Too Much Truth will present posters, paintings, magazines, photographs and street art by over 35 sex trade abolitionist organisations, activists and artists worldwide – many of whom are survivors of sexual exploitation.
The display will include posters from Stígamót in Iceland, Asian Women Coalition Ending Prostitution, and photographs from Apne Aap in India, an organisation that helps save girls from a system of “hereditary” prostitution. Copies of feminist magazine off our backs will be available, as well as Spinifex press publications Prostitution Narratives and Radically Speaking.
All groups, artists and activists with work in Too Much Truth ask that prostitution and sex trade lobbying are considered critically, in light of testimonies offered by survivors, the disproportionate representation of poor and indigenous women, and the way the trade encourages men to use economic advantage to circumvent sexual consent. In short, abolitionists ask that we recognise the violently sexist, racist, capitalist and colonising nature of prostitution.
"Too Much Truth anticipates a review of New Zealand's Prostitution Reform Act (PRA), due next year. The PRA saw the pimping and purchase of women fully decriminalised in New Zealand in 2003, and a 2008 milestone report recommended a review be carried out in 2018."
Because the 'New Zealand Model' of prostitution reform is the legislative model favoured by pimps worldwide, women worldwide need a critical, legislative review to take place in New Zealand. This is what Too Much Truth asks for, by demonstrating that the sex trade is an industry that women in India to South Africa, Germany to Iceland and Canada to New Zealand are in fact imprisoned in, and fighting against for their lives – and for the freedom of all women.
Too Much Truth is dedicated to the legacy of Grace Molisa, ni-Vanuatu freedom fighter, feminist, poet, publisher, educator and abolitionist.
Creativity is a tricky beast, or it might just be a teddy bear!
We are the adult crew of Artrageous kids and we work with children to provide spaces for them to genuinely discover and explore their creative selves. We encourage all our intrepid adventurers to find and express their unique chaos or concern, gingerly or with gusto, by way of everything from tiptoeing to tromping.
This exhibition represents the adult exploration of these same spaces and paces. We urge children to forget the outcome of their artistic endeavours and, instead, to play until they create something that fills them with pure delight.
The humble teddy, the ever-present teddy, the universal teddy is, for us, symbolic of play with deep and lasting connections to our own childhoods, and childhood in general.
For this exhibition, each of us has worked with ‘teddies’ that we have either found, adopted, or that have been treasured since the beginning of all teddy time. We have used them to explore a variety of media and processes and have granted ourselves the same level of freedom that we afford to those who attend our programme. In doing this we are practicing what we believe and teach.
The subject matter we have chosen is recognisable, engaging, and emotive for us, and we hope for all. It has the power to connect people to their own childhoods, evoking memories of endless hours of uninhibited play, captivated by their teddy confidantes, teddy friends and teddy fiends.
We have thoroughly enjoyed the process of creating in this astonishing space between childhood and the rabbit hole of adulthood, and it is our hope and intention that this exhibition will inspire creativity, connection and conversation.
This adventure is brought to you by Anahera Gildea, Aleksandra Glumac-Alagh, Caroline McGlinchy, Joanne Grove and Sarah Bennett.
For more information about artrageous kids please visit our website www.artrageouskids.co.nz
Skin is the second running annual exhibition of the Massey Wellington Life Drawing Club, a club dedicated to providing a space for both beginners and avid life drawers to study the nude human form. This exhibition is a chance for our participants to showcase what they’ve been working on over the year and for everyone else to see the beauty of the human form from various artistic perspectives.
Stuart Gray
I am a self taught artist who started out playing around with collage then drifted into using found objects and materials of all sorts sourced from op-shops, recycling centres and wherever I can find cheap or free objects to re-purpose into whatever comes into my imagination.
I like the idea of creating something out of other peoples cast-offs plus helping out the charity shops by buying castoffs from them.
Being a registered electrician I sometimes incorporate the skills of my trade into my art.
