Detail – Metamorfosi, 2021, Chiara Rubino (Matera, Italy) and Cathy Carter (Auckland, NZ)
Archival pigment ink photographic print on Hahnemuhle photo rag 306gsm. 140 x 90 cm.
Two more works in the main gallery. More photos on artsdiary.co.nz
Left of doorway: Planetscape by Lloyd Lawrence (NYC, USA) and Sonja van Kerkhoff,
The Shaman and the Healing Tree (with mirror) by Jessy Rahman (NL) and Sonja van Kerkhoff.
Metro Manila, photo-print by Nawruz Paguidopon
Above: A Paradox of Place by Sonja van Kerkhoff. Acrylic on wood, 61 x 84 cm. Wood from the Netherlands with a view of Matariki (The Seven Sisters constellation) as above Aotearoa.
Earthscape I, II, III, by Lloyd Lawrence (NYC, USA) with Sonja van Kerkhoff, 3 laser prints on transparency. Limited Edition of 5. Approx 29 x 20 cm. Lloyd emailed photos of his colleges made out of Art Catalogues, giving Sonja freedom to print them in any manner.
Diary of Dust, 2016, Animated, Produced, and Directed by Dave Brown. 2 min 53 sec animation featuring Jumaadi’s, 2014, 7 metre drawing made during a residency at the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art, College of Charleston School of the Arts, South Carolina, U.S.A. The Halsey Institute commissioned San Francisco-based filmmaker Dave Brown to make this video animation with original gamelan music, composed and performed by Nathan Koc.

Philoxenia 4, 2021, by Emma Papadopoulos. Acrylic on paper, 24 x 30 cm
Josephine’s Mother by Sonja van Kerkhoff, photo-print, 10 x 10 cm, crushed paper – Naomi Roche.

Detail of the main gallery – works by Aodhán Floyd (Cork, Ireland), April Shin, Brenda Liddiard, Jumaadi (Australia/Indonesia), Emma Papadopoulos (greece), Masud Olufani (USA) and Ursula Christel, Nawruz Paguidopon (The Philippines), Phil Dadson, Pietertje van Splunter (The Netherlands), Shaeron Caton Rose (UK), and Xiaojie Zheng (SF, USA/Wenzhou, China)

selfies from the other side – Aodhán Floyd, Chiara Rubino, Emma Papadopoulos, Jessy Rahman, Jumaadi, Lloyd Lawrence, Martin Wohlwend, Masud Olufani, Nawruz Paguidopon, Pietertje van Splunter, Robert Hamilton, Shaeron Caton Rose and Xiaojie Zheng

Details about each selfie is here: sonjavank.com/takecare/

The Wealth of the Nation, 2021, by Masud Olufani (Atalant, USA)
and Ursula Christel (Warkworth, NZ).
4-minute video, with accompanying text and a wall installation in the main gallery. Repurposed metal birdcage and brass bell, 2 framed digital prints, NZ native timber, cut and burnt copy of Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations (first published in 1776), twine, shellac. POA. The installation is a reinterpretation of The Wealth of the Nation (2019) by Masud Olufani; re-framed in New Zealand by Ursula Christel, in consultation with Masud.

Global Pandemic, 2021, by Robert Hamilton and Bev Goodwin 1 minute, 35 second video. Lightbox by Cathy Carter. Aus dem Gleichgewicht (Out of Balance), 2021, by Martin R. Wohlwend (Triesen, Liechtenstein) and Naomi Roche (Hamilton, NZ). Mats and carpets from artists’ homes. Windowsill sculptures: Kete I + Kete II by Ashleigh Taupaki (Auckland, NZ) and Shaeron Caton Rose (North Yorkshire, U.K). Mind That Māori suspended crochet vest by Lissy & Rudi Robinson. They are Minding their own Business, silkscreen on cloth by Sonja van Kerkhoff. Toro Mai Tō Ringa / Reach Out Your Hand, animation + wall sculpture by Nawruz Bernado Paguidopon (Manila, The Philippines) and Lissy & Rudi Robinson-Cole (Auckland, NZ).
The Wealth of the Nation, 2021, by Masud Olufani and Ursula Christel.

Detail: Rigenerazione by Chiara Rubino (Matera, Italy) and Cathy Carter (Auckland). Global Pandemic, 2021, by Robert Hamilton and Bev Goodwin 1 minute, 35 second video. Lightbox by Cathy Carter. Aus dem Gleichgewicht (Out of Balance) by Martin R. Wohlwend and Naomi Roche. Mats and carpets. Windowsill sculptures: Kete I + Kete II by Ashleigh Taupaki and Shaeron Caton Rose.

Transformazione, 2021, by Chiara Rubino (Italy) and Cathy Carter (Auckland). Archival pigment ink photographic print on Hahnemuhle photo rag 306gsm. 140cm x 90cm. Rigenerazione by Chiara Rubino and Cathy Carter. Global Pandemic by Robert Hamilton and Bev Goodwin. Lightbox by Cathy Carter. Aus dem Gleichgewicht (Out of Balance) by Martin R. Wohlwend and Naomi Roche. Windowsill: Kete I + Kete II by Ashleigh Taupaki and Shaeron Caton Rose.

Colour wheel, 2021, by Pietertje van Splunter. Acrylic paint on wood. Te Ara ki Rangihoua: The Way to Rangihoua (2018), by Yllwbro (NZ) and participating artists, five scallop shells. Care of the artists and Mokopopaki. Transformazione by Chiara Rubino and Cathy Carter.

Te Ara ki Rangihoua: The Way to Rangihoua by Yllwbro (NZ) and participating artists.

Lissy writes Nawruz’s name. Te Ara ki Rangihoua: The Way to Rangihoua (2018) by Yllwbro (NZ) and participating artists.
– a scallop shell for each person, hung at their heart-height. With accompanying text elsewhere in the gallery. Lloyd Lawrence, NYC, U.S.A (153 cm), Shaeron Caton Rose, North Yorkshire, U.K (120 cm), Nawruz Paguidopon, Manila, The Philippines (127 cm), Xiaojie Zheng, San Francisco U.S.A. / Wenzhou, China (120 cm),
Robert Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, (150 cm).
Scallop shells, brown string, moko adhesive. Care of the artists and Mokopōpaki.

E-Motion (Kinetic series #1), 2021 by Phil Dadson, a response to Colour wheel, 2021, by Pietertje van Splunter (The Hague, The Netherlands, acrylic on wood -tree ring).
Acrylic on wood, motor/Arduino module, steel stand. The E-motion series is a spin-off from the June Music concept (2019), where ratios of frequency, rhythm and colour are conjured up from imagined lines of sonic shape and form in the material world. Like a breathing mandala, this first of the E–Motion series animates this idea from the 3rd to the 4th dimension.
(With thanks to James Charlton for motor/Arduino assistance).

The Arabic text closest to the entrance to the first gallery of the Ko rātou, ko tātou | On other-ness, on us-ness exhibition (See details here or go to the blog introducing this exhibition) that was on show at NorthArt, Auckland, reads as “first house” (avvala baytin). Below this was the sentence from the Qur’an:
“Indeed, the first House [of worship] established for humanity was that at Makkah [Bakka] – blessed and a guidance for the worlds.”
The Qur’an, 3:96

Left to Right: Wave (detail), custom-made water tank by Jeff Thomson (link to a discussion of this work); Arabic text above reads: “first house (avvala baytin)”; Vitruvian Angel Man with Spirit Level (2018) by Ursula Christel. Courtesy the artist and Mokopōpaki Acrylic, gesso, printed perspex, metal lugs, graphite, sealant on board (99 x 61cm), plastic spirit level (6 x 61cm);
Gavin Chilcott Pilgrimage to Mecca, 50 x 70 cm. Framed pastel on paper. Courtesy: John Perry.

