Front Page of the Art World: What’s Hot & What’s Not — 27 May 2022
Bringing aroha into the workplace, visiting a crochet whare, celebrating Indian art in Aotearoa - and much more
This week provided so much colour, and so much food for thought. Let’s dive in!
Bringing Aroha into the workplace
It was an honour to bring Dr Hinemoa Elder, fellow Helen Clark Foundation board member, to a company who has provided every employee with a copy of her 2020 book, Aroha: Maori wisdom for a contented life lived in harmony with our planet.
“Hinemoa Elder MNZM is a New Zealand youth forensic psychiatrist a professor in indigenous research at Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi, a fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, and sits on the Māori Advisory Committee of the Centre for Brain Research - Rangahau Roro Aotearoa.”
Dr Hinemoa starts her day with two boiled eggs, before catching the ferry from Waiheke to Auckland hospital, where she spends her day in the wards at Auckland hospital. Hinemoa is one of only a handful of child and adolescent psychiatrists specialising in traumatic brain injuries affecting tamariki and taiohi (youth). Her journey is inspiring and deeply grounding - you can read more about it here.
The top-selling New Zealand non-fiction title of 2021, Dr Hinemoa’s book Aroha calls on the timeless wisdom of Maori proverbs - 52 traditional Maori sayings that show us how we can live better lives, in harmony with the planet. It was a great talk, and FCB hosted Dr Hinemoa with many warm and open hearts.
We were treated after the event to hear from Pat Sneddon, whose reflections on the themes of the book came fresh from the tangi of his friend Joe Hawke, one of the leaders of the Bastion Point protests. My deep gratitude to Dr Hinemoa and Pat Snedden for their generosity.
Not to be missed this week…
A crochet whare to explore mātauranga Māori
Earlier in the week, I went to see the beautiful, playful yet profound crochet whare artwork ‘Wharenui Harikoa’ by artists Lissy Robinson-Cole (Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Kahu) and Rudi Robinson (Ngāti Paoa, Ngaruahine, Ngāti Makirangi, Ngāti Tu). The couple have been using their creative energies to explore mātauranga Māori and their personal whakapapa through crocheted sculptural forms over the past eight years.
Tomorrow is the last day to go and see this wonderful piece at Objectspace. See photos here.
Celebrating Indian art in Aotearoa
A little jewel of an exhibition just opened at the Auckland War Memorial Museum - called ‘A Place to Stand, Contemporary Indian Art in Aotearoa.’ It was great to walk through the exhibition with the other board members of Indian Ink Theatre Company - the founder of which has created his own magical activation for this exhibition. See photos here for what to expect - and find details on the exhibition below.
“I want you to panic!”
12 June is the last day to see John Reynolds’ fabulous exhibition ‘Smoke and Mirrors’ at Pah Homestead. I went back for more this week (see images here). This provocative show aims to clear the smoke on climate change, and summons the powerful rhetoric of Greta’s Thunberg’s moving speeches with “I want you to panic” and “blah blah blah.” Each of the works is a protest sign, expressing - indeed imploring - the audience to rise in response to the swelling climate crisis.
More details in the ‘what’s on’ section below!
Final thoughts
I shared on Facebook this week an incredible story close to my family - the discovery of close to 800 artworks by Jewish artist Gertrud Kauders and hidden from the Nazis. Gertrud Kauders was a murdered Jewish artist in Czechoslovakia in 1939. Close to 800 of her artworks discovered after being hidden in the walls of a house in Prague (2018) were returned to the During family (most of the siblings live in New Zealand) two weeks ago. Gertrud Kauders is Matthew During's great aunt, and the great great aunt of my sons Max and Zach. Congratulations to Miriam, Camilla, Michael, Simon and Matthew During for working so hard as a family and keeping the legacy of their father, Peter During (Cornelius Kauders) intact.
CreativeMornings
This morning, CreativeMornings hosted Lauren Woolf of Mrs Woolf for a talk at Studio One Toi Tū. In 2020, Lauren Woolf co-founded The Lockdown Collection, a groundbreaking art initiative capturing South Africa’s historic COVID-19 lockdown and designed to support vulnerable artists who were severely impacted by the pandemic. The initiative was groundbreaking because it was the first to turn the prevailing auction model on its head. Lauren’s talk was powerful and left us all thinking. Look out for the the recording in next week’s blog!
What’s on
A Place to Stand: Contemporary Indian Art in Aotearoa (15 May-24 July). Curated by distinguished artists of Indian heritage in Aotearoa New Zealand, this collaborative show at Auckland War Memorial Museum explores the question What is contemporary New Zealand Indian art?
John Reynolds: Smoke and Mirrors. Sunday 12 June is the last day to see this fabulous exhibition at Pah Homestead. Do not miss it! Here are a few photos from the Closing Party this week.
