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My review of Simon Starling's exhibition "In Speculum" at the Wellington City Gallery appears in this week's issue of the New Zealand Listener. Above is a picture of the Turner Prize-winning artist at the opening. Was able to meet him when he conducted some seminar-style discussions with Massey's incoming MFA cohort. Very charming and unflappable fellow given all the demands on his time during his visit to New Zealand. (Unfortunately full text of review not online unless you are a subscriber, but if you are based locally maybe check out dairies, supermarkets, newsstands, indian takeaways, doctor's offices, and other sorts of waiting rooms and peruse freely....) I will however be posting some selected examples of my Listener texts in the reviews section in the near future.
An extensive overview of the Copenhagen-based British artist Simon Starling opened last night at the Wellington City Gallery. From what I could ascertain, between the limbs and over the shoulders of the sizeable, mostly well-dressed (unlike myself) art crowd, it's a very impressive show with much to recommend, nicely representative of Starling's interdisciplinary, evocative hybridized practice that incorporates aspects of cinema, photography, installation, and sculpture with a heavy emphasis on looking at historical fact and fiction, objects and illusions. Will be musing a lot more about this in my upcoming review of the show for the NZ Listener. For more info on the show including some other links, see: http://www.citygallery.org.nz/exhibitions/simon-starling-speculum And if you're in Wellington this evening, the Turner Prize-winning artist will be delivering a free lecture at 6 PM. http://citygallery.org.nz/events/open-late-international-guest-lecture-simon-starling
Just got back from Splore festival up north and will be reporting on that soon, when I get some images and words together...for now my review of Wellington City Gallery's "South of No North" exhibition featuring artists Lawrence Aberhart, William Eggleston, and Noel McKenna was just posted on EyeContact.
William Eggleston's black and white video Stranded in Canton which draws upon his tapes made in Memphis, Tennessee in the early 1970s is currently on view as part of the exhibition entitled South of no North: Laurence Aberhart, William Eggleston, Noel McKenna at the Wellington City Gallery through March 9. The show travelled here from the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia. I will be reviewing it very soon but wanted to recommend this vibrant and interesting show. Stranded in Canton features a lot of important musicians including the blues singer Furry Lewis, record producer Jim Dickinson, and Alex Chilton, who was finished with the cult band Big Star and in the midst of his so-called "lost decade" by then. Here he sings "My Rival," which was one of the songs on the chaotic, weird, and wonderful Like Flies on Sherbert LP.
