We have some stunning new exhibitions in the gallery, so it is well worth making the time to come down to Northcote to check them out.
‘Singing to the Dead’ is in galleries 1,2,3 until 23 October. The idea for the exhibition came out of the very successful ‘Twenty’, an exhibition that celebrated Northart’s twentieth anniversary in November last year. While ’Twenty’ paid tribute to Northart endeavour through the selection of one critical work from each of those 20 years, the artists included in ‘Singing to the Dead’ present works that pay homage to people, places, ideas and events that have been pivotal to their own personal development and wellbeing, be it on an artistic, familial, political or emotional level.
Included in the line-up of participants are many of Northart’s most accomplished artists: Karl Amundsen, Frances Atkins, Harvey Benge, Freda Brierley, Robert Ellis, Robyn Hughes, Maureen Lander, John Lyall, Phil Neary, Marie Potter, Ross Ritchie, Helen Schamroth and Frank van Schaik. Sculpture, photography, textile art, object art, embroidery, painting and performance all feature in what is a very powerful and poignant exhibition. There will be a floor talk on Sunday 20 October at 2pm. This is a free event – refreshments will be served.
Warwick Brown has been a regular Northart visitor since the early 2000s and has curated exhibitions, written essays, presented seminars, given floor talks and loaned Northart artworks for various exhibitions over that time. Lesser known is his contribution as a practising artist. He has participated in numerous members’ and other exhibitions, presenting works in a variety of media. One such (one person) show was ‘Out of Print. Cibachromes from the 1980s’ held February/March 2012. It was a delightfully whimsical show and a memorable one. We are thrilled to be presenting it once more.
John Oxborough, too, has long been a valued member of Northart for almost 20 years. A graduate of Otago Art school, John is an established mid-career artist and has gained an enviable reputation as a colourist and for his expressionist use of line. Female figures, nudes, still life and domestic clutter are favoured subjects, with objects and scenes often depicted from an aerial or oblique perspective. His exhibition will bring together works on paper from the past two decades.
Replacing them and opening on Sunday 20 October at 5pm (and until Wednesday November 6), are ‘Our People’ and ‘Young at Art’.
‘Our People’ is the title and theme of a portrait photography competition for secondary school students presented by the Gerrard and Marti Friedlander Charitable Trust. Northart is pleased to be presenting this inaugural event of what will become bi-annual competition.
‘Young at Art’ is a selection of 18 small scale sculptures made from found materials, as well as 45 or so framed mixed media and photography works by students at Birkenhead College.
Later in October (Sunday 27th at 5pm) we open ‘Rubicon’, a group show by four mid-career artists: Patrick Malone, Grant Whibley, Graham McFelin and Shruti Yatri. They have kept contact since art school days, meeting regularly to discuss ideas and critique each other’s work.
For further information about Gallery Time for Kids and other public events, go to www.northart.co.nz or contact the gallery.