Ever since the 1980s, when I first started reading about Islam, coming from a Roman Catholic background myself, I was struck by the concept of the qibla because while Rome is important, Catholics around the world, do not face a specific location while in prayer. The significance of this as I viewed it was that the Prophet Muhammad had envisioned a worldwide religion – of all cultures around the world facing the same location, as a daily sign of a shared global focus. Then while engaged in research for this exhibition I discovered that the text from the Qur’an refers to a change of direction, because previously the Prophet’s followers had faced Jerusalem when they prayed which was also the Jewish custom, and now they were to face Mecca (also known as Bakka or Bekka, the name of the area, or Makkah. See 2:144 which speaks of changing the qibla to Mecca).

For me as a Bahai, this brought in the concept of progressive revelation, the idea that all religions are the same religion (with the same God), and the variations are in relation to culture and history. So I saw the change as indicative of the evolution of Islam, even during the time of the Prophet Muhammad. It also explained for me why The Dome of the Rock built in Jerusalem in 691–92 at the order of Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik could have been built, although there is no clear record of its initial purpose. At the time, Jerusalem was a holy city for Jews and Christians. This building rivalled the Christian buildings, transforming the best aspects of current Byzantine architecture into a new form. The 1022-23 rebuilt Dome of the Rock has texts on the walls referring to Islamic teachings about Jesus. Today it is one of the oldest extant works of Islamic architecture, protects the rock believed to bear the imprint of the Prophet Muhammad’s foot, and is an icon and influence on Islamic architecture.

Foreground: New Space / Takawaenga, 2020, by Ursula Christel.
Left to Right: Wake, custom-made water tank, by Jeff Thomson; Arabic text reads: “first house”; Vitruvian Angel Man with Spirit Level, 2018, by Ursula Christel. Courtesy the artist and Mokopōpaki; Pilgrimage to Mecca, 1986, by Gavin Chilcott.

Ursula Christel’s floor piece, made for this exhibition, New Space / Takawaenga, is the result of her research inspired by the concept of inclusion and the geometry of the floor plan of the Dome of the Rock. This Islamic holy place stands on a site that is sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims – three of the Abrahamic religions.

Foreground: New Space / Takawaenga, 2020, by Ursula Christel.
Left to Right: Wake, custom-made silkscreened water tank, by Jeff Thomson; Arabic text “first house” (avvala baytin); Vitruvian Angel Man with Spirit Level by Ursula Christel. Courtesy the artist and Mokopōpaki; Pilgrimage to Mecca by Gavin Chilcott; From the Eros and Psyche series (111), 1966/67, gouache on silk, by Joanna Margaret Paul, Courtesy M Paul;
two untitled corrugated iron sculptures by Jeff Thomson.

Like the Dome of the Rock, Christel’s, New Space / Takawaenga, is based on polygonal structures – of lines and repetitions of forms creating illusory space/s. Christel’s ‘new space’ is conceptualized not only in the multi-layered sight lines heading off at diverse angles across the space of the gallery but the stark checkered tiles also pull the eye to the pivot.

New Space / Takawaenga, 2020, by Ursula Christel. re-purposed wooden table (dia. 118 cm), 4 table legs (H: 46 cm), vinyl flooring, 3 mm acrylic sheets (83 x 83cm), glass chess board (38 x 38cm), ceramic tile (20 x 20cm), composite board (dia. 65cm), jute, LED lights.

The architectural references connect to her other work in the same gallery space, Vitruvian Angel Man with Spirit Level, which also features circles within squares and vice versa.

Detail: Vitruvian Angel Man with Spirit Level by Ursula Christel.

Left to Right: Vitruvian Angel Man with Spirit Level by Ursula Christel;
Pilgrimage to Mecca, 1986, by Gavin Chilcott.

Gavin Chilcott, Pilgrimage to Mecca, 50 x 70 cm. Framed pastel on paper.
Courtesy: John Perry.

On the wall opposite was Talking Sticks by Carolyn Lye and above another text in Arabic. This read: “Until you have asked permission”

Left to Right: The Prison of Self, 2015, by Sonja van Kerkhoff, 20 cm diameter, photographic print, texts in Persian, Māori and English, and oil-based varnish. Edition of 35. Text is from the Hidden Words by Baha’ullah, founder of the Bahai Faith; Text in Arabic reads: “Until you have asked permission,”; Talking Sticks, Korare stems, acrylic paint – 5 pieces, by Carolyn Lye.

Left to Right: The Prison of Self, by Sonja van Kerkhoff; Talking Sticks by Carolyn Lye; Conference of the Stones, 2013, video with soundscape by Phil Dadson (link to a discussion of this work); Detail of New Space / Takawaenga by Ursula Christel.

Talking Sticks by Carolyn Lye

Left to Right: The Prison of Self by Sonja van Kerkhoff; Talking Sticks by Carolyn Lye; New Space / Takawaenga by Ursula Christel; Conference of the Stones by Phil Dadson.

The Māori title of Christel’s floorpiece, ‘Takawaenga’ (mediating/ed space/s), refers to a process. The work can also be read as an upside down table. A table that has been re-conceived in layerings, yet its circular form and central focus, created by the arrangement of the four legs, make it not a table but rather a direction for moving towards. In Sufi thought the lote tree of the outer limit (Sidrat al-Muntaha) marks the direction of all journeys. In choosing a circular table form and turning it over, the artist was inspired by George Dei’s words, “Inclusion is not bringing people into what already exists; it is making a new space, a better space for everyone.” 1

Left to Right: New Space / Takawaenga by Ursula Christel; Conference of the Stones by Phil Dadson; Peace Flight, 2011, giclée digital print by Brenda Liddiard. About her work >>

1. Dei, G.S.N. (2006). Meeting equity fair and square. Keynote address to the Leadership Conference of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, September 28, 2006, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.

About the 24 artists in the exhibition >>

Carolyn Lye, based near Karetu, Northland, Aotearoa | New Zealand, is a fibre artist who weaves and works in natural materials.

Gavin Chilcott, born in Auckland, Aotearoa | New Zealand, in 1950 and attended Auckland Technical Institute in 1967 followed by three years at Elam, School of Fine Arts, Auckland, from 1968-1970. His first exhibition was at the Barry Lett Gallery in 1976 and since then he has exhibited widely throughout New Zealand and Internationally. He has been a recipient of numerous Arts grants and is represented in all major New Zealand Collections.