Inside Dali: An Epic Multi-Sensory Digital Exhibition Opens In Auckland This Weekend. Auckland: 28 May-30 June, Christchurch: 11 July-26 August. Find out what to expect here.
Gavin Hipkins: The Deep. 26 May–25 June. The Deep is a solo presentation of new work by Tāmaki Makaurau-based artist Gavin Hipkins. Found images are co-opted into installation, digital video and printed matter. These artworks realise suggestive dreamscapes, forming an industrial sublime in order to evoke yearning and disquietude. More info here.
Ōtaki weavers show ambitious new work in 'Whiriwhiria' exhibition. “Our whanaungatanga is based on long-standing weaving relationships formed either through whakapapa, as past and present weaving tutors at Wānanga or exhibiting artists at the Toi Matarau Gallery in the Māoriland Film Hub” - Nadine Rubin Nathan covers this exceptional new work!
The Garden of Earthly Delights by Jheronimus Bosch: an online interactive adventure. This interactive documentary provides an in-depth tour though The Garden of Earthly Delights. Accompanied by high resolution images of the painting, the exciting story of this masterpiece unfolds. In a web interface the visitor will be taken on an audio-visual journey. As Pare Keiha pointed out when he shared this link with me, the has soundtrack is excellent. Thank you Pare!
ArtNow is a one-stop shop of exhibitions across the regions of Aotearoa New Zealand - put together by my friend Stephanie Post.
International:
Marquee month at Sotheby’s: An Aboriginal Art Expert Picks the Best 8 Lots by Australian Indigenous Artists Hitting the Block This Week at Sotheby’s. The auction house's annual Aboriginal art auction has moved from a low-key winter slot to the marquee month of May this year.
Naturae Vitibus (Nature Forces) by Tim Gruchy. A site-specific 360 degree, 3D mapped projection artwork with sound - on now at Botanica Brisbane.
Art Weekly from The Guardian is your one-stop shop for all your arty needs. Jonathan Jones handpicks the best ideas and things to see and delivers the week’s must-read news, so you won’t miss a thing. See the latest edition here.
News and opinions
Jessica Gurnsey, 18, wins the $20,000 Adam Portraiture Award. A Wellington-born fine arts student has become the youngest person to win the prestigious $20,000 Adam Portraiture Award, hosted at the NZ Portrait Gallery. (Stuff.) Shoutout to Helene Bizouerne who was a finalist in the awards with her portrait ‘Presence’ (check it out here)! The show is up until 14/08/2022 at the NZ Portrait Gallery in Wellington, well worth a visit.
Inigo Philbrick’s 7-Year Sentence for $86 Million Fraud Has Rattled the Art World. (ARTnews)
The Artnet Intelligence Report, Spring 2022 Edition. The spring 2022 edition of the Artnet Intelligence Report considers what happens when the art market tries to become more like the stock market. (Artnet)
Simone Nathan: star and creator of Kid Sister, on making a Jewish comedy. Screenwriter Simone Nathan talks with Joanna Mathers about writing for Taika Watiti, working with Amy Schumer and making her acting debut in her own series, Kid Sister. (NZ Herald)
6 Rising Contemporary Artists Using Traditional Craft Techniques. (Artsy)
All hung up: quirky creatures created with clothes – in pictures. London-based Russian artist Helga Stentzel uses art to makes people smile. ‘We need to slow down and look at what’s around us.’ (The Guardian)
Warhol Museum Reimagines the Factory in a New ‘Pop District.’ The museum aims to create an arts and music destination in Pittsburgh, teach skills to young people and shore up its finances. (NY Times)
NFT Pioneer Olive Allen Wants to Introduce the Art World to the Metaverse. Her Vision of the Future Looks Nothing Like Zuckerberg’s Her first IRL solo show is on view at Postmasters Gallery in New York. (Artnet)
The Bucharest Biennial Is Curated Entirely by an A.I. Named Jarvis. We Asked It a Question. (Artnet)
Sacred or Sexist? After a Brazen Theft, Seeing de Kooning in a New Light. When “Woman-Ochre” goes on view at the Getty Museum after its conservation, the painting will have a new mystique. But competing interpretations remain. (NY Times)
The Art Angle: Want to Wear a Basquiat? Inside the Big Business of Artist Merch. From Barbies to Coach bags, Basquiat is everywhere. (Artnet)
Frida Kahlo’s Family Promises to Show How the Artist ‘Really Lived Her Life’ in a New Scripted TV Series. It's just the most recent example of "Fridamania." (Artnet)
Bonus thing to click… Why do people, like, say, ‘like’ so much? Saying the word ‘like’ has long been seen as a sign of laziness and stupidity. But its use is actually richly nuanced, goes back to Shakespearean times, and is an indicator of, like, intelligence. (The Guardian)
Helen Klisser During is recognised by Kea as a World Class New Zealander, is a Global Woman, and Ambassador of Auckland University of Technology.
The ArtCafé blog is put together with the help of Laura Cheftel.