Past Exhibitions

The Gendered Lens

20 May - 14 Jun 2017

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Artists

Exhibition Works

The Scarlet Woman, Valerian (Valerian sp.)
Ann Shelton The Scarlet Woman, Valerian (Valerian sp.) (2015/16)
The Mermaid, Wormwood (Artemisia sp.)
Ann Shelton The Mermaid, Wormwood (Artemisia sp.) (2015/16)
The Courtesan, Poroporo (Solanum sp.)
Ann Shelton The Courtesan, Poroporo (Solanum sp.) (2015/16)
The Comfort Woman, Stock (Matthiola sp.)
Ann Shelton The Comfort Woman, Stock (Matthiola sp.) (2015/16)
The Hysteric, Fennel (Foeniculum sp.)
Ann Shelton The Hysteric, Fennel (Foeniculum sp.) (2015/16)
Phoenix Block, Room #61
Ann Shelton Phoenix Block, Room #61 (2008)
Phoenix Block, Room # Unknown [Blue Bed]
Ann Shelton Phoenix Block, Room # Unknown [Blue Bed] (2008)
Phoenix Block, Room # Unknown [Veneer Door]
Ann Shelton Phoenix Block, Room # Unknown [Veneer Door] (2008)
Phoenix Block, Room #56
Ann Shelton Phoenix Block, Room #56 (2008)
Phoenix Block, Room #55
Ann Shelton Phoenix Block, Room #55 (2008)
Cell (after an Angel at My Table) Seacliff Asylum, North Otago
Ann Shelton Cell (after an Angel at My Table) Seacliff Asylum, North Otago (2003)
Therapies 5 (iii)
Christine Webster Therapies 5 (iii) (2013)
Therapies 1 (v)
Christine Webster Therapies 1 (v) (2013)
Therapies 5 (iv)
Christine Webster Therapies 5 (iv) (2013)
Therapies 4 (iv)
Christine Webster Therapies 4 (iv) (2013)
Therapies 1 (viii)
Christine Webster Therapies 1 (viii) (2013)
Therapies 9
Christine Webster Therapies 9 (2013)
Therapies 4 (viii)
Christine Webster Therapies 4 (viii) (2013)
Diva
Lisa Reihana Diva (2007)
PELT - Pilosus
Lisa Reihana PELT - Pilosus (2016)
PELT - Aquila
Lisa Reihana PELT - Aquila (2016)
PELT - Sabino
Lisa Reihana PELT - Sabino (2016)
Captain James Cook - Male (In Pursuit of Venus)
Lisa Reihana Captain James Cook - Male (In Pursuit of Venus) (2016)
Captain James Cook - Female (In Pursuit of Venus)
Lisa Reihana Captain James Cook - Female (In Pursuit of Venus) (2016)
Aquatic Centre, Tuanaimato
Yuki Kihara Aquatic Centre, Tuanaimato (2013)
Departure, Faleolo International Airport
Yuki Kihara Departure, Faleolo International Airport (2013)
Saleapaga Primary School After Tsunami Galu Afi, Saleapaga
Yuki Kihara Saleapaga Primary School After Tsunami Galu Afi, Saleapaga (2013)
Maui Descending a Staircase I (after Duchamp)
Yuki Kihara Maui Descending a Staircase I (after Duchamp) (2015)
Sprinting
Yuki Kihara Sprinting (2015)
Walking II
Yuki Kihara Walking II (2015)
Sina ma Tuna; Sina and Her Eel
Yuki Kihara Sina ma Tuna; Sina and Her Eel (2003)
Lalava Taupou
Yuki Kihara Lalava Taupou (2003)
Launiu Maiden
Yuki Kihara Launiu Maiden (2003)
Coprinus Picaceus
Fiona Pardington Coprinus Picaceus (2011)
Deer Head Drying, Te Rimu, Tikapa
Natalie Robertson Deer Head Drying, Te Rimu, Tikapa (2012)
Boiled Pig Head, Te Rimu, Tikapa
Natalie Robertson Boiled Pig Head, Te Rimu, Tikapa (2012)
Rock Fishing, Port Awanui (1 of 4)
Natalie Robertson Rock Fishing, Port Awanui (1 of 4) (2014)
Rock Fishing, Port Awanui (2 of 4)
Natalie Robertson Rock Fishing, Port Awanui (2 of 4) (2014)
Rock Fishing, Port Awanui (3 of 4)
Natalie Robertson Rock Fishing, Port Awanui (3 of 4) (2014)
Rock Fishing, Port Awanui (4 of 4)
Natalie Robertson Rock Fishing, Port Awanui (4 of 4) (2013)
Spoolhenge #3, South Pole, Antarctica
Anne Noble Spoolhenge #3, South Pole, Antarctica (2008)
Fuel Bladder, Siple Dome
Anne Noble Fuel Bladder, Siple Dome (2008)
Piss Poles, Antarctica - Aurina #3
Anne Noble Piss Poles, Antarctica - Aurina #3 (2008)
Bitch in Slippers
Anne Noble Bitch in Slippers (2008)
National Park (Self Portrait)
Ans Westra National Park (Self Portrait) (1963)
British Lions v All Blacks, Athletic Park, Wellington
Ans Westra British Lions v All Blacks, Athletic Park, Wellington (1971)
Anti Springbook Tour Demonstration, Wellington
Ans Westra Anti Springbook Tour Demonstration, Wellington (1981)
1990, 150 Years... and Still Waiting
Ans Westra 1990, 150 Years... and Still Waiting (1990)
Fat Freddy's Drop
Ans Westra Fat Freddy's Drop (2005)
From 'Behind the Curtain'
Ans Westra From 'Behind the Curtain' (1999)
Women Against Pornography, Demonstration Outside Cinema Wellington
Ans Westra Women Against Pornography, Demonstration Outside Cinema Wellington (1984)
Repainting the Exterior of the Purple Onion Striptease Club after a Fire, Vivian Street, Wellington
Ans Westra Repainting the Exterior of the Purple Onion Striptease Club after a Fire, Vivian Street, Wellington (1971)
Invercargill, Southland
Ans Westra Invercargill, Southland (1971)

