Tauranga Art Gallery - Toi Tauranga

Surface Tension, where art meets science - 21 May 2010

Tauranga Art Gallery’s latest exhibition, Surface Tension, is where art meets science.

Surface tension is a term that applies to liquids, where the outside surface of a liquid will behave in a similar manner to a solid, in much the same way as a skin. Therefore a droplet of liquid that will stay contained like that until the outside surface is broken and the liquid runs free.

The artists in Surface Tension have used this principle to work on a 2-dimensional surface yet create 3-dimensional works.

The exhibition consists of work by seven New Zealand artists who are concerned with the texture of the painted surface. Each of the artists treat their surface in a different manner, either by manipulating the actual surface, adhering objects to it, or applying differing layers of paint to create a 3-dimensional quality. In the case of Geoff Dixon’s works, his cascading drips of fluid paint creates the appearance of lush, dense rainforest through which one catches flashes of bright plumage.

Auckland artist Alexander Bartleet crams his canvas with discarded objects and remnants of life, such as hinges, mobile phones, pieces of jigsaw puzzles and fishing twine, to create a seething energised mass. He then adds his own variation by over-painting and rubbing back. To label his work as mixed media on canvas does not do it justice. His modernist still-life works erupt from the surface of the canvas as though each item is vying for the attention it had in its former life.

Miranda Parkes approaches the idea that paintings do not have to have a flat surface. Much like the droplet of liquid, her pre-painted canvas bubbles from the surface, creating the illusion of soft, billowy fabrics that are instead rigid.

James Robinson’s work is full of tension of another kind. His personal life on the edge of psychosis manifests in the 3-dimensional rips and tears, layers of canvas, dark chasms, signs and symbols and scribbled messages that gives hint to the angst he has endured. Through the textured network of fibres one gains insight into Robinson’s darker thoughts and struggles.

Other artists in Surface Tension include Katie Thomas, Charlotte Adams and Peter Panyoczki, and the works have all been sourced from dealer galleries.

As Gallery Manager and curator of the exhibition, Penelope Jackson says, this exhibition complements a broad selection of exhibitions at the Gallery. “The Kathleen Kirkby Collection offers a traditional selection of paintings. John McLean is a contemporary artist with a pseudo-Surrealist style while downstairs we have Harfleet’s and Sarten’s social commentary. Surface Tension offers a lively, colourful exhibition that can fit comfortably alongside both painting and sculpture.”

Surface Tension can be viewed at the Gallery until 1 August.