PAUL DIBBLE

PAUL DIBBLE

A Walk in the Park 31 Aug - 25 Sept 2013

www.milfordgalleries.co.nz

Milford Galleries Dunedin 18 Dowling Street (03) 477 7727 info@milfordhouse.co.nz

Parallel Worlds (2013) cast bronze, Corten steel, size: 3430 x 2116 x 807 mm, edition 1/1 + 1 AP

1

Tui (2013) cast bronze, size: 521 x 320 x 277 mm, edition of 10

2

Fantail Construction (2010) cast bronze, Corten steel part 1: ca. 2065 x 530 x 410 mm part 2: ca. 1990 x 620 x 410 mm part 3: ca. 2110 x 445 x 585 mm varied edition 3/3

3

Tui in the Kowhai (Medium 2) (2010) cast bronze, size: 1860 x 760 x 660 mm, unique

4

5

Flight of the Pigeon (2013) cast bronze, size: ca 525 x 319 x 444 mm, edition of 10

6

The Gold of the Kowhai (2013) size: 498 x 254 x 184 mm, 1/1 AP + edition of 2

7

Peeling the Apple (2012) cast bronze, Corten steel, tree: 3090 x 2100 x 1070 mm, figure: 1835 x 860 x 640 mm, unique

Choosing an Apple 1 (Model) (2012) cast bronze, size: 558 x 400 x 415 mm, unique

8

A Neighbour’s Fruit is the Best Fruit (Model) (2012) cast bronze, size: 611 x 346 x 350, unique

9

The First Orchard (2012) cast bronze, size: 675 x 357 x 287, unique

10

11

Choosing an Apple (Edition Model) (2012) cast bronze, Corten steel, size: 413 x 198 x 226, edition of 12

Paul Dibble is one of the most distinctive and considerable voices in NZ sculpture. “The human figure, objects drawn from contemporary life, the history of NZ and the Pacific form the subject of his work.” (1) His works have clear narrative purposes and contain considerable aesthetic dialogues.

Viewed as an inter-related body of work A Walk in the Park is a monument to human endeavour and (questions) our stewardship of the environment.

Dibble uses space, line, scale and visual deception in characteristically intriguing ways. He contrasts the linear, fabricated, rectangular forms and constructionist dialogues of Corten steel with the expressive, organic, abstracted bird-forms and the human figure in bronze. He builds wonderful metaphors of place and event using the mythic language and symbolism of birds. He uses cultural motifs and parable – The Garden of Eden – but places this in the context of where we live now and what we do there.

Parallel Worlds (2013) is a masterful work with the key elements (a walking figure, a huia) flattened like silhouettes, pointedly facing in opposite directions and thus the (metaphorical) past and future. He assuredly plays about with pictorial and sculptural space, directly contrasting naturalistic and organic elements with fabricated forms.

Peeling the Apple (2012) is a tableaux hymn to the season of plenty. Dibble uses repetition and spatial division to ‘set the scene’. We ‘feel’ the grass, we ‘know’ the place and ‘the moment’ - we ‘watch’ as he peels the apple, implicitly understanding how fresh and juicy that first fateful bite will be.

The First Orchard (2012) reveals a contemporary Eve. Dibble’s modernisation of that tale is likewise continued and examined in A Neighbour’s Fruit is the Best Fruit (2012).

Tui in the Kowhai (Medium 2)(2010) is a trademark work in which volume is flattened and two-dimensional perspective is rendered in 3D. Fantail Construction (2010) similarly has shallow space but the nuances and individual characters of the fantails – their abstracted and exaggerated scale, the tail feather flourishes – animate the group and unite the three distinctly different objects and spaces into a unified whole with the flat chocolate colouring of the Corten steel providing a grounded stage for “the expressive round surfaces of the bronze birds.” (2) The internal journey and narratives of the exhibition is completed with three superb works – the iconic The Gold of the Kowhai (2013), the wonderfully stylised Tui (2013) and Flight of the Pigeon (2013).

