roundabout°

25 September 2010 – 16 January 2011
CITY GALLERY WELLINGTON

www.citygallery.org.nz 
www.aboutroundabout.com

Ernest Auora’s reflective collection Diaspora came about through a journey of self-discovery that was made possible through the revival of Pacific arts within this generation.

In this exhibition, Auora expresses his understanding of the migration of Polynesians to Aotearoa through reliving the migration process.

Motifs in this series depict specific attributes of historical significance; the artist has used bold colours, patterns and paddles to share his insight of the cultural wealth that lies beneath the surface of this subject matter.

16 July – 7 August
Fresh Gallery Otara, Otara Community Courtyard, Otara
Gallery hours: Tuesday – Friday, 10am – 5pm; Saturday, 8am – 2pm

The title of this exhibition pays tribute to the many different voices that are expressed through visual arts. The exhibition focuses on the voices of artists who have exhibited at the Mangere Outreach Gallery over the past two and a half years.

It is important that the voices of artists are heard, retelling in visual format the stories of the communities they live in and commenting on cultural, social, and political situations.

23 July – 27 August
Mangere Community Arts Outreach Service
Shop 17, Mangere Town Centre, 93 Bader Drive, Mangere
Tuesday – Friday, 9am – 5pm; Saturday, 9am – 3pm

Living Room 2011 – An Auckland City Council Public Art Event

Call for a Curator

“Living Room” is a key annual public art event for Auckland City, which aims to bring high quality art to the streets of the CBD over a weeklong period.

Living Room has been running for four years and has evolved and grown over that time. The event takes place in variety of public spaces, and includes a range of visual and performing arts projects – both static and moving. The Living Room 2011 programme will have strong performative aspects, and include performances, performative installations, ephemeral art projects, and video programming.

We are currently seeking expressions of interest from curators to develop and curate the Living Room 2011 programme. Council also appoints a project manager as part of the Living Room team who will work closely with the curator, and will manage the delivery of the event.

Our ideal candidate for curator will have a proven track record of innovative curatorial practice, be Auckland based, and be able to work as part of a high performing team to deliver an outstanding event.

The deadline for expressions of interest is Friday 30 July 2010, 5pm

See the attached document for more information, and visit the Auckland City Council website http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/whatson/events/livingroom/default.asp

Renowned International Artist Wendy Kawabata brings exhibition ‘Pull, Poke, Fold’ from Honolulu, Hawaii to the Corban Estate Arts Centre 15 July – 29 August.

Wendy Kawabata’s interest in New Zealand was first sparked by artist Fatu Feu’u whom she met during her time as Chair of the Intersections Visiting Artist and Scholar Program, at the University of Hawaii. Feu’u spoke well of the New Zealand art community and from there Kawabata’s curiosity and interest in New Zealand culture and contemporary art, lead her to propose an exhibition at the Corban Estate Arts Centre.

In her artistic work Kawabata is drawn to materials that bring their own history with them. In Withdrawn from Circulation, Kawabata uses old books that have been taken out of circulation from Honolulu’s public libraries. She purchased each book for $1 and by repeated and exaggerated ‘dog-earing’ she changes the books function, transforming them from what we know and expect, into a formal and beautiful installation.

“The interior of a book is traditionally focused on the individual and private experience of reading. With these books, their interiors have become exposed and rearranged – the private experience is no longer accessible. Now they’re the barnacles that grow on library walls, all activity and inactivity at the same time.” (Wendy Kawabata)

Wendy Kawabata earned a BFA from the Massachusetts College of Art and an MFA from the University of New Mexico. She has exhibited in numerous exhibitions across the USA and is currently a Professor of Art & Art History at the University of Hawaii.

Alongside ‘Pull, Poke, Fold’ local artists Beth Serjeant and Alison Milne respond to themes in Kawabata’s work. In ‘Ports of Call’ well known print and book maker Beth Serjeant, explores the emigration of her ancestors from Europe to New Zealand. An installation of artifacts, found objects and domestic craft illustrates and embellishes the route they took to reach the antipodes.

Alison Milne, textile artist, has created a faux gravesite with handmade, vibrantly coloured, fabric flowers in ‘In Lieu of Flowers’. She is referencing the care and attention Polynesian families give to their gravesites, where masses of real and plastic flowers, windmills, photos and memorabilia cover the graves, celebrating love, life and memories of home.

All three exhibitions open at the Corban Estate Arts Centre Gallery on Thursday 15 July and run until the 29^th of August.

For more information on CEAC exhibitions and events, visit www.ceac.org.nz

Cerisse Palalagi: Motunei
19 June – 12 September 2010 in the Deane Gallery
Art historian Nicholas Thomas writes in the catalogue notes for the exhibition Savage Island Hiapo (1998) that while Niuean hiapo (bark cloth) painting shares stylistic features with other painted or printed forms of tapa from the Pacific, it is distinctive in its use of freehand painting, the diversity of the motifs, and the irregularity of the patterning – painterly practices which Auckland based artist Cerisse Palalagi (Niuean, Maori), like John Pule before her, refers to as the cultural foundation for her art practice.

