Past Exhibitions

Chosen

11 Feb - 7 Mar 2012

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Artists

Exhibition Works

Swan Woman
Joanna Braithwaite Swan Woman (2003)
The Wearer
Reuben Paterson The Wearer (2011)
Shielded Histories #8 (2006)
Robert Ellis Shielded Histories #8 (2006)
Awahou North
Karl Maughan Awahou North (2011)
Purl
Galia Amsel Purl (2011)
Matuku Moana Jugs (Pale Grey)
Mike Crawford Matuku Moana Jugs (Pale Grey) (2011)
Iris
Claudia Borella Iris (1998)
Ngahere Karauna (Forest Crown) #8
Evelyn Dunstan Ngahere Karauna (Forest Crown) #8 (2011)
Kawakawa Road
Karl Maughan Kawakawa Road (2011)
The Universe Hanging by a Golden Thread From the Floor of Heaven
Peter James Smith The Universe Hanging by a Golden Thread From the Floor of Heaven (2008)
Still Life with Red Jug
Dick Frizzell Still Life with Red Jug (2009)
Maerewhenua Spur
Bruce Hunt Maerewhenua Spur (2010)
Kaupapa (Autumn's Reach)
Evelyn Dunstan Kaupapa (Autumn's Reach) (2011)
Plate 6
Neil Dawson Plate 6 (2008)
Curved Square Vase (2011)
Ann Robinson Curved Square Vase (2011)
Renaissance
Sue Hawker Renaissance (2011)
Moon Watch
Joanna Braithwaite Moon Watch (2003)
He Says: Kia Kotahi Ki Te Ao, Kia Kotahi Ki Te Po
Reuben Paterson He Says: Kia Kotahi Ki Te Ao, Kia Kotahi Ki Te Po (2007/08)
Pa'ceania Part 2 - I
Andy Leleisi'uao Pa'ceania Part 2 - I (2010)
Shielded Histories #12
Robert Ellis Shielded Histories #12 (2006)
Infusion (Bullseye
Claudia Borella Infusion (Bullseye
Blues Begone
Sue Hawker Blues Begone (2011)
Cinnamon Patu [12379]
Luke Jacomb Cinnamon Patu [12379] (2007)
Grow 4
Galia Amsel Grow 4 (2010)
Pa'ceania Part 2 - IV
Andy Leleisi'uao Pa'ceania Part 2 - IV (2010)
Southern Slopes - Lindis
Bruce Hunt Southern Slopes - Lindis (2008/09)
Rapture I
Elizabeth Rees Rapture I (2008)
The Text Fails as the Cultural Fabric Fades
Peter James Smith The Text Fails as the Cultural Fabric Fades (2005)
Ngahere Karauna (Forest Crown) #9
Evelyn Dunstan Ngahere Karauna (Forest Crown) #9 (2011)
Murrine Patu [12376]
Luke Jacomb Murrine Patu [12376] (2007)
Crater - Archaeology
Neil Dawson Crater - Archaeology (2005)
Curved Vase #3
Ann Robinson Curved Vase #3 (2009)
Awahou South
Karl Maughan Awahou South (2011)
Idyll
Elizabeth Rees Idyll (2008)
Twist of Fate I
Joanna Braithwaite Twist of Fate I (2003)
Echo Resounding
Reuben Paterson Echo Resounding (2007)
Scallop Bowl
Ann Robinson Scallop Bowl (2010)
Blew
Galia Amsel Blew (2011)
BEAM - Golden Oak Leaves (2008)
Neil Dawson BEAM - Golden Oak Leaves (2008)
In the Purple
Sue Hawker In the Purple (2011)
Still Life with French Bread
Dick Frizzell Still Life with French Bread (1987)
Pa'ceania Part 2 - III
Andy Leleisi'uao Pa'ceania Part 2 - III (2010)

Exhibition Text

For the first new show of 2012, Chosen brings together painting, glass and sculpture to present a richness of artworks.

Neil Dawson’s public sculptures like Christchurch’s Chalice and Wellington’s Ferns have pride of place in their respective city centres, his domestic works are likewise unmistakable and unmissable. Using diverse imagery from geology to botany to porcelain, the pieces here bear the same rigorous form as his public works, but have dimensions suited to a domestic setting.

Established glass artists Ann Robinson and Galia Amsel reveal their mastery of the cast glass process, seamlessly combining large scale, clean forms and translucent colour to create sculptural works as Scallop Bowl and Grow 4. Also working in cast glass, Evelyn Dunstan’s Forest Crowns have a delicate intricacy that seems impossible to wrest from a medium as unforgiving as cast glass - her skill appears alchemical. Inspired by the endangered New Zealand Reef heron, Mike Crawford’s cast Matuku Moana Jugs are intimate in scale and subtle in colour.

Working with fused glass, Claudia Borella’s Iris and Infusion are wonderful examples of elegant forms enhanced with dramatic colour; the apparent simplicity of these works belies the exacting workmanship and honed skills that underlie Borella’s practice. It is easy to see why this artist has recently been honoured with an adjunct associate professorship at the University of Canberra.

Dramatic colour and scale also feature in the vibrant pate de verre vessels produced by 2010 Ranamok Glass Award winner Sue Hawker. Created in a single casting, her crystalline confections possess a weight and presence that seems improbable. This tension between strength and fragility is a hallmark of Hawker’s substantial vessels and is also evident in Luke Jacomb’s patu works, where traditional Maori weapons are made from glass blown using centuries-old Venetian techniques.

The paintings selected for Chosen likewise cover a range of media. Karl Maughan uses his oils to create layer upon layer of colour, providing rich depth to his garden views. Although their subject matter and painting styles couldn’t be more different, Bruce Hunt, Elizabeth Rees and Joanna Braithwaite are more restrained in their palette choices, preferring a subtlety of tones. Mathematician and painter Peter James Smith overlays his evocative landscapes with blackboard-style text, inviting consideration of how science, literature and art overlap.

‘Painting’ with glitterdust, Reuben Paterson’s unmistakable style provokes discussion about the roles of ‘low art’ and ‘high art’, and he continues his investigation into his own whakapapa and histories, something that Robert Ellis addresses in a broader way with his Shielded Histories and Andy Leleisi’uao in his Pa’ceania paintings.

As one of New Zealand’s most well-known artists who has worked in a plethora of styles throughout his career, the Dick Frizzell still lifes displayed in Chosen come from a period of exploration into naïve painting. Traditionally sitting on the fringes of the art mainstream, Frizzell has no qualms about placing his ‘naïve’ works firmly centre stage, validating their presence with the strength and acclaim of his personal art history.

exhibition catalogue