1. The Large Works of Paul Dibble, Bateman, 2012.

2. Ibid.

EXHIBITION PRICELIST 1

Parallel Worlds (2013) ed 1/1 + 1 AP

POA

2

Tui (2013), ed of 10

8,000

3

Fantail Construction (2010), varied ed 3/3

45,000

4

Tui in the Kowhai (Medium 2) (2010), unique

38,000

5

Flight of the Pigeon (2013), ed of 10

8,000

6

The Gold of the Kowhai (2013), 1/1 AP + ed of 2

8,500

7

Peeling the Apple (2012), unique

POA

8

Choosing an Apple 1 (Model) (2012), unique

12,500

9

A Neighbour's Fruit is the Best Fruit (2012), unique

14,500

10

The First Orchard (2012), unique

14,500

11

Choosing an Apple (Edition Model) (2012), ed of 12

4,500

All prices are NZD and include GST; Prices are current at the time of the exhibition

PAUL DIBBLE b. 1943, lives Palmerston North

Soft Geometric No. 16 (2004)

One of New Zealand’s most acclaimed sculptors, Paul Dibble’s works range from small maquettes to large public pieces. Working primarily in bronze and grounded in a twentieth-century European sculptural tradition, his stylistic hallmarks include organic and sinuous curves, richly burnished patinas and a finely weighted sense of balance.

Often figurative in nature, Dibble captures his subjects – often birds or humans - in a single moment but they are not frozen in time. The forms possess a tangible sense of barely contained energy and the elegant lines of the sculpture enhance the feeling of movement as the viewer’s gaze is drawn up and along and over the surfaces. This liveliness implies an ongoing narrative with which the viewer can engage, rather than presenting a solitary instant that is disconnected from a past or a future.

Ideas spring from a range of sources: “The New Zealand vernacular, and folk art and writings, birds – it’s all in there.”

(1) In his 2010 show ‘Bird’s Eye View’ stylised kereru, tui and piwakwaka perch on strong geometric forms made from Corten steel, the steel’s rusted finish acting as foil for the rich depth of the bronze. The huia in particular has special significance for Dibble and can be seen in a number of his sculptures as a reflection on the natural environment, and especially on the damage inflicted upon it by the heavy hand of man.

Dibble works from his own studio in the Manawatu and casts his own pieces with the help of two skilled assistants, using primarily ceramic shell/lost-wax and sand casting techniques. He has a clear preference for working with bronze: “you can weld it, you can cut it, you can slash it… I use other materials as well as bronze... but I have a preference for cast metal. It’s just so pliable.”(2) Concepts are sketched, modelled in wax and often mocked up in plywood prior to developing maquettes that work both as individual artworks, but also help to assess which forms will be best for large public-scale works.

One of Dibble’s most prominent works, the New Zealand Memorial ‘Southern Stand’, sits on a corner of London’s Hyde Park and was commissioned by New Zealand’s Ministry of Culture and Heritage. Unveiled in 2006, it is a collaborative work with architect John Hardwick-Smith (Athfield Architects) and references Maori pou, or markers, and iron fencing warratahs.

"The front wedge is dedicated to the war, celebrating the Maori Battalion, the army, navy and air force. It depicts the flags of both countries. Then as they climb up the rise the sculptures celebrate our sport, beaches, bush, trade and literature. There are excerpts of poetry, letters sent home by soldiers and all sorts of cast images and objects affixed to the columns. These include castings of shells from Foxton Beach, a rugby ball, an oar denoting our marine heritage and a fantail perched on a ledge, denoting impending death."(3) The breadth of imagery used not only clearly identifies the work as ‘Kiwi’ but also speaks to Dibble’s strong connection with his own identity as a New Zealander.

Born in 1943 in Thames and raised on a farm in Waitakaruru on the Hauraki Plains, Dibble graduated from Elam with Honours in 1967. Now based in Palmerston North, he received the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2004 and in 2007 an Honorary Doctorate from Massey University. He has numerous public sculptures across the country and his works are also held in a number of private and public collections including Te Papa Tongarewa, the Dowse Art Museum, the University of Waikato and Massey University 1.

2.

3.

p194, Artists @ Work, Wolfe Richard & Stephen Robinson. Publ 2010, Penguin. p190, ibid. http://www.artnews.co.nz/previous/26-4/26-4-studio.html. Accessed 3/2/12.

