review reflection

being from a close knit family of outspoken and opinioned people has given me a strong sense of self and the ability to make judgements of what i like. over time i have developed the skills to investigate the reasons i respond to things in such ways and to see how this can affect me and others who have similar encounters.
whilst visiting galleries and exhibitions for this course i have used my skills to review what i saw, what it made me think and how i responded to it.

as i have been actively envolved in the art community for many years i was comfortable in galleries and exhibition spaces. this also gave me a good experience bank to draw on and relate to when reviewing.

it was excellent to see the art and creative sector in auckland (and nz) so full of opportunities for varied cultural experience. as such, i tryied to have a good mix of genre so that i could explore a cross section of what is on offer.

my favourite visit was to de novo gallery in dunedin. they were exhibiting chris meders metal bird sculptures.
the elegantly assembled componets of rusty machinery was very compelling to me. this may be because i have a love of constructing things with my hands and could see a great deal of satisfaction in the making of these subjects.
also, i enjoyed the interplay between the bulky chunks of metal and the delicacy of the final designs.

conversely, i had an unenjoyable experience when i visited the orex gallery. the space was crowded and occupied by two conflicting artists, one of whom showcased the ugliest artwork i have ever seen. i considered that this might have been the point but eventually wrote it off due to the poor quality and craftsmenship.
...even so, it has all helped in shaping my knowledge of art and creativity and walk away with a few ideas of what not to do.

generally i have enjoyed the visits and have been able to take something away from each whether it be a greater appreciation for construction, ideas for new effects, or linkage to what has come before.

i look forward to making more contributions to the creative culture through my own endeavours and by exploring and responding to that of others.

OrexArt

Orex Gallery is nestled away by the fountain between Kitchener and Lorne Street. Today when I visited they were exhibiting works by two separate artists.
The babbling of water and seclusion was welcoming and provided a nice still atmosphere in which to view the works.

'Everything You Think Is Wrong', by Jennifer Mason, was somewhat of a surreal experience.
Her prints are of elements of the everyday edited together on computer. She has arranged images and subjects in such a way that they become macabre and strange.
To be honest I didn't care for any of this work. It looked to me like high quality prints of over photoshopped images stuck together to be as ugly as possible. Perhaps this is what the artist was trying to do..?
Either way, the size of the final pieces and the poor application of visual editing has left me wanting to know how these images would greet me if done using other media, such as oil paint.

Perhaps this artist has been drinking whatever that is in the chihuahua's bubbling flask....?



The second artist being exhibited was Richard Adams, with New Music.
Adams works proved to be very calming. His subdued tones, segregated spaces and acute composition was emotive and inviting.

His works were minimalist oil paintings with etched lines and rubbed, raw areas. The smaller details seemed to be trying to tell a story or perhaps (as the title may be pointing at) be retelling his experience of some new music he has found.

Some paintings were on canvass and some were framed. I didn't think the frames suited his style or these works as it restricted the motion I saw in other, frameless, examples.

I feel that his works are easy to approach and appreciate on an immediate level, as well as giving the viewer the opportunity to sit and find more with time.
I would certainly buy one of these paintings (probably 'Track 5' or' Track 9') if I had a decent wall to hang it on or $10000 to pay for it.

Roger Ballen - St Paul Street Gallery 28/5/09

As i was walking to the 3D lab on St Paul Street (AUT) a strange image graced my eyes. A square, black and white image of two near identical, tough, lanky looking guys with exceptionally large ears stared out at me.
Inside the gallery i was greeted with a whole lot of individually mounted, square photographs set at eye level for a standing audience.
The images were all the same size and placed next to one another to create the illusion of a film strip.
Ballen seemed to focus largely on the 'human condition' in this exhibition, exposing the audience to some of the grittier aspects of humanity, like hope in an inhospitable environment. ...some images had no human subject but showed selected settings and manifestations of the impact we have on our surroundings.

