july - november 09

To view exhibition archives click HERE

Art At Work
Mark Lander

11th July - 16th August 2009
Opening & Artist's Talk Saturday 11th July 1.30pm

Mark Lander is a paper maker painter and ceramicist working with materials from his immediate environment in North Canterbury. Art at Work is comprised of large floor to ceiling paintings and smaller wood cut prints on Lander’s stunning signature handmade paper. The concept of Art at Work is that on each print there is a ‘1’ and an ‘S’ embedded into the image somewhere symbolizing the ownership of 1 share. Each share (sale of work) contributes to a special project which supplies paper making machines to worthy recipients. Through this exhibition Mark aims to raise funds towards a large paper making machine for a deaf group in Tanzania. They already have a paper making machine that makes pulp from elephant dung and maize but are looking to expand their production! Supporting this project by purchasing a Mark Lander print will enhance the way of life for others.

Lecture Series
John Badcock

18th July - 16th August 2009
Artists Talk Saturday 25th July 1.30pm

Born in 1952 in Queenstown, a self taught artist for the last three and a half decades, John is still in the process of discovery - searching through portraiture to chronicle moments of behavior and the processes of life.

John’s professional career stretches back three decades with its roots firmly planted in a childhood spent watching his father, renowned landscape artist Douglas Badcock, on numerous painting expeditions in and around Queenstown. Based in Geraldine for the last 29 years in a house he built himself on a hilltop to capture views, on a clear day, of Mt Peel, Christchurch and Banks Peninsula, John has carved out a niche as one of New Zealand’s most uncompromising, yet popular artists. He hasn’t managed that feat, he says, by following trends.1

1. Symmetry - Subaru House Magazine March 2008 Pg 34

Ey! Iran
Contemporary Iranian Photography

22nd August - 4th October 2009 Opening Saturday 22nd August 1.30pm

Toured by Exhibition Services Ltd & Gold Coast City Art Gallery

For many in Australia and New Zealand, our understanding of contemporary Iran is immediately connected to images of conflict and tension. The perception that it is a culture closed to the west and culturally isolated is however dramatically changing, and artists and filmmakers have been at the cutting edge of this shift.

ey! iran will be the first exhibition of its kind to present recent contemporary photography from Iran in a major exhibition in New Zealand. The exhibition presents the work of 17 artists working in photo media based both in Iran or as expatriates who have left the country and continue to make work that is informed by their Persian heritage. Artists Hossein Valamanesh, who lives in Adelaide, Australia and Sadegh Tirafkan who now lives in Toronto, Canada are just two examples of acclaimed artists who deal with major issues of identity, gender, urban life, popular culture and social restrictions within and outside Iran.

Through their subtle yet powerful work, with its richly layered visual languages, it is possible to see past the stereotypical images and into the lives and experiences of ordinary people – their street lives as well as their private lives – contemporary identities intimately tied to an ancient culture and its traditions. The art of photography has developed in parallel with the highly regarded art of film making in Iran. In the same vein that contemporary Iranian filmmakers portray their vision of Iran with a compelling quiet reserve, the work of artists selected for this exhibition communicates to international audiences with the same subtle boldness. The photographic medium arrived in Iran in the early 1840s as diplomats from Russia, England and Germany brought the technology to the reigning Shah - who had a strong personal fascination with the medium. Historical collections of plates and photographs in Iran are today a valuable source of documentation of the lives of Persians in the mid to late 1800s. Throughout the early 1900s Iranian photography evolved much in the same way that European and American artists and collectors approached the medium.

The exhibition has been curated by Iranian born Australian artist Mandana Mapar. Bridging social and geographical boundaries in the development of this exhibition she travelled to Tehran to select work and seeks to link artists in Iran with audiences in Australia and New Zealand in a spirit of cultural exchange.

A Season of Iranian Cinema
Presented by the Embassy of The Islamic Republic of Iran and the Ashburton Art Gallery - Free Admission

26th August - 30th September 2009
Opening Wednesday 26th August 5.30pm

In a special partnership between the Embassy of The Islamic Republic of Iran and the Ashburton Art Gallery, we are pleased to present a selection of outstanding films produced in Iran in recent years. We are screening one Iranian feature film weekly on Wednesdays at 4pm and repeated at 6pm until 30th September. Free admission. (With thanks to the Dunedin Public Art Gallery for their assistance).

Opening Wednesday 26th August 5.30pm Refreshments will be provided for the opening, a representative from the Iranian Embassy in Wellington, will officially open this mid-winter Season of Iranian Cinema: at the Ashburton Art Gallery prior to the screening of Iran, Seven Faces Of A Civilization at 6.30pm.