Paul Dibble 2013 CV P a g e |1

Milford Galleries Dunedin

www.milfordgalleries.co.nz

PAUL DIBBLE b. 1943, lives Palmerston North EDUCATION 1963-67 2004 2007 2011

BFA (Hons, sculpture) Elam School of Fine Arts, University of Auckland Awarded a New Zealand Order of Merit Honorary Doctorate received from Massey University, Palmerston North Fellowship received from UCOL (Universal College of Learning), Palmerston North

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS 2013 2012 2011

2010

2009 2008 2007 2006 2005

2004

2003

2002 2001 2000

1999 1998 1997

1996 1995 1994 1993 1992

A Walk in the Park, Milford Galleries Dunedin Recent Works, Black Barn Gallery, Havelock North A Decade of Sculpture, Page Blackie Gallery, Wellington The Ghost of the Huia and the Orchard, Gow Langsford Gallery, Auckland The Watchers, Page Blackie Gallery, Wellington Sources, Te Manawa Museum of Art, Science and History, Palmerston North For the Birds, Black Barn Gallery, Havelock North The Dance, Page Blackie Gallery, Wellington Bird’s Eye View, Gow Langsford Gallery, Auckland Performers, Brooke Gifford Gallery, Christchurch Thoughts about Men and Birds, Page Blackie Gallery, Wellington The Geometric Figures, Black Barn Gallery, Havelock North Paradise, Gow Langsford Gallery, Auckland Gods, Devils and Men, Black Barn Gallery, Havelock North In the Sticks, Black Barn Gallery, Havelock North Recent Bronze Sculpture, Martin Browne Fine Arts, Sydney, Australia Unfolding Model, Gow Langsford Gallery, Auckland Martin Browne Fine Arts, Sydney, Australia Whitford Fine Arts, London, United Kingdom Building on Modernism, Black Barn Gallery, Havelock North Soft Geometrics, Gow Langsford Gallery, Auckland Soft Geometrics, Bowen Galleries, Wellington Gorge Road Gallery, Queenstown Dibble, Black Barn Gallery, Havelock North Dibble Sculpture Exhibition, Gorge Road Gallery, Queenstown; Gow Langsford Gallery, Auckland Down the Line, Brooke Gifford Gallery, Christchurch Looking for Australia, Gow Langsford Gallery, Sydney, Australia Around the Firth of Thames, Bowen Galleries, Wellington Where the Owl Sits on the Water, Gow Langsford Gallery, Auckland Dibble Down Under, Lombardii Winery with Bowen Galleries, Havelock North Paul Dibble Survey Exhibition, Te Manawa, Palmerston North Unfinished Business, Gow Langsford Gallery, Auckland Balanced Gestures, Bowen Gallery, Wellington Opposites Attract, Michael Carr Fine Art, Sydney, Australia Works from 1999, Brooke Gifford Gallery, Christchurch Revisiting Formalism, Bowen Gallery, Wellington Gow Langsford Gallery, Auckland Drips and Drops, Manawatu Art Gallery, Palmerston North Brooke Gifford Gallery, Christchurch Bowen Gallery, Wellington Gow Langsford Gallery, Auckland City Gallery, Wellington Made in New Zealand, Manawatu Art Gallery, Palmerston North; Bowen Gallery, Wellington Gow Langsford Gallery, Auckland Bowen Gallery, Wellington Pacific Monarch, Manawatu Art Gallery, Palmerston North

Paul Dibble 2013 CV P a g e |2

Milford Galleries Dunedin

www.milfordgalleries.co.nz

1991

1990 1989

1988 1984 1983 1981 1979 1978 1976 1972 1971

Stories from the Hinterland, Dowse Art Museum, Lower Hutt Recent Editions, Bowen Gallery, Wellington Gow Langsford Gallery, Auckland From Reason and Myth, Manawatu Art Gallery, Palmerston North Bowen Gallery, Wellington Hawkes Bay Cultural Centre, Hastings Fisher Gallery, Auckland Manawatu Art Gallery, Palmerston North Dowse Art Museum, Lower Hutt as part of the International Festival of the Arts Manawatu Art Gallery, Palmerston North Wairarapa Arts Centre, Masterton Manawatu Art Gallery, Palmerston North Studio Exhibition, Auckland Manawatu Art Gallery, Palmerston North Manawatu Art Gallery, Palmerston North Barry Lett Gallery, Auckland Barry Lett Gallery, Auckland

