Why am i here?

Well i have been a little quiet for a few weeks, i guess i have been trying to figure out why I am here in the blogoshere, what value can i add to a place where there are thousands of other bloggers doing fantastic things.

I have still come up with no answers but I thought I would go ahead with my original plan to reveal some behind the scenes stuff.

These are some some great photos taken by one of our photographers, Jennifer French, of the removal of the sculptures from our forecourts recently. The team moving it were: Rich Rigging who specialise in this kind of strange, awkward and wonderful objects accompanied by an objects conservator from the Gallery.

For all of you that loved the wind activated George Rickey sculpture, I can assure you it is being well looked after until it finds its new location around the planned new gallery building.

And if you REALLY love it. There are two others scattered around the world as ours was one of an edition of three.

One just next to the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco that i bumped into, literally, while on my recent trip to Museums and the Web. Click here for another bloggers view and images.

The other is at the Pepsico Sculpture Garden, Purchase, New York

There is even youtube video of one of them......not sure which!

Shop Stuff....

We really like local designers.... so, here's a plug for those that have some really interesting product out at the mo'. Local designer, Catherine David, has a new 'Kiss' xxxx light out - see pics below. You can hang them or stand them on a shelf as a 'kiss' or....if the whim dictates....a 'plus' + + +

A definite check out + energy conscious. Were $350 now$290 - available in orange - 450mm x 450mm x 150mm.

Axminster Cowhides - specially sourced vintage carpet. If you thought the '80's was a scary time in interior decor then seeing is believing. Also, by the same designer as the 'Kiss Light'. Unbelievably stylish. We have one in the shop for you to view...and buy. Lets just say - an icon before its time. * The size is the actual size of a cowhide - save a cow buy axminster!





Arriving in shortly - delicious lolly-like necklaces....by another local - an Elam art student, infact.

Great to have craftworks and jewellery by up-and-coming designers - so, contact me if you think your designs would suit our shop.

Plus - a few specials like our 'Michael Parekowhai' book - crammed full with 300 full colour illustrations. Usually $160 NOW $85 - that's cost price! Don't miss out as we only have a limited supply.

+ + + + Last few Aberhart posters - only $7 each. Again, these are a limited supply, so don't miss out!



& that's it for now.

Queens Birthday honours for the arts

Congratulations to the following people celebrated for their services to the arts by this years Queens Birthday Honours:

Officers of the Order
Pauline Annette Savage, Wellington, for services to arts administration
Derek Arana Te Ahi Lardelli, Gisborne, for services to Maori arts, in particular toi moko

Members of the Order
Dayle Elizabeth Mace, Auckland, for services to the arts and the community
Michael Philip Shepherd, Auckland, for services to art
Douglas Lloyd Jenkins, Napier, for services to design
Michael Cliff Tuffery, Wellington, for services to art

Michel Tuffery, Povi 2001,
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki, commissioned from the artist, 2000

Art from the animals

I just saw this on the One Moment Caller blog and just loved it so thought i would share it with you all.

What do you think of this?

What do you think of this? - the background info

At the end of May, we launched the first Auckland Art Gallery brand campaign in over 5 years. This campaign, created by Saatchi & Saatchi, was a culmination of many long discussions and a review of market perceptions of the gallery. We began to realise that we needed to overcome the problem that people tend to perceive art and the gallery as a place where the culturally elite meet and pass opinion. It is also often seen, by some, as a place that only the erudite and sophisticated understand; not relevant to the ordinary person on the street.

Our solution was to send a message to people that art is not just for the elite, it’s for everyone, from all walks of life. This message needed to be straightforward and direct.

The idea was to get people interacting and forming opinions on art in their everyday environment by confronting them with original art pieces in their everyday lives and asking them ‘What do you think of this?’



To begin, we invited three prominent New Zealand artists to create original works of art, with the only stipulation that the work must include the words “What do you think of this?’ Other than that, whatever form the artwork took was entirely up to the artist’s imagination.

A warm and sincere thanks to Dick Frizzell, Judy Darragh and Richard Orjis who took up this challenge and together, with Saatchi & Saatchi, created a campaign for people to engage with and become excited about art.

So, what do you think of this?

Tina Norris
Manager, Marketing & Communications

World Environmental Day - June 5

Well I'm not sure that art galleries really have a reputation for being "environmentally friendly" but a few of us here at the gallery are trying to encourage others especially for World Environmental Day - June 5. I'm planning on walking or cycling into work as usual and hopefully others will look at more sustainable practices like recycling, not printing out emails unless absolutely necessary...etc..