curators' introduction

 

Curators Vanessa Jones and Lisa Wilkie introduce The Gendered Lens exhibition.
Video production: Fabia Oliveira
 

exhibition text

The Gendered Lens explores the ways in which New Zealand women use the camera to conceptualise and frame the world.  Milford Galleries curators Vanessa Jones and Lisa Wilkie have brought together works by a selection of New Zealand’s most prominent female photographers to examine the conceptual, aesthetic, and medium-specific concerns that underpin their artistic practices.

Susan Sontag calls photography a polylogue, which is built upon interchangeable points of view (1) and the works in The Gendered Lens illustrate this, investigating social histories, cultural matrices, and the roles of place and time. Some bodies of works do overtly consider the performance and reproduction of gender in the everyday: Christine Webster’s Therapies series examines the societal/historical constructs in which the aging, female body exists and is viewed. Yuki Kihara looks at the intersection of gender with narratives of race and colonisation as she addresses the ways Pasifika bodies and cultures have been - and continue to be - objectified and commodified.

In the juxtaposition of the highly produced portraiture of Lisa Reihana and the intimate social documentary of Ans Westra, the viewer might consider the roles of insider or outsider, and the alternate perspectives of each. Anne Noble’s Bitch in Slippers is simultaneously a commentary about human impact on the environment as well as a consideration of the visibility of the feminine in the traditionally masculine arena of Antarctic exploration. Noble’s works sit beautifully alongside Natalie Robertson’s image of communal food gathering which present an alternate view of male community.

Ann Shelton’s Jane Says series makes visible female knowledges that have been (sometimes violently) subjugated over time. Her presentation of abortifacient plants and herbs is a pointed re-interpretation of the still-life tradition of memento mori, as are the poisonous fungi of Fiona Pardington’s Coprinus Picaceus.

 
1. Susan Sontag, On Photography, New York Edition, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1973
 

essay

A full length essay by co-curator Lisa Wilkie accompanies the exhibition. Click on the link below to read.

The Gendered Lens - Essay by Lisa Wilkie

Exhibition Views