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2013

The Review, milford galleries queenstown International Sculpture, Gow Langsford Gallery, Auckland Summer Show, Milford Galleries Dunedin Headlands, Sculpture on the Gulf, Waiheke Island 2012 Sculpture OnShore, Takapuna, Auckland Steele, Paint, Bronze, Gallery 33, Wanaka 2011 Auckland Art Fair, Gow Langsford Gallery, Auckland Sculpture in Central Otago, Rippon Vineyards & Winery, Wanaka 2010 Wanganui Sculpture, Wanganui River, Wanganui Summer Sculpture Exhibition, Gow Langsford Gallery and Cable Bay Vineyards Botanic Gardens Sculpture Exhibition, Botanic Gardens, Auckland A Beautiful Place, Gallery Thirty Three, Wanaka Shrunken, Brick Bay Sculpture Park, Warkworth 2009 Double Take, Gow Langsford Gallery, Auckland Landscape, Page Blackie Gallery, Wellington Sculpture on the Peninsula, Guest Artist, Banks Peninsula, Christchurch Sources: Paul and Fran Dibble, Mahara Gallery, Waikanae Crème II, Gallery Thirty Three, Wanaka Run Rabbit Run, Gallery Thirty Three, Wanaka An Artists’ Aviary, John Leech Gallery, Auckland Slugs, Snails and Spider Tales, A Closer Look at Conservation, Te Manawa, Palmerston North Collectively Speaking, Te Manawa Art Society; the first 50 years, Te Manawa, Palmerston North 2008 Autumn Catalogue, Martin Browne Fine Arts, Sydney, Australia Melbourne Art Fair 2008, Melbourne, Australia Spring Catalogue, Gow Langsford Gallery, Auckland With and Object in Mind, Gallery Thirty Three, Wanaka 2007-2008 Stoneleigh Sculpture in the Gardens, Auckland Botanic Gardens, Auckland 2007 12th Annual LA Art Show, Los Angeles, USA 2006 Melbourne Art Fair 2006, Melbourne, Australia Birds: The Art of New Zealand Bird Life, Pataka, Porirua Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi Beach, Sydney and Perth, Australia 2005 Miami Art Fair, Florida, USA Sculpture on the Gulf, Waiheke Island, Auckland 2004 Melbourne Art Fair 2004, Melbourne, Australia Shapeshifters, Lower Hutt Sculpture Exhibition, Bowen Galleries, Wellington Sculpture 2004, Gow Langsford Gallery, Sydney, Australia 2003 Sculpture on the Gulf, Waiheke Island, Auckland

Paul Dibble 2013 CV P a g e |3

Milford Galleries Dunedin

www.milfordgalleries.co.nz

2002 2000 1999 1998

1996 1995 1994

1993 1992 1989 1984 1982 1980 1978 1974

Miami Art Fair, Florida, USA Changing Spaces, Civic Square, Wellington Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia Gow Langsford Gallery, SPAN Gallery, Melbourne, Australia Australian Contemporary Art Fair 6, Melbourne, Australia (Re)visioning the Real, Lopdell House, Auckland; Robert McDougall Gallery, Christchurch; Sarjeant Gallery, Wanganui NZ Real, Milford Galleries Dunedin H2O, Dowse Art Museum, Lower Hutt Christmas Show, Gow Langsford Gallery, Auckland Flowers, Bowen Gallery, Wellington Australian Contemporary Art Fair 4, Melbourne, Australia Art Fair, Korea A Breath of Fresh Art, The Bathhouse, Rotorua Gateways and Lintels, Fisher Gallery, Auckland Art in Dunedin, Dunedin Art in Boxes, Manawatu Art Gallery, Palmerston North Hansells Sculpture Exhibition, Wairarapa Arts Centre, Masterton and toured nationally Hansells Sculpture Exhibition, Wairarapa Arts Centre Hansells Sculpture Exhibition, Wairarapa Arts Centre Selected with New Zealand sculptors as part of the Mildura Sculpture Exhibition, Mildura, Australia