Sonja van Kerkhoff, born 1960 in Hawera, Taranaki, Aotearoa | New Zealand, has a diploma in Fine Arts (1980-82, Otago School of Arts), dip Secondary Teaching (1986), Masters equivalent with a double major (1989-93, School of Fine Arts, Maastricht, The Netherlands) and a MSc in Media Technology (2005-8, University of Leiden, The Netherlands). She lives in Kawakawa, Northland, Aotearoa / New Zealand and The Hague, The Netherlands. sonjavank.com

Ursula Christel, born 1961 in Durban, South Africa, is of Celtic/ Germanic descent, immigrated to New Zealand in 1996. She has a BA Degree, majoring in Fine Art and Art History (1979 – 81) and a post grad Diploma in Education (1982). She is an artist, tutor, writer and disability advocate, and worked as a writer, editor and photographer for the Celebrate Art series of educational resources, featuring New Zealand and Australian artists.
​

Detail of Huroof e Muqataat (The Disconnected Letters), chalk Arabic letters by Sen McGlinn on the inside of
Wake, corrugated iron water tank, by Jeff Thomson

I lived in Muslim-dominated neighbourhoods in the Netherlands for 19 years and worked with mosques and Muslim shop owners in relatively conservative communities in two exhibitions that I curated. These aimed at creating dialogues between contemporary art and aspects of the diversity of Islam. With this background, I started work on developing a show intended to give some insights into Islam, utilizing works by contemporary New Zealand artists as the medium. I am grateful to Wendy Harsant, then manager of NorthArt, for accepting my pitch, and to my co-curator,
Salama Moata McNamara for her help in the exhibition.

Click for a larger view of this image.
Foreground: Wake, silkscreened corrugated iron water tank, by Jeff Thomson; New Space / Takawaenga, circular floorpiece, by Ursula Christel; Talking Sticks by Carolyn Lye;
Conference of Stones,
video and soundscape by Phil Dadson
Two texts in Arabic high on the walls read: ﯸ ﯷ (Until you have asked permission) and above the video: ةحال (The Stones)

Some of the works by 24 artists (listed here) were aesthetic responses to the 2019 Christchurch mosque massacres while others were re-contextualizations, or responses to the Qur’an and the diverse cultures and histories of Islamic worlds. A general aim here was to include Islam in a New Zealand aesthetic landscape, and to see what changes.

I will focus here on nine works in the show, and write separate blogs on the other works in the three gallery spaces.

The Arabic text above means “The Stones”
below detail of Conference of Stones,
video and soundscape by Phil Dadson
Photo: Ursula Christel

Five texts in Arabic were positioned high on the walls around the front gallery to re-contextualize the adjacent artworks. One of these texts “Hijārat” (the stones), near Phil Dadson’s video and soundpiece, “Conference of Stones” was accompanied by two excerpts from the Qur’an: “There is not an animal on earth, no bird flying on wings, but they are communities like you.” (6:38) Even the stones “fall down for fear of God” (2:74). Both texts, and the video and soundscape, bring focus to the natural world as a source for understanding. The Qur’an refers to communities in the animal world, while the reference to stones could be read as either a metaphor for the hardened self (“your hearts were hardened”, 2:74) or as the omnipotence of Allah because even stones are moved.

Click for a larger view.
Still: Conference of Stones 10 minute
video and soundscape by Phil Dadson

When I first watched the video it reminded me of the poem “The conference of the birds,” by Persian Sufi poet Farid ud-Din Attar (c. 1145 – c. 1221) where diverse birds, each with a differing human-like weakness, seek to find a leader. After tests and journeys, thirty birds survive and discover that collectively their diverse traits form something greater.

Click for a larger view.
Still: Conference of Stones, 2013, video and soundscape,
by Phil Dadson.
Filmed in HD 1920 x 1080 digital moving image, stereo recorded with Sennheisser microphones.
Credits:
Performed by Phil Dadson
Camera by Bruce Foster
Sound recorded by John Kim
Digital video/audio by Phil Dadson
Produced with the support of Pew Charitable Trust, CNZ Arts Council of New Zealand, Colab Creative Technologies,.
Watch an exceprt of this 3 screen video on vimeo.

The ‘conference’ in the poem takes the form of journeys and challenges penned in allegory with multiple meanings, while in the video the ‘conference’ is the distinctive voices of handheld tapping stones collected by the artist from locations in diverse countries. The sonics of these stones were intended to resonate throughout the gallery like ripples and then beyond into the middle gallery to merge with the more abstracted and melodic soundscape from the third gallery, by Los Angeles based omposer and musician, Jessika Kenney.

Click for a larger view.
Conference of Stones, video and soundscape by Phil Dadson, Peace Flight, (far wall) Passion I and Passion III by Brenda Liddiard; A Matter of Faith, by Fiona Lee Graham; Kete Muka Tuatahi by Christina Hurihia Wirihana.

On the wall adjacent to the video, Passion I and Passion II by Brenda Liddiard function as abstract interludes in earthy tones with surfaces reminiscent of rugged landscapes. The delicate ink drawing, A Matter of Faith, by Fiona Lee Graham, of a nun engaged in hoeing seems to speak of a history of relationship with the land as does the woven kete (basket), Kete Muka Tuatahi (First Flax Fibre Basket) by Christina Hurihia Wirihana.

Click for a larger view.
Passion I and Passion III, 2010, Mixed media & collage on board, by Brenda Liddiard;
A Matter of Faith, 2020, monoprint, ink on paper, 150 x 100mm, by Fiona Lee Graham; Kete Muka Tuatahi by Christina Hurihia Wirihana.

Wirihana’s masterly work twists the flax back and forth, contrasting the dull underside against the top side of the flax to create the Inanga (whitebait) design. Like the citation in the Qur’an, the natural world is given a focus for human enlightenment. The patterns of this kete, created purely by twisting and turning, reflect the communities of tiny whitebait wriggling upstream against the odds.

Wake, silkscreened corrugated iron water tank,
by Jeff Thomson
The Arabic text on the wall beyond reads ‘The Heart’

Across from the video stands Wake, a customized mini-watertank by Jeff Thomson. The form speaks of containment, but on closer inspection it is about the impossibility of this. Numerous holes perforate the sides and bottom of the tank. These are not immediately visible because they match the silkscreened watery patterns and are therefore masked. These patterns are the ‘wake’ in the title: signs that something no longer present has passed by.

Click for a larger view.
Detail of Huroof e Muqataat (The Disconnected Letters),
chalk Arabic letters by Sen McGlinn inside
Jeff Thomson’s water tank sculpture.

Inside this water tank are chalked floating Arabic letters, Huroof e Muqataat (The Disconnected Letters) by Sen McGlinn. This refers to the letter sequences called “Huroof e Muqataat” that begin 29 of the 114 chapters of the Qur’an. When reciting these Surahs (Chapters), these letters are pronounced as single letters, not formed into words. They are not semantic units of meaning but serve as sound – or as form if the person is reading – as a mystical or mysterious element to this Holy Book. McGlinn chose these letters to recontextualize this sculpture as a visualization for a sea of meaning that cannot be grasped: the ineffable. The absurdity of water containing water becomes a metaphor for the enigmatic wake left by a presence.

Detail of Huroof e Muqataat (The Disconnected Letters), chalk Arabic letters by Sen McGlinn
and Wake, corrugated iron water tank, by Jeff Thomson. Background: Conference of Stones, video and soundscape by Phil Dadson, Peace Flight, Passion I and Passion III by Brenda Liddiard;
A Matter of Faith, by Fiona Lee Graham;

Haykal Al Noor (Bodies of Light) by Narjis Mirza

Haykal Al Noor (Bodies of Light) by Narjis Mirza

The end gallery installation, Haykal Al Noor (Bodies of Light) by Narjis Mirza consists of projections of letters falling down twelve translucent columns of silk. Akin to the “Huroof e Muqataat” of the Qur’an, these letters or letter compositions do not form words. Each letter or combination becomes visible as it strikes the top folds of fabric and then descends to rest in a composition of other letters in the ancient Kufic font. This font is still used for permanent commemorative plaques and hence is generally associated with stability, the semantic and the architectural. Mirza’s use of this font as illuminated descending non-semantic form changes this context to the ephemeral, physical and conceptual. These letter-bodies are not prescriptive but are signs of the abstracted mystical or otherworldly.

