“I’m really excited about our upcoming exhibition, which will offer fresh insights into, and a deeper knowledge of, the collection of more than 550 items that we have at the University,” says Christina Barton, Director of the Adam Art Gallery.
A suite of three exhibitions will fill the three floors of the gallery space. One will include two of Brent Wong’s surreal late 1960s’ paintings of empty New Zealand landscapes, in which strange geometrical forms impossibly appear, paired with a new generation of artists—Gavin Hipkins, Peter Trevelyan, Shaun Waugh and Kate Woods.
“Like Wong, these contemporary artists also explore spatial juxtaposition and abstract modeling to uncanny or critical ends,” says Ms Barton. “Setting work with a similar aesthetic alongside Wong’s paintings enables us to reassess the ongoing potency of their imagery.”
Another exhibition will bring together a range of works by Māori, Pakeha and Pasifika artists from the Victoria University of Wellington Art Collection who explore the rich cultural traditions and complex cross-cultural histories that have shaped Aotearoa New Zealand.
“This exhibition was inspired by The Feilding Panel, an artwork that was gifted to us in 2013, which is a precious legacy of a defining time in the careers of several artists and in the development of biculturalism in Aotearoa New Zealand,” says Ms Barton.
“It was carved by students (including then-emerging Māori artists Cliff Whiting and Paratene Matchitt) of Gordon Tovey, the inspiring supervisor of arts and crafts in the Department of Education.”
The final exhibition will showcase drawings and paintings of the 1950s and 1960s, and works from the personal collection of art historian Gordon H. Brown, which he gifted to Victoria University in 2010. Brown was renowned as Colin McCahon’s biographer and as co-author, with Hamish Keith, of the landmark book Introduction to New Zealand Painting, published in 1969.
“These works provide a rare opportunity to explore another side to Brown as a creative consumer of art and literature, whose personal taste bears little resemblance to the aesthetic standpoint with which he is normally associated,” says Ms Barton.
The exhibition will be complemented by a public programme, including artists’ talks, lectures and a film screening.
What: The More You Know: The Victoria University Art Collection in Context
Where: Adam Art Gallery, Victoria University of Wellington, Gate 3, Kelburn Parade
When: 3 February–12 April 2015
Tuesday–Sunday, 11am–5pm (closed on Monday)
Free entry
To watch videos about the Victoria University of Wellington Art Collection, visit the Adam Art Gallery website.