Prize (highly commended): National Art School Gallery, Sydney Australia.
Awfully Wonderful: Performance Space, Sydney, Australia.
After Glow: Monash Gallery Of Art, Melbourne, Australia.
The Animal Gaze: Sheffield Institute of the Arts Gallery, Sheffield, United Kingdom.
2010
In Context: Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, Australia.
Souvenirs from Earth: French TV Video Art broadcast, www.souvenirsfromearth.tv
Cartography of Myth: Ficken 3000, Berlin, Germany.
LoveArt: Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, Sydney, Australia.
Understory: Devonport Regional Gallery, Devonport, Australia.
Imagining The Everyday: Australian Centre for Photography at The Pingyao International Photography Festival, Pingyao, China.
2009 RBS Emerging Artist Award exhibition, RBS Towers, Sydney, Australia.
Bowness Photography Prize exhibition, Monash Gallery Of Art, Melbourne, Australia.
Tier Perspektiven: Georg Kolbe Museum, Berlin Germany.
Colliding Worlds: Samstag Museum, Adelaide, Australia.
The Animal Gaze: London Metropolitan University, London, United Kingdom.
The Animal Gaze: Plymouth Arts Centre, Plymouth, United Kingdom.
Minding Animals: The Lockup, Newcastle, NSW.
2008
In Captivity: Dubbo Regional Gallery, Dubbo, Australia.
2007
Eye to Eye: Dubbo Regional Gallery, Dubbo, Australia.
Windows: Auckland Festival, Auckland, New Zealand.
2006
December Group: Gallery Barry Keldoulis, Sydney, Australia.
Pet Project: Australian Centre for Photography, Span Galleries, Melbourne, Australia.
Pet Project: Australian Centre for Photography Sydney Australia.
Art and About: City of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Flaming Youth: Orange Regional Gallery, Orange, Australia.
Sowing Seeds: Dubbo Regional Gallery, Dubbo, Australia.
White Australia: Dubbo Regional Gallery, Dubbo, Australia.
The Idea of the Animal: RMIT Gallery, Melbourne, Australia.
2005 Helen Lempriere Travelling Art Scholarship exhibition: Artspace, Sydney, Australia.
Space to Place: Plimsoll Gallery, Hobart, Australia.
GBK@SPAN: Span Gallery, Melbourne, Australia.
Selekta: West Space, Melbourne, Australia.
Sunshine Policy: Blue Oyster Gallery, Dunedin, New Zealand.
2004
Beautiful Garbage: Cheongju Art Centre, Cheongju, South Korea, Australia.
Australian Artists: Pici Gallery, Seoul. South Korea.
The December Group: Gallery Barry Keldoulis, Sydney, Australia.
2003
Tale-chaser: Gallery 4A, Asia-Australia Arts Centre, Sydney, Australia.
Helen Lempriere Travelling Art Scholarship exhibition:
Artspace, Sydney, Australia.
2002
In the Flesh: First Draft Gallery, Sydney, Australia.
Expo: Imperial Slacks, Sydney, Australia.
2001
Mint: COFA, Sydney, Australia.
Helen Lempriere Travelling Art Scholarship exhibition:
Artspace, Sydney, Australia.
Fusion: Melbourne Film Festival, Melbourne, Australia.
Eat My Shorts: Carnivale Festival, Performance Space, Sydney, Australia.
2000
Downwardly Mobile: Imperial Slacks, Sydney, Australia.
Furr: kudos Gallery, Sydney, Australia.
Residencies 2010
Creative NZ and Department of Conservation, Wildcreations residency: O Tu-Wharekai National Park, New Zealand.
Ministry for the Arts, Gunnery studio residency: Artspace, Sydney, Australia.
2008
National Art School Gallery Artist Residency: Sydney, Australia.
2007 Artspace/Gunnery studio residency: Ministry for the Arts, Sydney, Australia.
2004
IASKA: Kellerberrin, Western Australia.
Nine Dragon Heads Environmental Art Symposium: Daecheong Lake, South Korea.
Awards, Grants and Scholarships 2013 New Work Grant (established), Australia Council Visual Arts Board 2011 New Work Grant (established), Australia Council Visual Arts Board. 2010 University Post-Graduate Award: University of New South Wales, Sydney Australia. 2008 Anne and Gordon Samstag International Visual Arts Scholarship. New Work Grant (established), Australia Council Visual Arts Board. 2006 New Work Grant (emerging), Australia Council Visual Arts Board. 2004 Australian Post Graduate Award, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. IASKA Residency: Kellerberrin, Western Australia. Nine Dragon Heads Environmental Art Symposium: Daecheong Lake, South Korea. 2003 University of New South Wales, Student Union Artist Residency: Sydney, Australia. 2002 University of New South Wales Honours Scholarship. 2001 Basil and Muriel Hooper Scholarship. Selected Collections -National Gallery of Australia. -Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney.