Haykal Al Noor (Bodies of Light) by Narjis Mirza

Mirza is enrolled in a PhD at AUT (Auckland University of Technology) and is influenced by the 20th century Huroofiya Art Movement where Arabic calligraphy is deconstructed and abstracted from its more literal usage. Some schools within this movement also focus on symbolic meanings in the cosmos for these letters. Her interactive installations are practice-based research into philosophical notions of light, language and art and this installation is part of her research. The human presence is a vital part of this installation: the viewer is invited to move between the diaphanous columns.

Detail: Haykal Al Noor (Bodies of Light) by Narjis Mirza

Detail: Haykal Al Noor (Bodies of Light) by Narjis Mirza

Projections of these illuminated letters are intended to fall on the visitors’ bodies as well as onto the columns of delicate fabric so that the word ‘Haykal’ (Bodies) in title references both the Arabic letters and the presence of the viewer, whether as the body-self inside the installation, or as observer watching others as forms, continually shaping these projections. The bodies of the visitors complete the intention of this site-specific installation which here, exists in parallel with the soundpiece, Pamor performed and composed by Jessika Kenney. ‘Pamor’ refers to metallurgical patterns in ritual weapons. The sung syllables are abstracted from a Javanese prayer attributed to Sunan Kalijaga, one of the nine Sufis who brought Islam to Java over five centuries ago.

A list of the 24 artists in this exhibition | Next blog on this exhibition >>

About these 8 artists

Brenda Liddiard is a visual artist and singer songwriter/musician based in Auckland, Aotearoa | New Zealand. She has been exhibiting her paintings since 2008. brendaliddiard.co.nz, and is co-founder of the fundraising art organisation, Art for Change (www.artforchange.net).

Christina Hurihia Wirihana, based in the Bay of Plenty, Aotearoa | New Zealand, is a weaver of Te Arawa, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Rangiunora, Ngāti Raukawa, Tainui descent. Wirihana is the Chairperson of Te Roopu Raranga Whatu o Aotearoa (National Collective of Māori Weavers in New Zealand). In 2014 this collective of weavers exhibited 49 tukutuku panels in Kāhui Raranga: The Art of Tukutuku at Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. These panels are to be installed early 2015 at the Headquarters of the United Nations in New York. In 2003 Wirihana received Te Tohu Toi Kē from Te Waka Toi Creative New Zealand for making a positive development within Māori arts. See: wikipedia.org/wiki/Christina_Wirihana

Fiona Lee Graham, based in Auckland, completed a Bachelor Degree in Design and Visual Art, majoring in Painting, at the Unitec, Auckland, in 2010. See: thegreyplace.nz/artists/fiona-lee-graham

Jessika Kenney, based in Los Angeles, U.S.A. is an experimental vocalist, composer, and teacher. She is most known for her performances of Indonesian vocal music (sindhenan), and Persian vocal music (radifs), as well as for her compositions drawing on elements of both. See her discography – jessikakenney.com

Jeff Thomson based in Helensville, Aotearoa / New Zealand is known for his sculptures and site-specific installations using corrugated iron as his main medium. His sculptures range from the well-crafted and iconic, such as his suite of New Zealand native birds, to the conceptual, such as his cut and corrugated ironing boards, or the add-ons he created for the roofs of houses scattered throughout the city of Whanganui, to the quirky, such as his water tanks, some filled with water, peep holes and motors. jeffthomson.co.nz

Narjis Mirza, born in Pakistan and now based in Sydney, Australia, is an installation artist. Her research examines the confluence of eastern philosophy with virtual reality, highlighting the transcendent philosophy of Persian philosopher Mulla Sadra (1571–1636). She completed her Master’s degree in Media and Design from Bilkent University Ankara, Turkey, after a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts with distinction at the National College of Arts in Pakistan. She is currently undertaking a PhD at the Auckland University of Technology. narjismirza.com

Phil Dadson, based in Auckland, Aotearoa / New Zealand, is a video & sound artist with a transdisciplinary practice including building and performing with experimental musical instruments, sound sculptures, digital media, music compositions, graphic scores and drawings. Moving image and foregrounding sound has been a feature of his practice since the early 70s, referencing the body, land, nature, and the human condition. He also founded the music/performance group, From Scratch (1974 – 2004). Awards & residencies include: US Fulbright 1991, NZ Arts Foundation Artist Laureate 2001, Antarctic Artist Fellowship 2003, ONZM 2005, Sankriti residency (India 2007), Artist Cinema commission 2010, Wallace Arts Trust Jury award 2011. thearts.co.nz/artists/phil-dadson

Sen McGlinn, born in Christchurch, Aotearoa / New Zealand has recently returned to live in the Far North after living in the Netherlands for almost 30 years. He has a Master’s in Islamic Studies from the University of Leiden, The Netherlands, where he is working on a PhD. He has authored and co-authored a number of books in Persian Literature & Iranian Studies. He has exhibited in sculpture parks and galleries since the early 90s. sculpturebysen.wordpress.com

To the next blog on this exhibition >>

curated by Salama Moata McNamara + Sonja van Kerkhoff

Open now until 31 May 2020
Artists will be at the gallery 12-3pm,
Sat., Sun., and Monday, 12-3, 23-25th May

Left to Right: Wave, custom-made water tank by Jeff Thomson
Vitruvian Angel Man with Spirit Level by Ursula Christel. Courtesy the artist and Mokopōpaki
Pilgrimage to Mecca by Gavin Chilcott.
From the Eros and Psyche series (111) by Joanna Margaret Paul
Two untitled corrugated iron sculptures by Jeff Thomson
(foreground) New Space / Takawaenga (2020) re-purposed wooden table (dia. 118cm), 4 table legs (H: 46cm), vinyl flooring, 3mm acrylic sheets (83 x 83cm), glass chess board (38 x 38cm), ceramic tile (20 x 20cm), composite board (dia. 65cm), jute, LED lights by Ursula Christel.
New Space / Takawaenga is a conceptual assemblage inspired by geometry and the floor plan of the Dome of the Rock. It refers also to a quote by George Dei (2006) – “Inclusion is not bringing people into what already exists; it is making a new space, a better space for everyone.”
Takawaenga is a process. – Ursula Christel, 2020

Left to Right: Wave (detail), custom-made water tank by Jeff Thomson
Vitruvian Angel Man with Spirit Level (2018) by Ursula Christel. Courtesy the artist and Mokopōpaki Acrylic, gesso, printed perspex, metal lugs, pencil, sealant on board (99 x 61cm), plastic spirit level
(6 x 61cm). Gavin Chilcott Pilgrimage to Mecca Framed pastel on paper.
Arabic text above reads: “first house (avvala baytin)” A4 text below this begins with:
“Indeed, the first House [of worship] established for humanity was that at Makkah
– blessed and a guidance for the worlds”. The Qur’an, 3:96

This is one of 5 texts in Arabic arranged around the first gallery.
More about these texts and the works in the next blog.

still: “Haykal Al Noor” (Bodies of Light), site specific video installation by Narjis Mirza
with the soundscape, “Pamor” by Jessika Kenney
in this short video on youtube which also shows these works:
“Light District,” framed canvas, LED lighting, by John Mulholland;
“Halg” (Throat) video from the series Sokout/Silence, by Azadeh Emadi;
“Ka aroha” (Love), gouache and ink on paper,
by Salama McNamara & Emma Paton;
“Auckland Flowers 15/03/2019,” dried flowers, soil, compost, brown paper, by Java Bentley;
“Love is Blind,” embossed braille on paper,
by Tash Nikora;
“Fabric of Humanity” cast glass with impressions of a hijab pattern based on the hijab worn by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in 2019 by Layla Walter;
“Fifty-one” an installation incorporating an assemblage of painted stacked cards and texts from Rumi by Michelle Mayn.