My artwork can be viewed on www.stuartgrayblog.wordpress
Nini Mulyani
Handcrafted jewellery that combines both neglected and new elements. The jewellery is often whimsical, steampunk, and vintage inspired.
The play between rare material and imagining of how jewellery should look, reflects on how the maker own take on the world. The jewellery can be enjoyed so much more when appreciated not just for it's superficial beauty, but because the depth of the story behind it.
David Boyle
I have been exhibiting art in Palmerston North and Wellington for many years. The paintings are oil on canvas and have a folksy, illustrative feel. My themes are very escapist /surreal- much action, boys and girls adventure pics -women on large motorbikes and sidecars, jungle action, animals and famous characters. The bolted books are just that-books bolted shut for censorship reasons. The “Pourings” are sculptures on a plinth of books with paint poured over them.
Ph: 0211 585 248
Email: elephantqueen@email.com
This exhibition is a collection of landscape photos taken around Wellington. I live in Karori, and have developed a passion for photography. Wellington's surroundings are wild and chaotic but this collection will show the natural lines and patterns in the landscape. The lines and patterns in the photos creates an abstract perspective. The collection will aim to inspire other people to look at the Wellington landscape in an new light.
A collaboration between Rose Young of Tiny Portions and Visa Wellington On a Plate
The art is small but the flavours are big. Grab your magnifying glass for this small-scale exhibition, featuring iconic Wellington dishes created in miniature by Rose. The miniscule servings have been chosen by the region’s food personalities and hospitality legends, telling stories of Wellington’s dining scene both historic and current.
Rose primarily sculpts food because it is something we all have in common, we all have to eat, and being a Wellingtonian, food is such an important part of our culture and storytelling.
See some of Rose’s work on her Instagram https://www.instagram.com/tinyportions/?hl=en
The History of the Wellington Hospitality Scene... The Making of 25 Iconic Dishes
Tuesday 22 August at 12.30pm
Join Ruth Pretty, one of Wellington’s most recognised food personalities, as she recounts the colourful and exciting history of Wellington’s vibrant hospitality community, in a 45-minute entertaining and informative presentation. Free to attend, but please be aware that space is limited.
With These Hands celebrate the human connection between the maker and the user of ceramic vessels. In our busy, noisy height technological world, we have lost the ability to make a direct link between items of everyday use and the people who make them. All things have at their core a human hand. As a domestic potter I like the idea that when people used my vessels they are giving them life in their own terms. To used a hand-made pot, to know the maker, is to preserve our social connectivity. Because pottery is timeless and fragile at the same time, using ceramic pieces for eating and drinking every day enhance not only their value but also the value of those who today still work with their hands. To value the produce of human hands is to celebrate and acknowledge human creativity.
Colour and texture are central to my ceramic work. The graphic intensity of my sgrafitto patterns in contrast with the naked clay allows me the freedom of creating a piece of work that is not only unique but also spontaneous. My designs are inspired by my personal interpretations of bush and forest both here in New Zealand and my birth place, Costa Rica. As a functional potter I enjoy the challenge of throwing large pieces using heavily grog clay which adds an organic element to my work.
Recently I travel to New Mexico in the United States where I had the opportunity of learning decorating techniques used by the Native American Pueblo Indians for centuries. Part of my work in this present exhibition has been inspired by that journey resulting on the explorations of new brush work designs that allowed me to transfer parts of my Costa Rican heritage into my ceramic work.
We are a group of friends and artists who met through the Wellington Buddhist Centre. Our Buddhist group encourages art as an aid to spiritual growth, as in cultivating positive emotion, mindfulness and higher states of awareness. We're interested in how our Buddhist practice of personal growth has influenced and been reflected in our art, and how our art individually and collectively may connect through that enquiry and practice.
The Wellington Buddhist Centre also emphasizes the value of friendship. This exhibition will show a group of diverse people, with different techniques and approaches to art, united by our common commitment to spiritual practice and the support of one another.
