As shifting Levels concertina work into fewer days, I took a short walk to clear my mind and see what art was on within a block or two of Studio Art Supplies.
Objectspace, at 13 Rose Road, is wonderful in its breadth and depth of arty things, 3D from design to raranga. Passing with sandwich in hand, I saw Kauri Hawkin’s sculpture standing in the forecourt, proudly monumental – until one recognises the plain, cast concrete shape is a pokie machine.
Titled Everybody WiNZ, the work points to the source income for much of the arts funding in this country. Gambling involves a disproportionate number of low-income people, with proceeds used by Creative New Zealand, via the Lotteries Commission, to fund art projects and charitable organisations such as Objectspace, who commissioned Hawkin’s sculpture. Everybody WiNZ describes the money-go-round perfectly.
At 2 Murdoch Road is Scott Lawrie Gallery. The extremely affable Scotsman, recently running The Vivian at Matakana, has been at this location just six months, presenting works from New Zealand and Australia, including from such established artists as Patricia Piccinini, and the estate of Sally Gabori.
Currently showing at the time was the thick oil paintings of Toby Raine, taking a refreshing turn towards soft colours and his daughter as subject matter. While characteristically abstracted in an Auerbach way, one can identify intimate scenes in paintings like Irene cuddling an undeserving cat and Irene in mum’s hat.
Next block down is Grey (37 Scanlan Street), an exhibition space where artists can organise their own shows. Three art school colleagues presented their post-Elam works in Ways Forward, paintings different from each other, but surpringly complementary.
Local artist John Hodgson positions a pink figure awkwardly in the landscape, like it’s trying to make sense of its place. A large tenderly painted head sits precariously on a slope. Trevor Newman applies colours in diffused lines of light and dark, while Bonco favours thicker paint in strict grid positions.
So much art within a couple of blocks – I love our neighbourhood! (EVAN WOODRUFFE/STUDIO ART SUPPLIES
#art #objecespace #studioartsupplies #scottlawrie #greygallery #evanwoodruffe #creativenewzealand #ponsonbynews #iloveponsonby #ponsonby #auckland #aucklandshippestrip #onlyponsonby #ponsonbyroad #Greylynn #freemansbay #westmere #ponsonby #hernebay #stmarysbay #archhill #family #friends #coxsbay