SELECTED COMMISSIONS, RESIDENCIES & AWARDS 2011 2010

2009 2008 2007 2006

2005 2004 2002 2000

1999

1996

1995

Sculpture for Palmerston North Public Sculpture Trust site outside the Regent Theatre in the central city Sculpture for Hauraki District Council commemorating the Pioneers for the Ngatea Memorial Gardens Two sculptures for Upper Hutt City Council installed on roundabouts at either end of the city’s CBD Sculpture for Iona College, Havelock North Runner up in the Situate Competition for a sculpture in Forrest Place, Central Perth Sculpture for Moore Wilson, Wellington to mark the site of the original artesian spring Second sculpture for Lindisfarne College, Hastings Sculpture commission memorial to John Britten for the Dyslexia Experience Project in Christchurch The New Zealand Hyde Park Corner Memorial in association with John Hardwick-Smith from Athfield architects, opened on Armistice Day, November 11th by the Queen and attended by the Prime Minister of Britain and of New Zealand and by many members of the Royal Family Sculpture for Waikato University to celebrate their 40th anniversary Sculpture for Christensen Estate Winery, Waiheke Island Sculpture for UCOL (Universal College of Learning), Palmerston North Fourth sculpture constructed for The Point, Residential development, Auckland Lindisfarne College, Hastings Commissioned by IMOVE/Wellington Sculpture Trust, to produce sculpture for Wellington Airport round-about, Wellington Bruce Mason Centre, Takapuna, Auckland Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, large wall piece, Auckland Wanganui Collegiate School, Wanganui Three large sculptures constructed for The Point, Residential development, Auckland. Part of the America’s Cup development project Major piece purchased by the Robert McDougall Gallery to be mounted outside the Gallery entrance Commissioned to produce a large lintel, 3m high for the new Palmerston North library Moore Family, Wellington Sturtvant Family, Palmerston North Steel relief sculpture designed and made for the Globe Theatre, Palmerston North

Paul Dibble 2013 CV P a g e |4

Milford Galleries Dunedin

www.milfordgalleries.co.nz

1994

1993 1987/88 1985 1991 1979 1972 1970-77

The Tuna’s Song, Michael Camp QC, Wellington Bronze work for Dunedin Police Station A work celebrating the Centennial of the Palmerston North Hospital Dohmel Family, Vienna, Austria Residency, Dowse Art Museum during International Festival of the Arts QEII Arts Council of NZ Grant Commissioned to make Pacific Monarch 4.5m high bronze for outside the Manawatu Art Gallery, Palmerston North QEII Arts Council of NZ Grant Dr Neville Hogg, Dargaville Completed many religious sculpture commissions (crucifixes, tabernacles and candlesticks) for Architect James Hackshaw for churches, private chapels & catholic schools.

SELECTED COLLECTIONS Waikato University, Hamilton International Pacific College, Palmerston North Te Papa Tongarewa, Museum of New Zealand, Wellington Dowse Art Museum, Lower Hutt Hawkes Bay Cultural Centre, Hastings Robert McDougall Art Gallery and Annex, Christchurch Te Manawa (formerly Manawatu Art Gallery), Palmerston North Massey University, Palmerston North Massey University, Albany, Auckland Saatchi and Saatchi, Wellington Colenso, Auckland Colenso, Wellington James Wallace Trust Collection, Auckland Lambton Quay Harbour Board The New Zealand Memorial, London

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY 2012 2010 2002

2002

2001 1996

1992 1980

Dibble, Fran, Paul Dibble: The Large Projects, David Bateman publishers Wolfe and Stephen Robinson, Richard, Artists @ Work, New Zealand Painters and Sculptors in the Studio, Penguin Books, pg 184 - 195 Dunn, Michael, New Zealand Sculpture A History, Auckland University Press, pg 95 - 97 Caughey & John Gow, Elizabeth, Contemporary NZ Art 3, David Bateman publishers, pg 38 41 Rabbitt, Lindsay, Behind Every Strong Woman; The Hard Graft of Manawatu Sculptor Paul Dibble, NZ Listener 13 April 2002, pg 52 - 53 Vial, AKC Petersen, Gordon H Brown, Dorothea Pauli, Alexa Johnson & Fran Dibble, Jane, Paul Dibble, David Bateman Publishers, reprinted in 2006 with an extra chapter Big Art Trip Television Series, TV 1, Saturday 28 July Brown, Warwick, Another 100 NZ Artists, Godwit Publishing, pg 28 O’Brien, Gregory, Free / Standing - Paul Dibble in Wellington, Art New Zealand, Issue 80, Spring 1996, pg 48 - 50 Sloane, Debra, Inner Strength, NZ Listener, 29 June 1992, pg 44 - 45 Cape, Peter, Please Touch, Collins publishing, pg 50 – 52

Harmonies (2011)

Paul Dibble 2013 CV P a g e |5

Milford Galleries Dunedin

www.milfordgalleries.co.nz