Unseen: the changing collection

Article
Hidden in Plain Sight

Hidden in Plain Sight

In 1997, I went to see an exhibition called White Out, curated by William McAloon for Auckland Art Gallery’s contemporary space. The show’s subtitle unambiguously promised ‘Recent Works by Seven Artists’, but as I completed my circuit I realised I’d come up one maker short. 

Exhibition

Unseen: The Changing Collection

A selection of exciting recent additions to Christchurch's public art collection.  

My Favourite
Peter Stichbury's NDE

Peter Stichbury's NDE

Anna Worthington chooses her favourite work from the Gallery collection.

Collection
Untitled

Leigh Martin Untitled

For the exhibition Yellow Moon: He Marama Kōwhai (28 October 2017 – 28 October 2018) this work was displayed with the following label:

How does it make you feel, this much yellow? Auckland-based Leigh Martin invites us into something big and simple – to feel and experience this colour strongly, up close, glowing, without distraction. Although minimalist it is not empty or silent, and feels generous; a vast surface loaded with carefully poured and layered colour.

Notes
Kauri tree landscape by Colin McCahon

Kauri tree landscape by Colin McCahon

This article first appeared as 'Mighty kauris inspired McCahon' in The Press on 10 February 2015.

Collection
Dead Head

Tjalling de Vries Dead Head

Intrigued by the deceptions inherent in the act of painting, Tjalling de Vries often exposes tricks of the trade that usually pass unnoticed, while incorporating falsehoods of his own – like painted-on masking tape, counterfeit spills or creases and intricately layered surfaces designed to confuse and misdirect the eye. In Dead Head, transparent polyethylene takes the place of a canvas support, destabilising the picture plane as a site of illusion and suspended disbelief and allowing a view ‘through’ the painting to the wooden stretcher behind.

(Unseen: The Changing Collection, 18 December 2015 – 19 June 2016)

Collection
Cerulean Slipping

Marie Le Lievre Cerulean Slipping

Ōtautahi Christchurch-based artist Marie Le Lievre’s Cerulean Slipping invites the viewer into the mysterious exploratory pleasures of her painting process. Employing crisp, hard edges alongside blurred boundaries and well-orchestrated liquid merge, it blends semi-controlled and unpredictable procedures. The result hints at mapping, rivers and flood plains, as well as chemical reactions or microscopic examination, while at the same time suggesting a multi-layered imaginative state.

(Perilous: Unheard Stories from the Collection, 6 August 2022- )

Notes
NUD CYCLADIC I by Sarah Lucas

NUD CYCLADIC I by Sarah Lucas

This article first appeared as 'A visible means of support' in The Press on 26 September 2014.

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