B.
Past Talking to the Future
Behind the scenes
Mark Adams' exhibition 'Portrait of the Painter Tony Fomison' opened at the Chamber Gallery in the Rangiora Library last Sunday.
This exhibition is simply stunning and provides a fascinating glimpse into the life of Fomison from his early years in Christchurch, his time in Auckland, including images of Fomison receiving his pe'a (Samoan tattoo), as well as interior views of the artist's house after his death in 1990. Many of the photographs were reproduced in Fomison's catalogue 'What Shall We Tell Them' but nothing beats seeing the original prints on display in a gallery. This is an exceptional exhibition and a rare opportunity for Canterbury audiences to see the work of Mark Adams so make sure you get out to Rangiora before it closes on the 31st May. Check out details on-line here.
Mark Adams, New Zealander, b.1949, Portrait of the Painter Tony Fomison at Tai Tapu, Banks Peninsula, 1972 1972. Collection Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, purchased 2007.
Related
Collection
Marti Friedlander Tony Fomison / Philip Clairmont
Here Marti Friedlander has created an iconic image of two important New Zealand artists. She captures something of their friendship, together in the living room of fellow artist, Alan Maddox (1948 -2000). Tony Fomison (1939 -1990) and Philip Clairmont (1949 -1984) shared a studio in the early 1970s. This is one of a series of documentary photographs Friedlander made of New Zealand artists from 1977 to 1979. Although image records one particular moment, it also speaks eloquently of the character of these two bohemian artists. Friedlander was born in London, studied photography at Bloomsbury Technical School and worked as a photography studio assistant in London. In 1957 she travelled through Europe, photographing people and places as a visual diary. Friedlander arrived in Auckland with her New Zealand husband, Gerrard, in 1958. During 1963 she travelled to Israel, lived in Tel Aviv and studied Hebrew. On her return to New Zealand she began taking photographs full-time. She was awarded the Companion of New Zealand Order of Merit in 1999.
Collection
Tony Fomison No!
Talk to the hand. The character in Tony Fomision’s No! holds up his hand to the viewer in a gesture of defiance and refusal as he looks away. The antagonistic stance is based on an image cut from a 1966 newspaper of a local blacksmith horrified at the idea of a proposed urban subdivision near his village. This work was completed after Fomison returned to Christchurch from his overseas sojourn, a moment in which he developed his mature style: Overseas I had found a way of painting that is my way of painting, derived completely from my drawings. I had got on the right track after being put on the wrong track at Art School. Much of Fomison’s subject matter is gritty with a psychological intensity, as seen in No!, where the subject actively rejects the viewer, refusing to acknowledge them. Fomison stated: My paintings are brutal and lonely, and try to make the statement that the personal condition is more important, that self-knowledge is more important, than just painting flowers and landscapes.
(No! That’s wrong XXXXXX, 25 June 2016 – 30 April 2017)