Some photos of the exhibition are here: artsdiary.co.nz

Still from the Manners of Speaking – Te Pūkoro o Tāne, Whangarei show under lockdown, 2020 12 minute video on youtube.

Still from the Manners of Speaking – Te Pūkoro o Tāne, Whangarei show under lockdown, 2020 12 minute video

In New Zealand things moved very fast. On Saturday evening we all heard news of a 4 step plan where we were at step 2, social distancing. Some libraries and swimming pools had closed on the Friday before. Then on Monday 23rd, when I heard of the gallery closure, we had moved to step 3 and then later in the day it was announced that New Zealand would go into lockdown, step 4, at midnight on Wednesday 25th.

Still from the Manners of Speaking – Te Pūkoro o Tāne, Whangarei show under lockdown, 2020 12 minute video

Still from the Manners of Speaking – Te Pūkoro o Tāne, Whangarei show under lockdown, 2020 12 minute video

Still from the Manners of Speaking – Te Pūkoro o Tāne, Whangarei show under lockdown, 2020 12 minute video

I must go and publish the video here on youtube and then I will return to another blog later. In the meantime here is a link to a blog I wrote for a Dutch Arts Review website “CONNECTING ART IN A TIME OF CRISIS: New Zealand –The Netherlands.”

Ghosts photographic print by Ashleigh Taupaki. 42.0 x 59.4 cm
I te huringa kōmuri, e haramā te whenua i te kēhua
On looking back, the land was covered white with ghosts
Hauraki proverb

Artists

Animal Picnic, Archival Lambda print, 1 out of edition of 3
by Andrea Gardner. 82 x 57 cm
(click for a larger view)

Andrea Gardner, Whanganui

Ashleigh Taupaki, Auckland

Brenda Liddiard, Auckland

The Map of Hard Places, Mixed media on board
by Brenda Liddiard. 30 x 70 cm, 2014.

Brit Bunkley, Whanganui

Carolyn Lye,
Karetu, The Far North

Catrina Sutter,
Russell / Kororāreka

Chiara Rubino,
Matera, Italy

Cle Tukuitonga, Otangaroa, The Far North

Chiara Rubino, photographic print, 28 x 21 cm

Buona e’ la neve che a suo tempo viene
Good is the snow that comes in its time

Chiara Rubino photographs her home city, Matera, a UNESCO heritage city in southern Italy.

Giacomo Silvano,
Irsina, Italy

Hilda Simetin, Auckland

Jacqueline Wassen, Maastricht,
The Netherlands

Jamie Larnach, Auckland

Jarred Taylor + others, Whangārei

Jeff Thomson, Helensville

Joas Nebe, Germany

Jeff Thomson, 3 piece assemblage

“There’s No Iron So Hard That Rust Won’t Fret It;
and There’s No Cloth So Fine That Moths Won’t Eat It.” Scottish Proverb

Joas Nebe, still, The Shareholder´s Room, video, 3 min 45 sec

Man steigt nicht zweimal in denselben Fluß
You Cannot Step Into the Same River Twice
Heraclitus (c. 535 – c. 475 BC, Greece)

John Mulholland, Warkworth

Maartje Zandboer, The Hague,
The Netherlands

Naomi Roche, Waikato

Lipika Sen & Prabhjyot Majithia, Auckland

Peter Scott, Kerikeri

Piet Nieuwland, Whangārei

Robert Brown, Whangaparaoa

Sam Melser, Auckland

Sonja van Kerkhoff, Kawakawa

Tash Nikora, Whangārei

Tracy Singer, Auckland

Ursula Christel (Mokopōpaki), Warkworth

Yllwbro Te Ara ki Rangihoua: The Way to Rangihoua, 2018 Scallop shells, brown string, moko adhesive.
Courtesy the artists and Mokopōpaki, Auckland

Geoff Wilson Gallery, NorthTec, Gate 3, 51 Raumanga Valley Road, Whangarei

Opening 4-7p.m., 21 Feb 2020

open: 12 – 4 p.m. Wednesdays – Fridays,
and by appointment.

facebook event page for this exhibition

Geoff Wilson Gallery facebook page

northtec.ac.nz/geoff wilson gallery

“See Nothing,” monoprint on paper by Roger Morris, “Bird of Prey” video by Sanne Maes, “Outer mantel 3” + “Outer mantel 4” (and each side of the open wall) by Yair Callender, “Trope” (in the third gallery beyond) by Raewyn Turner and ceramic sculpture by Jess Paraone, “Tomorrow will never be the same” interactive projection by Jian Yiwei and Sonja van Kerkhoff,
2 video loops by Pieterje van Splunter.

“Vaat” (Washing Up) 2014, stop motion animation, 7 minutes, 11 seconds, and “Cleaning the Air,” 2014, video, 43 seconds by Pieterje van Splunter, The Hague.
“Cleaning the Air” is a film of a sculpture by Pietertje which rotated diverse household items.

“Tomorrow will never be the same” interactive work by Jian Yiwei and Sonja van Kerkhoff, 2 video loops by Pieterje van Splunter.

“Outer Mantel 4” by Yair Callender, “Tomorrow will never be the same” interactive work by Jian Yiwei and Sonja van Kerkhoff

Detail of “Trope” (in the third gallery beyond) by Raewyn Turner and ceramic sculpture by Jess Paraone, “Outer Mantel 4” by Yair Callender, “Tomorrow will never be the same” interactive work by Jian Yiwei and Sonja van Kerkhoff

“Outer mantel 3 + 4” (on each side of the open wall), Layers of latex, LED lighting + recycled NZ pine, by Yair Callender. The wooden support was built to instructions given by Yair which included reusing old wood. Detail in the back gallery of drawings by Marianne Muggeridge.

Detail of “Outer mantel 3” by Yair Callender

He works in concrete, plaster, clay and wood and his main focus is on making public sculpture.

Often his sculpture has some performative social element that involves the local community.

His major themes are cultural expressions and art in society in relation to playing with the idea of beauty in the ugly. The two larger pieces, layers of resin which are back-lit, were made for this exhibition.

These four pieces are playful interpretations of diverse religious symbols (Catholic gargoyles, Asian temples, the Kabbalah tree, etc) found on the exterior of buildings. He has made skins which are lit from within as a metaphor for our human condition – the beautiful seen through the rough and raw. Who could say art is ever ugly?
 

“Bird of Prey” video by Sanne Maes, latex light boxes by Yair Callender
Back gallery: “Your Honour” + “Eva was hier” (Eve was here) by Sonja van Kerkhoff, “Pandora’s Box” suspended panels by Alexis Hunter.