The thing i found most compelling about this experience was the way Ballen was able to capture and portray deep emotion in the eyes of his subjects.

chris meder - de novo gallery

chris meder is a dunedin based sculpture artist who uses rusty old components of mechanical devices to create his works. he usually uses fairly identifyable parts of trains, cars, lawn mowers, rock crushers etc to depict various animals. in this exhibition he focussed on native birds of new zealand, and although he didn't have his mighty moas showcased, he did have some awesome peices displayed...


i found it very compelling how meder creates such a sense of grace and beauty with his samples of robust, cumbersome metal. he uses subtle application of colour and polishing techniques to give his animals more character whilst retaining some of the original nature of his materials in the works.


meder is obviously a skilled craftsman. his welding is tidy and strong, and it impresses me how steady the birds are, given the weight. to me, this weight impresses the idea of substance. ..something homey and comforting.


i stopped in to his workshop while i was in dunedin......recently but he was out. even this was a funky, rustic building. and i had heard from the assistant at de novo that he has cast iron kelpies guarding his ute - this i would love to have seen;

the very top subject is my favourite. the beady eye, the big red beak and a comical stature. i see something really friendly and relateable in this takahe. if i had a spare $1950 i'd buy it i think. -it is very funny how this junk has been rearranged and turned into gold!!

Picturing History

Goldie to Cotton - Auckland Art Gallery

this exhibition showcases some of New Zealands greatest and most influential artists, and gives insight into some of the grittier aspects of the history of 'our Aotearoa, New Zealand'.
Works cover early arrivals to our land, colonial influence as well as cultural integration and assimilation of our people.

the space is layed out well with plenty of room to move around the peices. staff are friendly, and keen to help.


works...

i particularly liked a peice called 'conversion 3.33R', by Robert Janke. it comprised of twelve mounted, lead cast axes with colonial religeos symbols, numbers and letters. they were all almost identical and cojoured up images of the 12 deciples.
the axes made it seem menacing and thier placement -against the wall with the blades facing outwards- gave me a sense of tension and unease.

'tamati waka nene' was a nga puhi warrior and a signitary of the treaty of waitangi, painted by the much debated, charles frederick goldie. this image is typical of the iconic new zealand painter. i think this is a strong choice of subject, and is beautifully painted with deep greens and rich earthy tones, but his works have lost some of their significance to me as they have become over popularised.

another favourite was 'painting', by peter robinson. this was a very wide work that made me walk along in front of it, from one side to the next. i thought this was a good trick by the artist, to get me to emgage movment to veiw this work, as it is concerned with early crossings of maori to new zealand. robinson has used a limited colour pallet to stay true with elements of maori traditional art. strong images and a clear message make this work very appealing to me.

i think that everyone should see these works in person to appreciate their power and relevance to us as kiwi's as they tell they story of our history.

auckland boat show

the auckland international boat show had serious dollar signs oozing from every orifice. there were specialists from every boating supply niche imaginable - from gold plated cabin fixtures, to universal antifouling systems. big game fishing chairs, to pristine polished porta-potties. woolen captains hats, to 40 tonne anchor winches and hydraulic davits. and the boats....
millions of dollars worth of boats and accessories were on show.

i particularly liked the old sailing skooners with bronze winches, square sails, intricate rigging, and vanished wooden body work. these old vessels are so elegant and beautiful. the countless hours of elbow grease and ingenuity scream out from every meticulously scrutinised detail.

also, the floating, moveable, outboard powered gangway was a nice touch. this cut off the piers that show boats where docked to -which made it feel a bit more special and elite- whilst retaining functionality of the viaduct for members and public.

i would like to have seen a bit more emphasis put on the boats as apposed to the businesses (not to exclude the corporate aspect but to retain focus on the supposed stars of the show) and some interactive displays would have been a welcome addition too.

all round it was quite an enjoyable experience, and after a day of exploring the cream of aucklands' nautical elite in the scorching heat of the late summer sun, a cold brew in the viaduct was just the ticket.

KINGS OF MELON

so, the first cultural experience i enjoyed for semester one, 2009, was a audio visual extravigansa by those sweet, shy south americants, the Kings of Leon.

the band played their songs very well. especially the newer songs which i suspect were written with big stadium performances in mind. i remember seeing them play at the Big Day Out a few years ago and the sound quality just pailed in comparison. ...

when i first saw the stage set up my heart dropped into my left shoe. nothing special there as a far as i could see. ..however, when the boys started busting out their tunes the hidden lighting rig spewed into action. the syncronisation of the lighting effects and the song dynamics was perfectly executed and really enhanced the experience.

the vocalist, Caleb something-or-other (whom it turns out is loved dearly by the group of thirteen year olds who where sitting behind me) stuck to those tryed and true rock n' roll cliches in place of whitty stage banter. this didn't seem to put off the capacity crowd too much (the place erupted whenever anything was mumbled into the microphone), although i would have liked a little something more.

dont get me wrong they were very good, but where were the smashed guitars, bleeding fingures and the synicle in jokes that everyone seems to think they understand?