The artists included in the exhibition are:
Kathleen Beeler:
Medium: Handcoloured photographss
Subject: China in the 80s
Amalaratna
Medium: Watercolour
Subject: Landscapes, particularly done from photos she took in Tibet
David Litchfield:
Medium: Acrylics and Pencil
Genre: Naïve realism
Anne Munz
Medium: Oil Paintings
Subject: Trees and human bodies
Achalamuni (Donald Woolford)
Medium: Oil paintings
Genre: Still life and abstract
Johannes Mueller-Welschof
This exhibition called “59” presents me with a great opportunity to collaborate with Linda Evangaline Smith, whom I got to know as a fellow student at the Learning Connection in Taita.
We wanted to experience, how our different artistic approaches can connect and complement each other in a shared space and find similarities besides our shared year of birth, which inspired the title.
When it comes to my artist practice I experience myself increasingly as a mixed-media person. I enjoy to venture into painting, photography, digital design, printmaking, sculpture, collage/assemblage and also combined techniques.
For this exhibition I chose the Hexagon shape as one overarching theme, exploring it in 2D and 3D and also that space of optical illusions in between. Intrigued by the strong symmetry and balance of the Hexagon I experimented with different ways to contradict and distort that effect. In re-purposing mass-produced, hexagon-shaped acrylic ornaments as both motives and material I found connections to my professional background in textile design and my fascination with architecture and industrial structures.
The occurring elements of repetition and transition also serve as topics, represented in works on display like the painted cityscape, the digital hommage to Rene’ Magritte and my 2016 participation in the NZ-based 100 Days-Project.
Linda Evangaline Smith
There is always the challenge of making what I can see in my imagination happen in real life. The challenge is trying to form my thoughts and mind pictures into art that other people can see. Deciding on media, application, form and size are some of the first things I think about as well as how to actually construct or paint it. The pieces in this exhibition are all screen printed using the same screens in many different ways.
I decided that the circle would become my starting point. I have been using circles to contain my work a lot lately and wanted to see it through to some conclusion. Using print and a set bank of images but an unlimited colour pallet made it possible for me to concentrate on layering, opacity and forming compositions.
When I start I have only a hint of an idea of how it will look when completed. The first few marks are never good and I struggle to continue rather keep on starting again and again. The layers work to obscure and reveal different pictures within the bigger picture. I’m learning when to stop.
Every image has a meaning for me in my everyday life. Some are straight from nature, a leaf from my mother’s garden put over a screen, drawings of plants and shapes as well as digital images that are layered to form a composition.
An exhibition of new work by Erin Carver, Love & possibility celebrates the belief that when we commit to doing what we love, we open the door to discovering the fullness of our own possibility.
Showcasing a delightful contrast between painting and woodcut relief printmaking, Erin’s work reflects the joy she has discovered in working across these two disciplines that have very different creative processes.
Having a deep interest in the creative process and the relationship that exists between creativity and maintaining positive mental health, the exhibition will also feature a series of 100 small works with quotes about creativity – A collection of beautiful words to inspire us to engage with our own creativity and potential.
Come and fall in love with your own possibility!
Informal woodcut demonstrations will take place throughout the week and a percentage of all sales will be donated to the Mental Health Foundation of NZ.
For more info:
Deluge / Upheaval explores process, materiality and mark making. My recent practice has focused on allowing the process or material to dictate the final outcome. Letting go of preconceived ideas about what a work ‘should be’ has encouraged me to slow down and form a relationship with my materials (primarily ink on paper and ceramics) as well as find a sense of freedom within my practice. This exhibition is the result of many hours of intuitive play and an infatuation with line and form.
Mama, mother, queen is a series of over 100 woman that explores the female form as a powerful and imperfect vessel. Sculpted from clay each sculpture explores the emotions of motherhood, the changes of the body or a personal journey that a mother has taken to be shared with those around her.
This project is not about presenting the perfect woman, it is about making society see what is real, the curves, the breasts, the post-baby body that most people feel uncomfortable with but is so normal and still beautiful in its own right as a vessel that has provided life for our children.