Detail: “Bird of Prey” video by Sanne Maes, latex light boxes by Yair Callender. Two videos by Pieterje van Splunter

“Bird of Prey” video, HD, loop 0’25” photocopy on transparent paper. 21″ LCD tv inside custom-made frame, 61 x 40, Edition of 3. “Outer mantel 3” latex, LED lighting + recycled NZ pine, by Yair Callender.

Detail: “Bird of Prey” video by Sanne Maes.

The woman slowly turns her head away and then when she looks ahead her eyes match that of the hawk.

Videos by Channa Boon (The Hague), by Jonathan Reus + Sissel Marie Tonn (The Hague), and by Raewyn Turner and Brian Harris (Auckland). Four etchings by Virgina Guy (Hikurangi, Northland).
Side wall: Monoprint by Roger Morris (Taranaki), video by Sanne Maes (The Hague) and back lit latex relief by Yair Callender.

The latex boxes by Yair Callender on the left light up when approached. Monoprint by Roger Morris. Suspended sheet metal and lamp by Sonja van Kerkhoff. Videos by Channa Boon, by Jonathan Reus + Sissel Marie Tonn, and by Raewyn Turner and Brian Harris. Four etchings by Virgina Guy.

“Plastic Play,” video by Pietertje van Splunter
Middle Gallery: “Outer Mantel 1 + 2” responsive light latex light boxes by Yair Callender. “Road to JerUSAlem,” monoprint on paper by Roger Morris.

Responsive light latex light boxes by Yair Callender. Monoprint on paper by Roger Morris. “Fain would they put out God’s light,” cut out text sheet steel, nylon and lamp by Sonja van Kerkhoff. “Et in Arcadia ego” 29 min video by Channa Boon, “Sensory Cartographies,” 7 min video by Jonathan Reus + Sissel Marie Tonn. “Finding Flight,” photo intaglio with gold leaf by Virginia Guy.

Left: “Et in Arcadia ego,” 2016, 29 minute video by Channa Boon.

Above: two etchings by Virginia Guy. “Et in Arcadia ego” 29 min video by Channa Boon. “Sensory Cartographies,” 7 min video by Jonathan Reus + Sissel Marie Tonn. “Fallible,” 3 min video by Raewyn Turner and Brian Harris.

Above: “Finding Flight,” photo intaglio with gold leaf. Edition 1/1, 23 x 28 cm
“Finding Flight,” photo Intaglio with gold leaf. Edition 1/1, 33 x 33 cm by Virginia Guy.
“Sensory Cartographies,” 7 min video by Jonathan Reus + Sissel Marie Tonn.
“Fallible,” 3 min video by Raewyn Turner and Brian Harris. Unscented flowers rotate above a vase which holds a sensor and the data from the sensor is turned into piano notes.
More: raewynturner.com/projects

Raewyn Turner & Brian Harris combine art, engineering, science research and their skills developed over years of practice in theatre, the film industry, robotics, interactive software, video, olfactory, art installations and performances. They engage simple elements with engineering to create experiential art, utilising everyday objects reinterpreted with robotics, electronics and microprocessors.

Wall on right: “See Nothing,” monoprint on paper, 2017 by Roger Morris,
“Bird of Prey” video in custom frame by Sanne Maes.
Back wall: 4 etchings on paper by Virginia Guy.

“Finding Flight,” photo intaglio Edition 1/1, 75 suspended prints, 84 x 118 cm by Virginia Guy.

“Finding Flight,” photo intaglio on rag paper. Edition 1/10, 23 x 28 cm. “See Nothing,” monoprint on paper. 2017, by Roger Morris [R E M O].

“Outer Mantle 3,” latex, LED lighting + recycled NZ pine, 2018, by Yair Callender. “Tomorrow will never be the same,” interactive projection by Jian Yiwei + Sonja van Kerkhoff. Two videos by Pietertje van Splunter. “A Meditation,” 7 min video loop by Sonja van Kerkhoff. “Several Seas,” laser print on transparency by Sonja van Kerkhoff. “The Experience of Change,” interactive projection by Jian Yiwei + Sonja van Kerkhoff.

“Once our World had Edges” 2017, 3 min, 22 sec., HD video using only NASA International Space Station footage. Music: ‘a distant backdrop’ by sink \ sink, on the album ‘a lone cloudburst’ by Gareth Schott.
“Several Seas,” laser print, edition of 50, by Sonja van Kerkhoff.

 
Gallery 1 | Gallery 3

Met dank aan Stroom Den Haag / with thanks to STROOM The Hague for finanicial assistance as well as to NorthArt.

Aesthetic explorations of the individual in society
by
artists from The Hague and Aotearoa | New Zealand.
Photographs: Sen McGlinn.

“Hazzard Sheep” by Brit Bunkley (Whanganui),
Still from “Een Rode Citroen” (A red lemon), 9 minute 53 second animation.
Soundtrack Anne Wellmer. Drawings: Geerten Ten Bosch. Animation Harriët van Reek

Still from “Een Rode Citroen” (A red lemon) by Anne Wellmer.
Foreground: “Rejoice” and right, “Hamlet”
3D plastic prints by Brit Bunkley.
Ceramic vessels by Jess Paraone (Northland)

“A Red Lemon” video by Anne Wellmer, “Vessel 1” + “Vessel 2” ceramic with mixed media by Jess Paraone (Northland), Photo intaglio, Emboss, Chine colle, 1/1, by Virginia Guy (Northland)

Still: Vox Sanguinis (Voice of the blood), 2015 1′ 52”
Video and soundtrack by Anne Wellmer. Camera: Florian Cramer. Voice: Cora Schmeiser. Music: “O rubor sanguinis” by Hildegard of Bingen. Trumpet: Heimo Wallner. Silent performer and stage design: Geerten Ten Bosch.
“Vessel 1” + “Vessel 2” ceramic with mixed media by Jess Paraone
“Rejoice!” PLA plastic and paint by Brit Bunkley”

“Vessel 1” + “Vessel 2” ceramic, engraved sequences of zeros and ones, and nuts and bolts,
by Jess Paraone (Ngāti Kawau, Kaitangata)

Transfusionen (Transfusions), 2015, video with sound, 2′ 43”
Soundtrack: Anne Wellmer. Hands: Geerten Ten Bosch, Voice: Cora Schmeiser. Music fragment from BLAST (2015) by Lukas Simonis. Text fragment from ‘Della Religione Christiana’ by Marsilio Ficino (1433-1499), first published in Italian in 1568. This German translation was published in ‘Das Blut: Symbolik und Magie’ (2004) by Piero Camporesi. The text tells of how witches used the blood of children to make medicine and the various uses (transfusions or transmutations) of this medicine, including the making of wine.
Two Photographic intaglio and embossed prints by Virginia Guy, Ceramic vessels by Jess Paraone, Nine prints by Sonja van Kerkhoff (The Hague / Northland)
Two sculptures by Brit Bunkley

Detail: “Rejoice” 3D plastic print by Brit Bunkley.
“Turangawaewae – Aotearoa – Home,” Photo Intaglio, Emboss, Chine colle, multi-piece etching
by Virginia Guy.
“Child’s Play” photographic prints on dubond by Sonja van Kerkhoff
“Hamlet” 3D plastic print by Brit Bunkley.
“Apple Tree” oil on linen by Marianne Muggeridge (Taranaki).

