Miranda Parke’s, exhibition of new paintings, Relationship Status at the Jonathan Smart Gallery is one of 24 exhibitions opening in July in Ōtautahi Christchurch and Waitaha Canterbury.
All details are in July’s Artbeat as well as coverage of the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū’s permanent collection rehang, Te Wheke Pathways Across Oceania, Reuben Woods reflects upon the social responsibilities of street art, Art Hole in St Asaph Street opens 4 exhibition over as many weeks, Arts in Oxford Gallery announces printmaker Jo Ernsten as their 8 week artist –in-residence for July and August - and much more.
Miranda Parkes, Mary Magdalene Approaching the Sepulchre, from the Later Italian Painting series of collages, 2019-20, mixed-media on book pages
Light isolates objects. Geography isolates towns. As a country, we addressed isolation through different levels during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Routine Isolation photographer Heather Milne addresses the idea of isolation as an everyday occurrence in rural New Zealand. The exhibition includes photography from collections: Rapaki 2019, Rakaia.. Keep Reading
The invitation to the Christchurch Art Gallery te Puna o Waiwhetū’s new take on its collection, Te Wheke Pathways Across Oceania is celebrated on the east wall of its building and the wall above the foyer with two new works by Kelcy Taratoa, (Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāti Raukawa). On the east wall on Worcester Boulevard is Te... Keep Reading
Polynesia and the Pacific region, and migration and belonging are allocated centre-stage in Te Wheke Pathways Across Oceania, an exhibition that draws from works in the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū collection. It is exciting and enlightening experience developed by the Gallery’s curators in consultation with curator of Cook... Keep Reading
A rehanging of the bread and butter display of the permanent collection is always going to be an event. It’s fascinating to see how the old (and new) favourites will be reinterpreted for the Zeitgeist, what gets retired and what’s brought out again. Te Wheke Pathways Across Oceania is unusual for such a hang in that it has opted for a... Keep Reading
An encounter with Anthony Davies’ prints, whether in a publication or the space of an art gallery, is always a wakeup call. The imagery of his work could not be further removed from popular sentiment or the misnomer that the visual arts are somehow removed from the reality of life. The English-born printmaker resident in Aotearo New Zealand.. Keep Reading
Art Beat
New works from Kara Burrowes at Chambers Gallery in July touch upon the visible influence of time, place and circumstances in Lockdown Series 25320201159, a title that needs no explanation. Yet, although a shift in terms of materials and the working of surfaces, in Burrowes’attention to the surfaces she manipulates and refines, there remains. Keep Reading
As protests have spread across the United States and the globe in response to the death of George Floyd and the long history of police brutality against black lives, there has been a notable visual aspect alongside the crowds of people: the art of protest. While there have been a number of legally produced projects, such as the memorial mural... Keep Reading
With a personal interest in nineteenth-century European and New Zealand art, I was especially keen to see Endless Light soon after it opened. It features twenty-two oil paintings, all of which are drawn from the Gallery’s historic collection. The works date from between the seventeenth century and early twentieth century, capturing... Keep Reading
Towards the end of 2019 Christchurch City Council launched a new arts policy and strategy for the city and its residents. Toi Ōtautahi – Strategy for the Arts and Creativity in Ōtautahi Christchurch replaced its well overdue 2001 predecessor with a well-researched consultative document with attitude. Toi Ōtautahi/... Keep Reading
NZ Bear Hunt It’s not overly clear where the phenomenon of teddy bears in windows to cheer up people in their bubbles of pandemic self-isolation came from. It was already popular overseas before the Facebook page “We're Not Scared - NZ Bear Hunt” appeared (it has around 8000 followers) and Prime Minister Jacinda... Keep Reading
Maurice Askew (1921-2020). Designer, Filmmaker and Teacher Maurice Askew was appointed Lecturer in Design at the University of Canterbury’s School of Fine Arts in 1962 by Professor John Simpson who, since his arrival at the SFA three years earlier, was in the process of redesigning its curriculum. Askew’s... Keep Reading
Uncomfortable Silence How many times have you been to an art exhibition where it becomes evident that art and artists in day jobs distinctly blur lines of focus? It is a theme that comes through in Uncomfortable Silence, a group exhibition curated by Holly Best at the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū. It is a... Keep Reading
Christchurch Art Seen No city in Aotearoa New Zealand knows better than Christchurch that at times of crisis people reach-out to the arts. This has happened once more in the Covid-19 lockdown period. What we also see is that the arts reach back into the community. For Christchurch Art Seen this has occurred through continuing weekly... Keep Reading
Sarah Laing, The Covid-19 Diaries Sarah Laing describes herself as a cartoonist, fiction writer, illustrator, graphic designer and mother of three. Her cartoons and comic books are autobiographical, covering all aspects of the days of her life. From 26 March she began The Covid-19 Diaries, an online journal with pictures... Keep Reading
I’m getting into the rhythm of being at home and having time to be in my studio - day after day! It’s still frighteningly easy to get distracted, so many books to be read and blockbuster series to watch and news to tune in to. Still there are no excuses. So the studio has been tidied and the work is... Keep Reading