Front Page of the Art World: What’s Hot & What’s Not — 13 May 2022
A visit to Judy Millar's studio, a life-changing film, Ockham Book Awards, and the Christie's Evening Sales!
Before I get to Judy, I must start with something fresh on my mind and utterly spellbinding - the new film Mau.
Last night I was at the annual Architecture & Design film festival at the Rialto Cinemas, for the Art Lovers' Film Night screening of this new documentary. Bruce Mau is a phenomenal human. Raised by alcoholic parents, he went out into the world with a mission to use design to make the world a better place. He has not faltered. Some of his quotes illuminate the thinking he has applied to reshaping the identity of Guatemala, and expanding Coca-Cola’s potential to create a powerful social movement.
I cannot sing the film’s praises more highly - it is life-changing. Read the synopsis here. Design your life. Leave nothing to chance.
I’ll stop short of telling you his life story - go and see the film.
Now for this week’s studio visit was with artist Judy Millar!
Judy Millar is one of New Zealand’s foremost contemporary artists. From Gow Langsford Gallery, who have represented the artist since 1987: “Judy Millar is a distinguished and internationally acclaimed artist known for her intensely physical and highly mediated paintings. She works from a conceptual painting framework, in which she freely references painting’s recent histories, particularly delighting in plundering the expressiveness of gestural painting. Working with processes of erasure, wiping or scraping paint off the surface of the work, Millar takes up known positions only to deconstruct and question their previous meanings.”
It was a pleasure to get intimate, first-hand insight into the topics Judy has delved into in her book, Questions I Have Asked Myself, which she published with her sister late last year. In the book, Judy offers an intimate insight into her life in painting, sharing ‘the push and pull of my thinking’. Indeed, she told me an incredible story woven through the book - the myth of Penelope, from Homer’s Odyssey - ‘Penelope’ being Judy Millar’s first name. Homer’s Penelope, married to Ulysses, is known for her long-game loyalty and strategic ingenuity in her bid to evade arranged remarriage to one of 108 suitors during the many years Ulysses is fighting in the Trojan War. See Judy’s own take in the pages pictured above.
It was a treat and privilege to spend time with you in your study, Judy - thank you!
On the topic of brilliant reads…
Earlier in the week, I attended the biggest night in New Zealand literature, the annual Ockham New Zealand Book Awards at Auckland’s Q Theatre. Whiti Hereaka, playwright, novelist and screenwriter and a barrister and solicitor, won the coveted fiction prize for her novel Kurangaituku, which subverts Māori myth. Congratulations to all the winners and finalists!
With all of this excitement, it’s no wonder my hip “couldn’t contain itself,” in the words of the fabulous Jacob Rajan (who’ll soon be hitting theatres with the sellout Krishnan’s Dairy nationwide tour - more on this below)!
I’ve been trying to keep a low profile, I promise.
What I’m following
The Guggenheim’s 1998 exhibition, The Art of the Motorcycle was curated under the directorship of my friend Thomas Krens, who subsequently published a book about the historic exhibition. In the new issue of Blau International magazine (published twice a year), Tom talks with the wonderful Andy Hall about his life in the midst of museums and his new appointment in Saudi Arabia! An excellent read!
It was lovely to see Tom’s Guggenheim legacy continuing to inspire in ‘Striking a Balance Between Art and Motorcycle Maintenance’ in the New York Times this week.
What’s on
Documentary Edge International Film Festival 2022. Virtual Festival: 1 Jun – 10 Jul. Auckland Festival: 15 – 19 & 24 June at The Capitol Cinema, 15 – 19 June at Silky Otter and 22 – 26 June at The Civic.
An Impressive 2022 Programme To Mark A Quarter-century Of Indian Ink
Indian Ink Theatre Company presents five national seasons, one international tour, one brand new play, and plenty of outreach. All in a year’s work for Indian Ink Theatre Company.
What started as a collaboration in a chilly Wellington studio has evolved into one of Aotearoa’s most cherished theatre companies and one of our most successful theatrical exports. Indian Ink has clocked a massive audience of nearly half a million in its 25-year history and shows absolutely no signs of slowing down. I am honoured to be on the board for Indian Ink, whose energy, enthusiasm and charismatic warmth in all things will soon be rediscovered nationwide through their fantastic lineup including the beloved Krishnan’s Dairy.
Look out for an email from me with more details, and a discount code to attend the show!
New Auckland Museum exhibition on contemporary Indian art in Aotearoa - opens this Sunday! Indian Ink co-founder Jacob Rajan has also been involved in Auckland Museum’s upcoming exhibition: ‘A Place to Stand: Contemporary Indian Art in Aotearoa.’ Curated by distinguished artists of Indian heritage in Aotearoa New Zealand, this collaborative show explores the question What is contemporary New Zealand Indian art?
