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BIG RED |
07 May 2008 |
 Altering people’s perspective by creating something they can’t ignore is the intention behind sculptor Gaye Jurisich’s works.
It would be impossible to ignore BIG RED, a visual bombardment of shimmering red streamers suspended from the Atrium ceiling that rustle in the draft from the opening door; a total transformation of the cavernous white Atrium space.
Her use of red en-masse is overwhelming and designed to trigger the raft of emotions and responses that come with it. Blood. Hell-fire and brimstone. Passion. Love.
People are meant to interact with BIG RED. Not only will their visual senses be stimulated from the outside but those willing to walk inside it and be absorbed into the moving sea of red, will be confronted with a totally different emotion; for some claustrophobia, for others, maybe courage.
Jurisich creates site-specific sculptures using everyday utilitarian materials, often giving them a temporary reprieve from the rubbish; anything she can source in bulk. Materials that on their own are insignificant, but undergo a complete transformation when used en-masse. Things like drawing pins, leis, even cottonbuds. In BIG RED’s case, the plastic used to tie rubbish bags. Over 87.8 kilometres of it to be precise, made into 5,856 15m-long streamers.
Jurisich aims to challenge people by pushing the boundaries of contemporary art, and to facilitate opportunities for them to experience art in a different form. She also wants people to view a space differently to how it is usually, by transforming it into a work of art. She carefully considers the space, the environment and how best it can be used; place her sculptures in a different space and the result would be totally different.
Jurasich exhibited at Sydney’s Sculpture by the Sea in 2007 and has recently installed her work at Brick Bay Sculpture Trail and Waitakaruru Sculpture Park in the Waikato. She has been invited to exhibit in 2008 at the Westcott Bay Sculpture Park, San Juan Island, USA.
Exhibition Dates
Until October |
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ULTRAMarte |
20 May 2008 |
 ULTRAMarte recognises New Zealand's independence as a Pacific nation, and embraces our strong cultural ties to the countries of our European origins.
Comprises works from six contemporary New Zealand artists, several of whom now share their time between Europe and New Zealand: Gretchen Albrecht, Bill Culbert, Pip Culbert, Tony Lane, Fiona Pardington and James Ross.
These artist share a common deep-rooted New Zealand heritage, and draw inspiration from their European and international origins. As artists, they are grounded in New Zealand, but not confined to it, having either regarded overseas travel to Europe and North America as a necessary rite of passage, or taken advantage of overseas residencies to expand their opportunities and build successful careers.
Gretchen Albrecht and her English-born husband James Ross maintain studios in both London and Auckland. Bill Culbert traveled to England in the 1950s to study art, married Englishwoman Pip and has since lived in England and France. They regularly visit New Zealand to exhibit and reconnect with Bill's homeland. Tony Lane and Fiona Pardington both live in New Zealand but travel to and exhibit throughout Europe.
The exhibition developed from Tony Lane's idea to take an exhibition to Valencia (Spain) at the time of the America's Cup regatta, and was originally exhibited in Palma de Mallorca (Balearic Islands), to coincide with the celebration of the New Zealand Millennium Cup, Palma 2007 regatta.
Exhibition Dates
20 May - 20 July |
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EDWARD BULLMORE: A Surrealist Odyssey |
15 Jun 2008 |
 A Surrealist Odyssey is an extensive survey exhibition of Edward Bullmore, considered to be one of New Zealand’s earliest Surrealist visual artists.
Surrealism is a visual ‘stream of consciousness’ where the real world is filtered through the artist’s subconscious, manifesting into images that are often ambiguous and have different interpretations for viewers. Largely a Western European style, Surrealism has never been widely accepted in New Zealand, although it was in Australia.
Bullmore challenged the constraints of the New Zealand’s predominately nationalist art canon of the time, with his Surrealist fusion of the New Zealand landscape and the human form, and it was not until he traveled to Europe and England that he achieved success as an artist.
Bullmore taught to support his art career. His first teaching post was in Tauranga Boys' College in the late 1950s, during which time he held his first solo exhibition as guest artist of the Tauranga Art Society. Many of the works from this exhibition have since remained in local collections and are included in A Surrealist Odyssey.
Bullmore spent the next decade in Europe where he enjoyed exhibition success in several private and public British galleries. Film director Stanley Kubrick purchased two of his works, one of which appears in the cult movie, ‘A Clockwork Orange’. However he grew homesick, returning in 1969 to teach in Rotorua until his death in 1978, aged only 45.
In 2006, his widow Jacqueline, gifted a large collection of his works to the Tauranga Art Gallery in memory of the time he spent in Tauranga as a teacher and emerging artist.
Although Bullmore’s work was well received in Britain it has gained little attention in New Zealand; Surrealism has not traditionally been included in New Zealand’s art history. A Surrealist Odyssey seeks to redress the neglect of this significant New Zealand painter and sculptor.
Exhibition Dates
15 June - 21 September |
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REAL ART ROADSHOW |
13 Jul 2008 |
 The Real Art Roadshow will be in the Masonic carpark on Willow Street, behind the Gallery, over the school holiday period.
The Real Art Roadshow is a mobile exhibition of original work by more than 60 leading New Zealand artists. It tours the secondary schools around the country.
Aimed primarily at years 12 - 13, students are able to encounter a diverse range of paintings and drawings from artists such as Philip Clairmont, Don Binney, Jacqueline Fahey, Dick Frizzell,Tony Fomison, Bill Hammond, Milan Mrkusich, John Reynolds, Toss Woollaston, Maryrose Crook, Saskia Leek, Andrew McLeod and Kelcy Taratoa.
The selection of artists dovetails neatly into the current art curriculum and will add a completely new dimension for many pupils by giving them the opportunity to see the scale of the works, their colour, texture and detail.
A short essay accompanies each work. Visits are free, and the exhibition is open to all members of the public.
For further information on the Real Art Roadshow, visit the website: www.realartroadshow.co.nz
Exhibition Dates
Sunday 13 - Friday 18 July |
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