All films are in Farsi with English subtitles.

A full programme will be available on this website in the coming week.

Wednesday 26th August 6.30pm: Iran, Seven Faces Of A Civilization.

Wednesday 2nd September 4pm & 6pm: Marriage, Iranian Style.

Wednesday 9th September 4pm & 6pm: Transit Cafe.

Wednesday 16th September 4pm & 6pm: So Far, So Close.

Wednesday 23rd September 4pm & 6pm: Children of Heaven.

Wednesday 30th September 4pm & 6pm: The Wind Carpet.

Arts on Tour
Skin Tight

Saturday 29th August 4.30pm 2009 Tickets $20 or $18 for Friends of the Gallery

Charged with intensity and passion, Skin Tight is a story that will stay with you for a long time to come.Tom and Elizabeth share the tale of their lives together through triumph and loss, joy and pain. In the rustic setting of rural South Canterbury post war, they delight in the trivial things and mourn the greatest losses of all. The audience is gripped from the outset by a relationship that is at once tempestuous, touching, amusing and utterly engaging.Inspired by Dennis Glover’s classic poem, The Magpies, Gary Henderson’s stirring opus of yearning and memory won a Fringe First Award at Edinburgh. This masterpiece of New Zealand theatre is humorous, poignant and moving, an experience rich with sensuality and emotion.

Share in a timelessly passionate and powerful love story. Of the recent Court theatre season in Christchurch the reviewer said:

“The actors inhabit their roles as if they knew no other life. Sia Trokenheim is lithe and spontaneous as Elizabeth. Her total conviction is matched by a beautifully judged performance from Matt Hudson as Tom. Both have the ability and control to refine their roles with telling detail.” Lindsay Clark, theatreview.org.nz

MUKA Youth Print Exhibition Young People Buy Art - No Adults Allowed

Wednesday 16th September 2009 12 noon - 6pm

A display of original contemporary art exclusively for young people aged 5-18. This event gives young people the opportunity to purchase original lithographs for a fraction of the normal price. It is the intention of the artists that the works will become the exclusive property of the purchaser.

A number of well-known artists from all over the world have been invited to produce small original lithographs. The works reflect the normal concerns of the artists; there is no patronising or “talking down” to children. Visitors to the show can buy a maximum of three lithographs for themselves, not for adults. All works are sold at a uniform low price to enable accessibility to their intended audience — children.

Ashburton District Schools Exhibition

10th October - 25th October 2009

An annual favourite in the Gallery’s programme, this exhibition displays the creative work of the Ashburton’s youth. Painting, drawing, photography, pottery, sculpture and an array of mixed media work all feature in this exciting and colourful exhibition.

Aoraki Polytechnic Art Studies Exhibition

7th - 29th November 2009

Award Ceremony Saturday 7th November 1.30pm

“Aoraki Polytechnic Art Studies Exhibition 2009 showcases the best of two years work from the students in the part-time Art Studies programme at the Aoraki Polytechnic in Ashburton. This is the first time Level 4, Certificate in Art has been run and I am sure you will be interested in seeing the wonderful development of these year 3 and year 4 students. Also showing are works from the first and second year Level 3 Introductory Art Studies. This innovative programme encourages the students to express their own individual style while developing a thorough understanding of the principles and techniques of quality art.” Heather Sarin

Champions: New Zealand Winners
Jessie Casson

5th December 2009 - 7th February 2010 Opening Saturday 5th December 1.30pm

In Champions Jessie Casson celebrates many of New Zealand’s winners and local heroes with marvellous photographs. From an award-winning jam-maker to a rodeo cowboy and a ‘universe’-straddling drag queen, more than 40 individuals from the length and breadth of the country are brought together in a loving tribute to the unsung New Zealand achiever. Although rarely publicised outside of their home towns, each winner is testament to the passion and determination of the people of New Zealand.

The portraits are the fruit of Jessie Casson’s desire to capture the dedication, self-belief and good old kiwi ‘can-do’ attitude that make New Zealanders who they are.

“When I look at the portraits I feel a warm kinship with every one of them. And from doing the interviews I discovered that everybody has a story, it just needs to be searched for. I have a greater understanding of why people pour so much time and energy into something when the gain is not about money or wealth. I have realised it is about dedication and passion. It is about belief in oneself and a drive to do better and better that becomes integral to who you are as a person. In a world where consumerism and monetary success have a huge role, I now know that there is a lot to be learnt from the individual champion. I hope that my portraits and text do justice to the subjects”. Jessie Casson