HOROSCOPES: MISS PEARL NECLIS

ARTS + CULTURE HOROSCOPES HOROSCOPES: MISS PEARL NECLIS – what your stars hold for March

Aquarius (the Water Carrier) 21 January - 19 February You might try slowing down a bit emotionally. Give yourself time to catch up on exactly how you are feeling and just enjoy everything around you. It might be just what you need and you may not feel so uncomfortable the next time you’re feeling vulnerable. Pisces (the Fishes) 20 February - 20 March You know what you want to say, but words escape you as you struggle to communicate your feelings this month. Once you are able to convey how you feel, don’t complicate matters by rambling on. Aries (the Ram) 21 March - 20 April Sometimes you can feel totally out of sync with what’s going on around you. Use your intuition or gut feeling when you feel disconnected in this way.

Taurus (the Bull) 21 April - 21 May Try not to over commit yourself to anything you really don’t want to do. If you do take on more than you can deliver, stepping back from some of your commitments will help you mentally. Gemini (the Twins) 22 May - 21 June Tensions and emotions will be stirred up this month as you try to prevent your feelings from distracting you at work. Working under pressure has always benefited you, but keep an eye on your stress levels. Cancer (the Crab) 22 June - 22 July Don’t try to think too much about your emotions this month even though you are an emotional person. It’s okay if you want to daydream, but don’t think too much about the road ahead - just enjoy the ride.

Leo (the Lion) 23 July - 21 August You can contribute as much as you like this month to any subject that pops up as you seem to be back on form. Just don’t profess to know everything about everything. Virgo (the Virgin) 22 August - 23 September You do like it when everything sits perfectly in its place but occasionally that square peg just won’t fit in that round hole. Take your time this month and you’ll get a solution for the problem that’s been bothering you. Libra (the Scales) 24 September - 23 October Trying to keep some sense of balance in your life is what you strive to do but when something upsets that balance you’re not always able to keep your reactions to yourself. Try to keep an eye on the direction you’re heading in and avoid whatever confrontations you can.

Scorpio (the Scorpion) 24 October - 22 November Trusting your instincts is what you do best and this month is no exception as you find yourself in a situation that is a bit out of your comfort zone. Stick to what you believe in and don’t trust other people’s judgement. Sagittarius (the Archer) 23 November - 22 December Just listen to reason if you can, and don’t make any decisions that could spiral out of control. Take notice of any advice that’s out there so molehills don’t become mountains. Capricorn (the Goat) 23 December - 20 January When everything is going right in your life it’s not always good to rock the boat just because you’re bored as it could have an impact on your future. Take time to look at what you’ve got. You’re a lot more fortunate than most.

L to R: Hiria Anderson at Tim Melville Gallery, Anne Shelton at Two Rooms, Bill Culbert at Fox Jensen McCrory

UPTOWN ART SCENE

With so many art events scrapped due to the latest - Covid-19 response, a group of us took great pleasure in visiting our local dealer galleries as they presented their first shows of the year.

We started at Tim Melville Gallery (4 Winchester Street) for Kōwhaiwhai, an exhibition of works by ten Māori artists. Greeting us as we arrived was a bright pink, life-size figure, with upraised arms crouching against a similarly brilliant pou, all composed of crochet. It’s the work of Lissy and Rudi Robinson-Cole and is the central pou of a whare they are installing at the Dowse in Wellington later this year.

Another vividly coloured piece by Kura Te Waru Rewiri was composed of eyes taken from cartoon characters – an attempt to get her tamariki to engage with art. Kōwhaiwhai appeared in paintings by Hiria Anderson and glassware by Tracey Tawhaio, and in a suite of beautiful blue ink drawings by Nigel Borell.

Brilliant hues continued to light our way through Grey Lynn, with Anne Shelton’s highly chromatic photographs at Two Rooms (16 Putiki Street), which use complex, smoking flower arrangements to depict the anti-establishment character of Lola Montez (1821-1861). Upstairs, Andrew Barber transforms the space with his painting installation. Pieces of oak embedded in resin created a floor like the flotsam of a shipwreck (the title of the work), while a wall-size canvas slices the ceiling with its Swandri-patterned painting. Next door at Fox Jensen McCrory (10 Putiki Street), Bill Culbert’s signature fluorescent tubes skewer plastic containers, illuminating them beyond their humble beginnings. They pierce tin cans and a suitcase, and spotlights attached to metal arms shine through window frames. In the office, the bright white tubes shine from two deep black panels, the result of collaboration between Culbert and Ralph Hotere – a very special sight indeed.

Our pursuit of colour brought us to Ivan Anthony (564 Great North Road) in Grey Lynn village. Denys Watkins’ paintings danced between lively, jostling shapes in saturated hues and pared-back, contemplative works. Smaller paintings were framed in flat timber boards, giving a strangely nostalgic yet homely feel to them.

In the back half of the gallery, bright dots of colour pricked the walls like constellations. A closer look revealed polyhedrons and spheres, no bigger than the tip of my finger, covered in densely packed markings. From a few steps back, they seemed to compose a rhythm with the spatial depth of the wall, while up close each held an intense and captivating tune.

There are dozens of galleries in our neighbourhood. Get out and experience their colour and vitality! (EVAN WOODRUFFE, Studio Art Supplies)  PN

www.studioart.co.nz