Front Page of the Art World: What’s Hot & What’s Not — 9 April 2022
Farewells, film recommendations, a 14-year-old art sensation, and a new public holiday!
This week, we farewelled Derek McCormack as he handed the reins as Vice-Chancellor of Auckland University of Technology to Toeolesulusulu Damon Salesa. Derek has left an incredible legacy, 22 years at the helm. Derek is the leader who spearheaded AUT’s journey from a fledgling technical institute to ranking in the world’s top 1 percent. Not only did Derek’s leadership ensure AUT grew from strength to strength in student numbers; but his bold partnering with the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki demonstrated his knowledge that art and culture is at the heartbeat of a thriving institution and educational flourishing for students.
Thank you Derek, for all your work - we will all miss you!
Last night, I went to the ASB Waterfront Theatre in Auckland’s popular Wynyard Quarter (incidentally, the first theatre in the Southern Hemisphere to be targeting a 5 Green Star rating for efficiency and sustainability!) for Peter Macky’s Thursday Film Night. The screening showcases two fantastic new films: When we were kids and Juniper. Juniper was sensational and very moving. I was just relieved for the warmth and support of a real audience - and the care of my companions Lisa Reihana and James Pink. We’re all coming out like crocuses after Omicron - carefully rising above ground, but taking delight in being able to support these important programmes.
The last time I was at the ASB Waterfront Theatre was for the preview of the brilliant film Rūrangi - which debuted in the 2020 NZ Film Festival. Rūrangi was produced by the late Adrien Burr, who poured support into many projects and helped so many people. It was with great sadness that Adrien wasn’t there to see this wonderful film now able to make the circuit, and he was on all of our minds. The baton for the Auckland Theatre Youth Company, has been passed onto Peter Macky. You too can be a supporter!
Also - shoutout to Angus Vail who made a detour to my home as he celebrated his 60th birthday! As well as being Manager of rock band KISS since 1985, in 2019 Angus arranged a New Zealand-themed concert in New York to help raise funds for the survivors of the Christchurch Mosque shooting and their families. Now, Angus is building a revolutionary new performance space: a moveable venue based on Shakespeare's original Globe theatre, built from repurposed shipping containers. Check out the project here!
What I’m following:
What’s on:
ON NOW - Dale Frank’s new exhibition at the Gow Langsford Gallery: ‘In The Dark The Drunken Ghosts Of Masturbations Past’ opened yesterday. Find out more.
New Zealand sculptor Gill Gatfield exhibiting in Berlin and Venice. Alter Ego: Native Tongue XR virtual sculpture in Berlin ends tomorrow! The show goes on at the Venice Bienalle, where Gill is headed next - to exhibit Unity: Personal Structures. Head to Gill’s Instagram to follow along!
VIRTUAL OPENING: NZ PAVILION AT THE VENICE BIENNALE. Join the virtual opening for the first glimpse of New Zealand’s presentation for the Venice Biennale - Yuki Kihara’s Paradise Camp, curated by Natalie King. Streaming on Facebook and YouTube on Wed 20 April at 6pm NZT, the virtual opening includes speeches, an exhibition walk-through and a live feed into the New Zealand Pavilion at Venice.
Jellicoe & Bledisloe: Hamilton in the 90s - David Cook. On at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakaata until 15 May. Get more information.
Immersive exhibition on life and works of Salvador Dali heading to Auckland. Following on from the success of the applauded Van Gogh Alive comes another large-scale, immersive exhibition at Spark Arena – a dive into the life and works of surrealist icon Salvador Dali. “You come out of the exhibition wanting to learn more about him, but also about human life and the mind and how everything works,” in the words of Frederico Dalgas Pandolfini of Italy’s C&T Crossmedia. Read the story from Stuff.
News:
‘You can’t take a billion with you to the grave’: Inside the world of Sydney’s power patrons. Meet the Sydney philanthropists reviving city’s arts and culture scene. Read the story from the Sydney Morning Herald.
Unesco under pressure to pull world heritage meeting from Russia. UK culture minister, Auschwitz Memorial and Europa Nostra call for the June event to be relocated following Russian invasion of Ukraine. Read the story from the Art Newspaper.
New Zealand Opera School alumni Simon O'Neill wins Grammy. Originally from Ashburton, Simon now lives in Birkenhead. As he’s walking the beach, he sings the entire opera. I just wish he lived in Takapuna so that I could also hear it! Read the story from the NZ Herald.
Matariki public holiday passes into law. The law setting up a Matariki public holiday - set for 24 June this year - has passed in Parliament. Read the story from RNZ.
‘Real, raw, honest’: How Nan Goldin inspired a generation of photographers. Five image-makers explain their complicated artistic and emotional relationships with Nan Goldin’s life and work. Read the story from Dazed.
All in for Arts: He waka toi e eke noa nei tātou has come to an end. Over four weeks in March, Te Tumu Toi and Creative New Zealand went on a virtual journey across the country – shining a spotlight on creativity in far-flung corners, and amplifying 28 powerful stories about the arts. Arts lovers - likely and unlikely characters! - gathered together to tell their stories - watch them all here.
Indigenous artists highlight shared histories of abstraction and survival in the Whitney Biennial. The 2022 edition of the exhibition, titled Quiet as It’s Kept, includes the work of four Indigenous artists from the US and Canada. Read the story from The Art Newspaper.
Ikea and H&M launch ‘ideas factory’ for local designers and creatives in London. Small-scale producers and artists are invited to apply for grants to develop their ideas for sale in new store. Read the story from the Guardian.
NFTs Take Centre Stage at São Paulo’s SP-Arte Fair, With Varying Degrees of Success. “Every fair is doing NFTs now,” quipped Fernanda Feitosa, the director of São Paulo’s SP-Arte. “It’s good to have, for educational purposes.” Read the story from ARTnews.
14-year-old art sensation Xeo Chu: ‘I kind of keep it hidden from friends.’ The young Vietnamese artist gets compared to Jackson Pollock and his pictures sell for $150,000 and up. But as his first solo London show opens, he talks about the future, donating to charity and the fact that he’s ‘just a kid.’ Read the story from the Guardian.
Finland Seizes $46 M. in Art Bound for Russia, Citing E.U. Sanctions. Three shipments of art bound for Russia have been seized by Finnish Customs, according to a statement from the government agency. The art seized was worth a collective $46 million. Read the story from ARTnews.
She was the granddaughter of Matisse and the stepdaughter of Duchamp: her collection at Christie's. Read the report from Judith Behamau.
As we begin to come out of hibernation, I am looking forward to restarting a monthly ArtCafé salon - featuring artists, writers, politicians, scientists, musicians, academics, thought leaders, charities, foundations, and think tanks. Please sign up to receive updates!