ARTS + CULTURE
Crossing the lines Local Freemans Bay resident, Brent Coutts, has just published his book telling the story of three homosexual New Zealand soldiers in WWII. ‘Crossing the Lines’ is the first history of New Zealand homosexual soldiers in World War II. Award-winning teacher, historian and local resident, Brent Coutts brings their experiences to life through the extraordinary experiences of Harold Robinson, Ralph Dyer and Douglas Morison, three men who shared a queer identity and a love of performance. As female impersonators in the Kiwi and Tui concert parties in the Pacific, they found a place to live as gay men within the military forces, boosting the morale of personnel in the Pacific Campaign and, along the way, falling in love with some of the men they met. After ten years of multiple first-hand interviews and painstaking archival research, Coutts discovered there was a surprising level of acceptance of homosexuality by the military, considering its illegal status. “We assume people had to keep their sexuality hidden and yes, discretion was necessary, but homosexual soldiers had a fairly open experience regarding being gay during the war,” says Coutts. Harold Robinson, a ballet dancer, found a role as the batman (personal servant) of Major John Marshall, who later became New Zealand’s prime minister. “He’s gone down in history as being one of our conservative PMs, yet, during the war, he had a batman who crossed-dressed.” Coutts discovered from court-martial files that very few prosecutions were carried out on grounds of homosexuality. “Of thousands of court-martials, there were just eight prosecutions involving ten gay men among the surviving records.” ‘Crossing the Lines’ reveals Harold’s friendship and later marriage to Auckland socialite and lesbian, Freda Stark. “Harold met Freda in Auckland, just as he was about to leave for Egypt. Freda sent him food parcels. Later, Harold got a soldier’s bursary to attend the Sadler’s Wells Ballet School in London where Freda joined him. They got married and tried for a few months to have a normal relationship.” This richly illustrated account, which includes rarely seen photos, is principally a story of mateship. It follows the men from their formative prewar lives to their experiences living in post-war London, where they embraced the many new possibilities available. It is a story of the search for love and belonging, and the foundation of the queer community today. This is the first ever published history of gay New Zealand soldiers during WWII. Written by award-winning, Freeman’s Bay based historian Brent Coutts, it is available now. PN
@ Whitespace
Trusttum/Twiss 2-20 August Philip Trusttum & Greer Twiss - a selection of works on paper. Greer Twiss is the “Godfather” of contemporary sculpture in New Zealand. For more than 50 years he has made sculpture, exhibited, been collected, been commissioned, taught, been reviewed and written about – without interruption. The development of New Zealand sculpture post World War II cannot be considered without the massive contribution of Greer Twiss as artist and as teacher. From a childhood interest in puppetry that saw him performing to audiences as a child and as a pioneer of television in this country, his making of figures evolved into the early cast bronze athletes that his reputation as a sculptor was built on. Greer rapidly emerged as a pioneer of cast metal in New Zealand, and as the figure head of contemporary sculpture. A major public sculpture group, in bronze, commissioned for Karangahape Road by the Auckland City Council secured his youthful reputation as a leading figure in the New Zealand contemporary art scene. Greer has remained always inventive, returning frequently to cast bronze as a favoured medium but also working in wax, sheet lead, sheet galvanised iron, wood and steel. He has exhibited widely here and abroad and has been the subject of two major retrospective exhibitions by the Wellington City Art Gallery and Auckland Art Gallery. Soon after graduating from the University of Auckland’s Elam School of Fine Arts he returned as a teacher, becoming an Associate Professor and Head of Sculpture. Not only has he been a powerful and persuasive figure as an artist, but he has also shaped and stimulated the talent of generations of students who have passed through his studios. He was made an ONZM for Sculpture in the Queen’s Birthday Honours 2002, and received an Arts Foundation Icon Award in 2011. (Dr Rodney Wilson. from Arts Foundation website). Philip Trusttum is one of New Zealand’s most recognised contemporary painters of major works. Philip graduated with a Diploma in Fine Arts from the University of Canterbury School of Art in 1964. In 1967 he travelled on a Queen Elizabeth 11 Arts Council scholarship and since then has travelled and worked in Europe and North America. He was part of ANZART at the Edinburgh Arts Festival in 1984 – the same year he exhibited on New York’s 57th Street at the Jill Kornblee Gallery. He has shown in Sydney, New York, Melbourne, Auckland, Wellington, Dunedin and Christchurch since then. In 1998 he was the only New Zealand artist reviewed in the New York Times. Philip Trusttum is represented in all major public and private collections PN within New Zealand. WHITESPACE, 20 Monmouth Street, T: 09 361 6331, www.whitespace.co.nz
TRUSTTUM / TWISS 2 – 20 AUGUST 2020 PHILIP TRUSTTUM + GREER TWISS
20 monmouth st, grey lynn, auckland | whitespace.co.nz
112 PONSONBY NEWS+ August 2020
PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