Characterised by an impressive mastery of a wide array of print and mark making processes such as silk screening, photographic emulsions, hand painting and drawing, embroidery and photography, Palalagi’s art merges hiapo practices with contemporary printing and portraiture.

Her works respond to her experience of current social trends and developments in Pacific cultures and community. Palalagi explains, “The patterns I use are a reflection of my identity. I like the juxtaposition of cultural symbols and people combined in my portraits. They are usually of people in my family, including myself. This is my way of reviving the culture, and showing people that our culture and language is not dead.”

Motunai, a Niuean word referring to ‘people of the land’, can also be translated as Motu nei meaning ‘this land or island’ in Maori language. However Motunei is more than just a reference to Palalagi’s Niuean and Maori heritage. Recognising the historical significance of landscape in Pacific cultures, Motunei acknowledges Pacific communities who now look beyond their home shores seeking a sense of belonging within a global community. Referring to the advent of fibre-optic telecommunications as a recent catalyst for this shift in social and cultural behaviours, Palalagi explores the influence of mainstream media and online cultures of communication on Pacific youth. Of particular interest to Palalagi is the influences of pop culture and the age of ‘digital devices’ on Pacific youth.

Reuben Friend

Curator Maori and Pacific Art

Biography
Cerisse Palalagi is of Niuean and Maori (Ngati Pikiao) descent. She was born in 1977 and lives in Auckland. She works predominantly in the mediums of printing, painting and drawing and more recently photography. Palalagi graduated from Auckland University’s Elam School of Fine Arts with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2000, and is currently studying towards a Masters of Visual Arts and Design at Auckland University of Technology. Palalagi has recently completing a lithography print residency (2010) at the Auckland Print Studio, Unitec New Zealand, Auckland, and in 2008 attended the Tenth annual Pacific Arts Festival, Pago Pago, America Samoa.

Palalagi is an active member of Toi Whakataa Press, the Maori Print Collective and exhibits regularly in Aotearoa New Zealand and abroad. Recent exhibitions include Native Coconut (2010), Fresh Gallery Otara, Auckland, Taa Moemoea (2009), Solander Gallery, Wellington, Strengthening Sennit (2008), St Paul St Gallery, Auckland, Red Thread (2008), Okaioceanikart Gallery, Auckland, Ranea (2008), Fresh Gallery Otara, Auckland, Pocahontas meets Hello Kitty (2007), Richard F Brush Art Gallery, St Lawrence University, New York, and Squeak Toy Animals (2006), Wisconsin, USA.

FHE GALLERIES  PRESS RELEASE:

CHRIS CHARTERIS

“To the Heart of the Matter”

Making the ordinary “extraordinary” has for more than twenty years underlined the motivation and passion in Chris Charteris’ work. The forth-coming exhibition, “To the Heart of the Matter”, showcases the depth and intensity behind Chris Charteris’ sculpting career.  

The heart symbol is a new motif for Charteris, seen in this exhibition for the first time.  It explores the essence of the heart as a deeply felt metaphor.  As a symbol it has become overloaded with meaning and significance to the point where it would seem empty and a cliché; “and this was a challenge to work with” says Charteris. 

He comments:

The hardest part is the space before an idea.

I wanted to revert our attentions back to the original connotations of the heart symbol.

My symbols and motifs are often rooted in Pacific heritage – they relate to cultural forms and designs.  They also relate to my family and a sensation of belonging and spirituality.

Despite all efforts if is hard to transcend your own culture but there are many concept and symbols that have universal meaning.  My work relates back to the Oceanic by finding forms that are universal; I bridge all the cultures together. 

Charteris’ cultural background and personal philosophy are apparent in his work.  Referencing the Maori notion of taonga, he believes that everything is a living thing, that even inanimate objects possess a life essence;

Rocks are not dead – their spirituality and energy are eternal. 

The life of an object is continuous; it is impacted and influenced by the way in which it interacts with other people. 

“To the Heart of the Matter” consists of a variety of sculptural objects including contemporary light boxes, large-scale adornments and traditional carving.

Chris Charteris’ work is sought by collectors all over the world and his “Navigator’s Necklace” has recently been acquired by the British Museum and is currently on show in London.

His works are in tune with nature; melting into the environment whilst dwelling upon some of the most beautiful and intimate details that we may often overlook. 

The show is to run from the Sunday 16th of May to Saturday 12th of June 2010. 

Website: www.fhegalleries.com

Image – Chris Charteris, Heart of the Matter, 2010 

Art is more than framed pictures arranged prettily on a wall. Get in the know about art genres of the future – come and check out the exciting world of experimental moving image and performance art at Tautai’s OFFSTAGE  2 at Galatos, Friday March 26 from 7pm.

Artists are given the opportunity at Offstage to showcase new and experimental work. Moving images are given a maximum of five minutes and performance limited to ten minutes, so the audience will be treated to a veritable feast of cutting edge art with no danger of boredom creeping in.

Offstage is in its second year, having been a great success last year with more than 30 works shown including performance pieces, poetry, song and video.

Arrive curious, become engrossed, and walk out feeling energised. Offstage is going to be off the wall.