-Artbank, Australia. -Elton John Collection, London. -Dunedin Public Art Gallery, New Zealand. -Dubbo Regional Gallery, Australia. Bibliography Angeloro, Dominique; Chicken Run, Sydney Morning Herald – Metro, April 8, 2005. Angeloro, Dominique and Garron, Jesse; Hayden Fowler – Flights of fancy, Lino magazine, n.10, 2005, pp. 106-107. Angeloro, Dominique: Talechaser, Sydney Morning Herald – Metro, August 8, 2003. Armstrong, Claire; Amanda Love, Art World, issue 1 Feb/March, 2008, pp. 162 -167. Backhouse, Megan; Hayden Fowler: Call of the Wild, The Age, November 17, 2007, A2 pg. 10. Bosben, Jo; Hayden Fowler, COFA UNSW Newsletter, April 2002. Bosben, Jo; (ed) The Resurrection, COFA Art and Design, issue 20, Summer 2008 Bramwell, Ali; Artist Run Initiatives, Artlink, v. 26, n. 2, June 2006, pp. 68-69. Buchanan, Kent; Image Captured (exhibition Catalogue), In Captivity, Dubbo Regional Gallery, 2009. Carsley, Gary; Hayden Fowler (interview), They Shoot Homos Don’t They? no. 0004, 2007, pp. 94-97. Clement, Tracey; Hayden Fowler, Sydney Morning Herald Metro, Sept. 1-7 2006, pg. 23. Corsini, Olivia; Hayden Fowler, ZOOM magazine – photographic art, Spring 2012, pp. 96-99.
Davis, Anna; MCA Collection: New Acquisitions in Context, (essay for exhibition catalogue), Museum Of Contemporary Art, Sydney Australia, 2010, pp. 4-9, 22-23. Davis, Suzanne; (ed.), Hayden Fowler, The Idea of the Animal (exhibition catalogue), 2005 Dick, Tim; Postcards, Sydney Morning Herald - Metro, August 18, 2003. Dover, Barbara; Eye to Eye (exhibition catalogue), Dubbo Regional Gallery, 2007. Dyer, Katie; Emerging Significance – Artbank’s Support in Context, Artbank Now, October 2010, pp. 10-11. Frost, Andrew; The colour of nothing: contemporary video art, science fiction and the Post, modern sublime, research essay, 2010. Frost, Andrew; White Faced Heron in Repose, Hayden Fowler catalogue essay, Gallery Barry, Keldoulis, 2006. Hancock, James; (ed.), Progress in Harmony, Space3 Gallery, 2005, pp. 92-93. Hart, Melissa; Call of the Wild, Art Monthly Australia, November 2007, pg.51, Higson, Rosalie; Living with animal magnetism, The Australian, December 4, 2006, p.18. Hill, Peter; The Sound of 28 Artist’s Clamouring to be Heard, Sydney Morning Herald Metro, April 18 2001, p.16. Hill, Peter; Unsettled Boundaries, Photofile, no. 79, summer 2007, pp. 36-39. Hunkin, Joanna; Performer marked man in name of art, The New Zealand Herald, March 15, 2007, p. 3.
John, Elton; (ed.) Fashion and Frame: Elton’s Sydney Gallery, Time Out – Sydney, Issue 8, December 12, 2007. Kibbler, Carrie; Hayden Fowler – Goat Odyssey, Artbank Now, April 2010, pg. 6. Low, Lenny Ann; Expo 2002, Sydney Morning Herald – Metropolitan, March 2, 2002. Macgregor, Elizabeth Ann; The Wandering – Moving Images from the MCA Collection (catalogue), Museum of Contemporary Art, 2013. Martin-Chew, Louise; Alternative Realities, Anne and Gordon Samstag International Visual Arts, Scholarship catalogue, 2008. Manford, Susan (curator); Hayden Fowler, RBS Emerging Arist Award Catalogue, pp. 20-21. McDonald, John; New Romantic, Sydney Morning Herald Spectrum, March 23-24, 2013, pg. 12. McFarlane, Robert; Companion Pieces, Sydney Morning Herald, December 20, 2006, p.22. Morton, Megan; Well Catered, Sunday Life: The Sydney Morning Herald Magazine, November 2, 2008, pg. 51. O’Malley, Mary; Postcards from Utopia, Uniken, August 2003. Patoka, Boris; Is There An Artist in the (Block)House?, Blitz Magazine, 29 July 2003. Reid, Michael: Hayden Fowler, The Art Oracle, Sydney Morning Herald: Good Weekend, August 30, 2008, pg. 13. Ross, Millie; Supernatural Memoirs of a Lost Land, Lilac Menace, March 2003.
Ruffels, Dr Troy; Understory, (essay for exhibition catalogue), Devonport Regional Gallery, Tasmania, Australia 2010. Serisier, Gillian; Video Art, The Australian Art Market Report, n. 19, Autumn, 2006, pp.26-27 Sisley, Alan (curator); Flaming Youth (exhibition catalogue), Orange Regional Catalogue, August 2006. Stephens, Jasmin; Call of the Wild, Hayden Fowler catalogue essay, Gallery Barry Keldoulis, 2008. Strickland, Katrina; RBS trains its focus on young artists, The Australian Financial Review, October 15 2009, pg. 21. Walcott, Rhianna; Hayden Fowler, Das Super Paper, Issue 23, May 2012. Watts, Richard; Get Wild, MCV, November 22, 2007, pg. 16. Wells, Jamelle; Cheap Seats, The Drum Media 3, July 2007, pg. 54. Were, Virginia; (ed.), Art About Town, Sketches, Art News New Zealand, autumn 2007, pg. 45.
Berlin, 2014