“Turangawaewae – Aotearoa – Home,” Photo Intaglio, Emboss, Chine colle, multi-piece etching by Virginia Guy. “Child’s Play” photographic prints on dubond by Sonja van Kerkhoff

“Apple Tree” oil on linen by Marianne Muggeridge
“Hamlet” 3D plastic print by Brit Bunkley.
“Plastic Play” 3 min stop motion animation by Pietertje van Splunter (The Hague)
“What kind of Idea” print on aluminium by Sonja van Kerkhoff

“Hamlet” 3D plastic print by Brit Bunkley. Detail: print by Virginia Guy.

“Plastic Play” by Pietertje van Splunter, “What kind of Idea” by Sonja van Kerkhoff, “Social Realism” by Brit Bunkley, “The Speed of Dark” by Thom Vink

Two sculptures by Brit Bunkley, stop motion animation by Pietertje van Splunter, Architectural models on shelf by Thom Vink, Floor sculpture by Sanne Maes, Two wall works by Sonja van Kerkhoff

One corner of the front gallery

“Social Realism” by Brit Bunkley
“The Speed of Dark” by Thom Vink

“The Speed of Dark”, 3 cardboard models + shelf by Thom Vink (The Hague)

“Metamorphosis IV” Dutch concrete and Taranaki branch, 40 x 100 x 60 cm,
by Sanne Maes (The Hague)
One of a number self-portrait explorations on the inner and outer in relation to the natural world.

“Metamorphosis IV” by Sanne Maes

“Metamorphosis IV” by Sanne Maes

“A Tangled Tale,” batiked cloth strips bearing texts in Dutch, English and Maori, “Child’s Play” photographic prints by Sonja van Kerkhoff
“Take My Shoes” by Raewyn Turner and Brian Harris, shoebox, electronics and video
“Ungeziefer 2” ASB plastic and paint, by Brit Bunkley
“Dark Perfume with Integrated Circuit” by Raewyn Turner and Brian Harris
“MAP” by Roger Morris [ r e m o ] (Taranaki)
Small paintings by Pietertje van Splunter (The Hague)

“Take My Shoes” by Raewyn Turner and Brian Harris, shoebox, electronics and video. The voice of a retired police officier plays when someone looks into the box.

Detail of “Take My Shoes” by Raewyn Turner and Brian Harris showing a video, reflections of this in mirrors and figurines.

“Ungeziefer 2” ASB plastic and paint, by Brit Bunkley. “Ungeziefer 2” ASB plastic and paint, by Brit Bunkley. Ungeziefer (vermin, pest or unclean) refers to the main character in Kafka’s novel, The Metamorphosis (Die Verwandlung), in which a salesman awakes to find that he has metamorphosed into a monstrous vermin (“ungeheures Ungeziefer”).
“Dark Perfume with Integrated Circuit” by Raewyn Turner and Brian Harris. Perfume with electronics and sensor, Omani Frankincense, costus, cocoa, civet, tea, cepes, heliotrope, pink champaca, black pepper, vetiver, pure alcohol
When the work is approached to sample the sweet perfume sealed in the flask, the electronic circuitry emits a second earthy organic odour.

“Dark Perfume with Integrated Circuit” by Raewyn Turner and Brian Harris

“MAP,” Etching ink on original ‘PHILIPS’ world map by Roger Morris [ r e m o ] (Taranaki)
A map hung in many New Zealand primary schools in the 50-70s printed by the British company, George Philip & Sons, showing the British Empire (in pink), other colonial powers & British shipping lines as they were in the late 1940s.

Acrylic on hardboard votive like paintings by Pietertje van Splunter.
Left to Right: Speldenpop (Pincushion doll), Een Boom (One Tree), Masker (mask), Bandenman (Tyre man), Kater (male cat), Twee Spanen (Two spruce), Blikken Man (Tin man), Langhoefd (Long head)

Far wall: Photographic emulsion on shells from Zeeland by Martje Zandboer (The Hague), Te Maharatanga | The Recollection, diptyph on dubond + “Tulips from Istanbul” (suspended cast resin orange tinted forms) by Sonja van Kerkhoff
Foreground, “Metamorphosis IV” by Sanne Maes.

Photographic emulsion on shells from Zeeland by Martje Zandboer (The Hague)

Photographic emulsion on shells from Zeeland by Martje Zandboer (The Hague)

Photographic emulsion on an oyster shell from Zeeland
by Martje Zandboer.

Te Maharatanga | The Recollection, oils on dubond, diptych by Sonja van Kerkhoff.
Each piece is 30 x 30 cm. Edition of 38.
The fairytale takes a feminine point of view where the garden is a gateway for transcending social conditioning. Translation: Te Toroa Pohatu (Ngāti Apa).

Gallery 2 | Gallery 3

Met dank aan Stroom Den Haag / with thanks to STROOM The Hague for finanicial assistance as well as to NorthArt.

Left to Right: St Cyricus, plastic, artificial flowers and Epoxy, 40 x 15 x 60 cm by Brit Bunkley; Netting, wire and acrylic, by Michelle Backhouse; Pouhine (red basket form), harakeke (flax), muka (flax fibre), commercial dyes. Raranga + whatu (Māori weaving techniques) by Adrienne Spratt; Lake Alice Water-tower, plastic, paint and artificial flowers, 60 x 12 x 12 cm, by Brit Bunkley; Into the pink, wire and acrylic, by Michelle Backhouse; Cleaning the Air, 43 sec video + Daily Dishes, 7 min 11 sec video by Pietertje van Splunter; Oil on canvas by Edward Walton; From the War / No War series, six laser print on card reliefs (obliquely on the wall) by Hohepa; Kete Pingao, 20 x 10 cm, woven basket by Brenda Tuuta; Herenga rahi (Big connections/confinement), harakeke, muka, tanekaha bark and paru dyes. Raranga, whatu (Māori weaving techniques, suspended basket) by Adrienne Spratt.

Left to Right: St Cyricus by Brit Bunkley, Netting by Michelle Backhouse.

L to R: Een Rode Citroen (A red lemon), 2015, 9 min 53 sec., video + soundscape by Anne Wellmer; Oil on canvas by Edward Walton; Lake Alice Water-tower + St Cyricus by Brit Bunkley.

The flower could be a sign that nature always endures, always has some measure of self-sufficency, while the static cultural innate object gains or loses meaning if its function is lost. However in foregrounding the materiality of these sculptures, such as details in the greyer than grey facades, he reminds us that this is still artifice, it is still plastic, and in the end this is a sculpture of oppositions that forces us to take our own stance.

Left to Right: Kāinga a roto (Home Within), suite of 5 videos (on laptop) by Sonja van Kerkhoff, Adumbrate No. 2, 2014, wire netting + Untitled, 2017, wire netting and building paper by Michelle Backhouse; Oil on canvas by Edward Walton; Een Rode Citroen (A red lemon), 2015, animation, 9′ 53” by Anne Wellmer. Soundtrack: Anne Wellmer. Drawings: Geerten Ten Bosch. Animation: Harriët van Reek. Text excerpt from The Writing Notebooks (edited in English by Susan Sellers) by Hélène Cixous. Voice: Stephie Büttrich-Kolman.