Inside Dali is the new immersive art experience set to captivate Auckland this month. Opening at the end of May at Spark Arena in Auckland, the Inside Dali exhibition will offer insight and immersion into Salvador Dali and his most important works, the exhibition puts the pioneer of surrealism on a colossal scale. Read the story from Denizen.
City of Colour presented by Auckland Council and Heart of the City. The heart of the city and Karangahape Road are awash with art, colour and light for three weeks during May as the city centre becomes the canvas for a trail of over 50 installations and artworks in laneways, squares, streets, trees and even hanging overhead. 6 May — 22 May.
Encore season of Grand Horizons by Bess Wohl. Auckland Theatre Company, proudly presented by MiNDFOOD. ASB Waterfront Theatre 17 — 29 May 2022.
PAKANGA FOR THE LOSTGIRL. ST PAUL St Gallery (AUT). Heidi Brickell. 6 May — 25 June.
Local Migrant. RM Gallery 6 May — 21 May 2022. Llenyd Price, brunelle dias, Gitanjali Bhatt explores the Tauiwi/migrant encounters of each artist operating within their everyday environment.
News & opinions
Christie’s 21st Century Sales. Christie’s 21st-century Tuesday evening sale of works realised a total of US$103 million in an auction that set 10 records and was dominated by active bidding for works by young, diverse, and female artists. Warhol's Blue Marilyn sold for record-smashing US$195m (amidst the Met Gala controversy), and artists of colour and women soared, their typically long journey to the world stages accelerated by strong demand. Read the story from Barrons for the full run-down.
As my friend, art critic Judd Tully, commented a week or so ago, Christie’s recent reformatting of their 21st Century Evening sale offered “a cerebral mix and match of younger and more established artists, showed off plenty of action.”
BNZ's multi-million dollar art collection to be sold for charity. An acclaimed multi-million dollar art collection owned by the Bank of New Zealand since the 1980s is to be sold to fund a charitable foundation. More than 300 contemporary New Zealand paintings, prints and photographs will be sold by Webb's in two auctions on September 13 and 27. Read the story from the NZ Herald.
Oysters, But No Antiquities: How Gagosian Liaison and Mega-Collector Scion Sophia Cohen Plans to Tackle TEFAF New York. In a new series, “Fair Game,” Artnet asks art experts to lay out their plan of attack for one of the world's top art fairs. Read the interview.
MoMA Exhibition Explores the Architectures of Decolonisation in South Asia. MoMA has announced the opening of an exhibition that explores the ways modern architecture in South Asia shaped up "idealistic societal visions and emancipatory politics" of the post-independence period. Read the story.
Major court battle looms over NFT launch of August Sander photographs. Bold move by German photographer’s descendant to put archive on the blockchain sparks copyright row. Read the story from The Art Newspaper.
TeamLab Is Suing a Los Angeles Museum for Allegedly Copying Its Instagram-Friendly Light Installations for Its Own Display. Immersive art is big business. Now, it has the legal bills to prove it. Read the story from Artnet.
NYC Mayor Reportedly Appointed Club Owner to Met Museum Board. Scott Sartiano, owner of the members-only club Zero Bond, will act as Mayor Eric Adams’s liaison to the museum. Read the story from Hyperallergic.
Green is the New Black: a new column spotlighting the movers and shakers making the art world more environmentally sustainable. From industry-wide coalitions to individual initiatives, our correspondent Louisa Buck looks at how the art industry is responding to our climate and ecological crisis. Read the story from The Art Newspaper.
He Wrapped Landmarks in Fabric. Years Later, His Art Turned Up in a Dumpster. You might have seen the story a couple of months back… well, it’s turned into something much bigger. “Hundreds of paintings by Francis Hines had been thrown away when a Connecticut man, Jared Whipple, found them — and a new life mission.” Read the story from the New York Times.
A Messy Table, a Map of the World, by Jason Farago. Here is another excellent ‘Close Read’ from the New York Times great artwork series, this time about Dutch painter Willem Claesz Heda. The Close Read pieces tie history, culture, and art together in a profound and revolutionary way. I will share the comment of one reader, which captures my own feelings perfectly: “These days our world is saturated with visual images, but I fear we have few skills at reading visual content the way this article’s author has shown. As a former art history teacher it was so much fun to read and discover all the meanings and reminded me of how much I loved teaching art history as well as how excited my students were to learn how to look.”
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.