We are also trying to encourage people to come into the gallery by holding an environmental day competition in association with our exhibition Earth Matters. Come and visit the exhibition (hopefully via and environmentally friendly method of transport) and answer the question

"How does Earth Matters make you think about the planet?'

Entering your answer on the computer in the New Gallery foyer to be in to win a fabulous environmental package containing:

*Huckleberry Farms hamper (good news is they now also have an online store) worth $250
*ecostore Health Home Kit worth over $40

I don't normally go into promotions on blogs but I particularly like being involved in World Environmental Day!

Bill Henson show closed until further notice

The Sydney Morning Herald reports today, that the opening of the new Bill Henson exhibition at the Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery was "dramatically cancelled" by police after complaints about some of the images. Unfortunately the website also seems to be 'closed for business' this morning. But apparently the images are of young children and deemed inappropriate.

Photographer Bill Henson. Photo: Adam Hollingworth


It brings to mind a time at the Auckland Art Gallery when we received similar but not as strong criticism about the exhibition Mixed Up Childhood in 2005. Photographs by some of these artists also contained children in various poses and we received criticism for the nature of them. At the time i remember wondering about the difference in peoples reaction to painting and photography. If some of the works had been traditional oil paintings would they have received such a reaction or are photographs seen as more voyeuristic. People rarely complain about nudes in paintings!

It also brings to mind the old chestnut of how far you go when censoring art. A large Gilbert and George exhibition containing images of faeces, bombs, blood and death could be equally disturbing. Should art not be allowed to stand out there for criticism. Do people have to choice what they decide to go and see, when to step inside the walls of a gallery?

These are of course, purely my personal point of view. However, i'd love any feedback from anyone out there.

Gallery tubing

I'm currently working on some videos for the Gallery to put on youtube and have found some other galleries putting videos out there while researching it all.

MOMA have a youtube profile, currently showing an interview with Olafur Eliasson.



Tate Gallery on youtube says it updates every month but it seems a bit outdated. Some interesting videos there though, my favourite one of artists Gilbert & George, who have been on my mind after seeing an amazing exhibition of there work at the De Young Museum in San Francisco, here is the video from the Tate:




I guess i have been thinking a lot about who the audience for these videos will be. Who are the users of youtube? Is it just the young y-generation, the early to late 20 year olds, and are they interested only in looking for funny videos or is there an audience interested in this kind of education video on youtube? Do generation x or even gen-w or gen-v if they even exist, look at youtube?...I guess i'll find out as soon and we try it out.

Earth Mattering

Earth Matters opened at the Gallery on the 1st of May. It's a collection show with a project by Wellington-based artist Amy Howden-Chapman in the entrance-way, making a connection between work from the collection and a recent work which has strong associations to the exhibition's theme and content. Amy HC's Great Pacific Ocean Rubbish Patch Recreation is presented as a slide-projection, reflecting upon the currency (or comedy) of activism today versus its urgency in the past, she's also included a new work The Slip a photograph of an erroded hillside, mirrored below in a mock tribute to the sublime.

Also featured is one of our newest acquisitions - Maintenance of Social Solidarity - instance 5, by et al. which has a reciprocal presence at the Sydney Biennale this year. http://www.bos2008.com/revolutionsonline/?p=404

Getting the prize for the most fondled work in the exhibition at only two weeks open is the Boyle Family's Gisborne Triptych. On show for the first time in 18 years, this is obviously still a favourite for the "how did they really make it?" punters. And it's still a magnificent work. A vitrine of newspaper clippings shows just how popular the Boyle Family's residency and exhibition were - including allusions to how tame they were by comparison to Jörg Immendorf's infamous stay just prior to their visit. For good measure Michael Stevenson's work on Jörg is around the corner, but in a new installation, with the Immendorf edited out, revealing our cyclical economic environment.

For someone who was dragged along to an ongoing series of environmental actions as a child, this exhibition was as much an opportunity to raise a rhetorical question at the collection: how does environmental concern look through the lens of the collection? And, in what ways and means does socio-political preoccupation with 'environmental decay' get reflected in an artist's practice.

Images: Amy Howden-Chapman, The Great Pacific Ocean Rubbish Patch Recreation, 2006 (video still); The Boyle Family, Gisborne Triptych, 1990 (detail)

Happy Birthday to Artbash

A little birdy told me that it is the 3rd birthday of Lee Cunliffe's website Artbash this month so a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY i'm a huge fan.