Still from Vox Sanguinis (Voice of the blood), 1’53”. Video and soundtrack: Anne Wellmer. Video and soundtrack: Anne Wellmer. Camera: Florian Cramer. Voice: Cora Schmeiser. Music: “O rubor sanguinis” by Hildegard of Bingen. Trumpet: Heimo Wallner. Silent performer and stage design: Geerten Ten Bosch

Left to Right: Warm Memories, emulsion on five suspended teabags by Martje Zandboer; The Happiest place on earth, plastic, paint and artifical flowers, 55 x 45 x 10 cm, by Brit Bunkley; Kāinga a roto (Home Within), videos (on laptop) by Sonja van Kerkhoff; Adumbrate No. 2, 2014, wire netting + Untitled, 2017, wire netting and building paper by Michelle Backhouse; Oil on canvas by Edward Walton; Transfusionen (Transfusions), 2015, video with sound, 2′ 43” by Anne Wellmer. Sound: Anne Wellmer. Hands: Geerten Ten Bosch. Voice: Cora Schmeiser. Music fragment from BLAST (2015) by Lukas Simonis. Text fragment from ‘Della Religione Christiana’ by Marsilio Ficino (1433-1499), first published in Italian in 1568. This German translation was published in ‘Das Blut: Symbolik und Magie’ (Blood: Symbolism and Magic) (2004) by Piero Camporesi; St Cyricus 3D plastic print sculpture by Brit Bunkley.

The sounds from these three videos were the soundscape of this show unless one put on headphones to listen to two of the other videos in the exhibition. Under two spatial abstractions of wire by Michelle Backhouse was the suite of videos, Kāinga a roto (Home Within), by Sonja van Kerkhoff (More >>) and around the corner was the 29 minute video, Et in Arcadia Ego by Channa Boon.

Left to Right: Et in Arcadia Ego, 29 min video by Channa Boon; Love of the other, 10 cm diameter, print on aluminium by Sonja van Kerkhoff; Muka and taniko kete, harakeke muka, tanekaha bark + paru dyes. Whatu and taniko (Māori fibre and weaving techniques) by Adrienne Spratt; What kind of Idea, print on dubond by Sonja van Kerkhoff (More >>).

Virgil’s phrase ‘Et in Arcadia Ego’ is also the title of a famous painting (1638) by Nicolas Poussin. The painting shows a group of shepherds who discover the phrase on a tomb, and so become aware of the existence of death in their Arcadian existence. This gives them the capacity to reflect and thus develop self-awareness. In this video, Boon connects this loss of innocence of the Arcadian shepherd – signifying an ideal world that is destroyed forever – with the present and past of the former Soviet Union. Hence, the phrase becomes a reference to the ideal world that Communism aimed to bring about in this region and the nostalgia that it still invokes.

Left to Right: The Happiest place on earth, plastic, paint and artifical flowers by Brit Bunkley; Enclosure No. 1 wire netting + paperpulp by Michelle Backhouse; The Image (The spectacle is mesmeric in order to be successful), silkscreen print and mixed media (More >>) + Where change is barely visible, 2008, laser print by Sonja van Kerkhoff; Kete Whakairo (on table), dyed flax basket by Brenda Tuuta; Et in Arcadia Ego, 29 min video by Channa Boon.

Left to Right: Mauri, harakeke, raranga (Māori weaving techniques) by Adrienne Spratt; Josephine’s Mother, print on aluminium, acrylic and varnish by Sonja van Kerkhoff (More >>); Bird of Prey, mixed media video loop by Sanne Maes; Untitled + Dark Entries, black and white photographs + The Speed of Dark, models on a shelf by Thom Vink; Warm Memories, photographic emulsion on teabags + magnets by Martje Zandboer and The Happiest place on earth, plastic, paint and artifical flowers, 55 x 45 x 10 cm, by Brit Bunkley (More >>).

Left to Right: detail of Girl with Iberian Lynx by Michelle Backhouse; Oil on canvas by Edward Walton; From the War / No War series, six laser print on card reliefs, each is 10 x 15 x 2 cm, by Hohepa; Poutama (Step pattern), cylinder shaped basket + Herenga rahi (Big connections/confinement), harakeke, muka, tanekaha bark and paru dyes. Raranga, whatu (Māori weaving techniques) by Adrienne Spratt.

On the other side of the gallery space are two more woven vessels by Adrienne Spratt. The enormous basket sways from numerous lines. Its title refers to both connection and enclosure.

Pouhine, Harakeke, muka, commercial dyes.  Raranga and whatu techniques by Adrienne Spratt.

On the adjacent wall a frieze relief of reproductions of paintings from Hohepa’s War / No War series uses Maori cultural symbols as commentary issues of the day. Below this is a small purse-like open pingao (a New Zealand natuve yellow grass) basket by Brenda Tuuta.

In another corner lines flow out from the red basket, Pouhine by Adrienne Spratt, which blur its contours. The title refers to the pattern woven into the sides.

Left ot Right: Detail of Into the Pink, wire and paper pulp + Girl with Iberian Lynx by Michelle Backhouse; From the War / No War series, six laser print on card reliefs, each is 10 x 15 cm, by Hohepa; Kete Pingao, 20 x 10 cm, woven basket by Brenda Tuuta; Poutama (Step pattern), cylinder shaped basket + Herenga rahi (Big connections/confinement), harakeke, muka, tanekaha bark and paru dyes. Raranga, whatu (Māori weaving techniques) by Adrienne Spratt, Paewae (Threshold), aluminium print (above doorway) by Sonja van Kerkhoff; Lake Alice Water-tower, plastic sculpture by Brit Bunkley; Josephine’s Mother, print on aluminium, acrylic and varnish by Sonja van Kerkhoff; Mauri (essence/spirit), harakeke, raranga (Māori weaving techniques) by Adrienne Spratt; Detail of Bird of Prey, mixed media video loop by Sanne Maes.

Left to Right: From the War / No War series: Warrior with Taiaha, Patu-paiarehe lovers, black and white laser prints on card, Warrior with Taiaha, Mākutu, No more war with Taiaha laid down, Rangatahi, colour laser prints on card, each piece approx. 10 x 15 x 2 cm, by Hohepa; Kete Pingao, 20 x 10 cm, woven basket by Brenda Tuuta.

Left to Right: Into the pink, wire and acrylic, by Michelle Backhouse; Detail: Lake Alice Water-tower, plastic, paint and artificial flowers by Brit Bunkley; Cleaning the Air, 43 sec video + Daily Dishes, 7 min 11 sec video by Pietertje van Splunter.

Still from Cleaning the Air by Pietertje van Splunter.

Left to Right: works by Sonja van Kerkhoff (print on aluminium), Sanne Maes (video + drawing) + Thom Vink (photographs + model on shelf)

Still from Bird of Prey by Sanne Maes

The Speed of Dark by Thom Vink

Thom is a graduate of the Royal Academy of the Hague School of Art (1990). In 1992 he co-founded the artist-run gallery, Quartair (www.quartair.nl). His works are poetic references to our lived-in space. Often he builds house-like models as a counterpart to his atmosperic black and white photographs. These ‘wall-based installations’ are also a play on the theme of display and objectivity. Just as in the site-specific work of Sol LeWitt, Vink has given instructions for the poetics of how his work is to be arranged, rather than specifying a particular composition. They appear as one work and yet are several works in which the boundaries are blurred. Recent exhibitions are his 2009-10 solo exhibition, MOTH HOUSE in the Hague Centre for Visual Arts and Architecture, The Netherlands, and the group exhibitions Patterns of the Mind, Turku Biennial 2011, and Limbus, Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art, Helsinki, also in Finland. More >>

Watch this space for a daily blog on the works by 13 New Zealand and Hague Based artists in The Poetic Condition show until 10 Dec 2017 at the BackWal Gallery, 99 Atkinson Ave, Otaki.  13 Nov blog | Exhibition info