At Artifactmade we design and build furniture but we approach things a little differently. Driven by the pursuit of ethical design, we build modular products with the purpose of creating healthy and productive workplaces that maximise creative output and improve workflow. This exhibition showcases the journey we took to explore the ethics behind how products are designed and made and the effect that well designed work spaces can have on your health. Come Explore the Unknown as we delve into, the design of everyday things, healthy workspaces, materials and manufacture, design for change.
“Art is our one true global language. It knows no nation, it favours no race and it acknowledges no class. It speaks to our need to reveal, heal and transform. It transcends our normal lives and lets us imagine what is possible”. Richard Kamler
First Do No Harm is an art based exhibition focusing on the fundamental values of ending rape culture. In particular, consent, gendered and sexual violence towards women, gender minorities, the disabled, the vulnerable and other minority groups in our communities.
The purpose of this exhibition is to represent the diversity of people in our community affected by sexual violence. We aim to achieve this by raising awareness focusing on education and creating spaces where fear, isolation and vulnerability can transcend into places of sharing, solidarity, healing, empowering and creating networks and community support. The ultimate goal, of course, is to affect change in public perception and policy making around issues of sexual violence and consent.
Artists include:
Adele Courtman
Max Courtman
Ariki Brightwell
Sandie Roach
Holly Hemlock
Luisa Tora
Molly Rangiwai Mchale
Charlotte Sirvid
Vienna Sirvid
Tanya Milne
Ron Tekawa
Laquisha Redfern
Diverse Jewellers are back to tempt you with their latest creations and to make it more enticing are offering you a 10% discount on opening night.
Diverse Jewellers are a dynamic collective of local artists dedicated to creating unique and limited-edition pieces. These exciting designs incorporate a range of materials including: sterling silver, copper, gold, semi-precious and precious stones, hand-made glass beads and cabochons, enamel and shell.
Exhibiting jewellers include: Julie Brown, Rose David, Kim Entwisle, Charlotte Kerr, Elizabeth Walters and Lesley Watson.
Each jeweller has their own distinct style which ranges from traditional to whimsical or quirky. You are guaranteed to find
something for every personality.
A whakapapa quilt tells a story, heals and gives you a really good moe. Matariki is a time for old wisdom, reflection and kotahitanga. A quilt symbolizes safety, warmth and comfort.
I am but a servant of the great Hine te Iwaiwa, I serve in her house, Te Whare Pora. I give thanks for being able to share this Matariki kaupapa, it's buzzy.
Come, be a part of the vibe. I'm going to be doing some special Matariki story telling with puppets and quilts on Queens Birthday, Monday at 1.30pm.
We are celebrating 7 years of The Black Sheep Animal Sanctuary in Ōtaki and 11 years of our Opportunity for Animals opshops with our first ever fundraising ART EXHIBITION & AUCTION!
We have been overwhelmed by the quantity and range of artwork donated by over 100 local and international artists! There is sure to be something to suit all tastes and budgets.
The show is mixed media, with an adventurous range of pieces exploring the themes of animals, the environment, animal rights, feminism, intersectionality and nature.
Wellingtonians can take the chance to view the artwork at Thistle Hall from 29 May to 3 June (between 10.00-17.00) with many pieces available to buy during the week as well as vegan pies and sweet treats. Some of the Artwork can be bid on all week as part of the silent auction which will run all week and close at 7.30pm on Saturday before the live auction.
For non-Welligtonians there will be a selection of pieces for sale online: https://theblacksheep2017.eflea.ca/
The auction night on Saturday 3 June is free entry (Koha welcome). Nibbles and drinks will be provided, with vegan gourmet pies and baked treats available for sale. The live auction starts at 7pm.
Any Black Sheep supporters further afield or unavailable on the auction night are warmly encouraged to get visit our separate online auction, which runs until 10pm Wednesday 31st May at: https://theblacksheep2017.eflea.ca/view
This is an evening where everyone gets the chance to help with animal rescue. While you may not be able to adopt an animal yourself, you can take home a beautiful animal-themed artwork that supports the cause.
Auction Night event link:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1074411009331024?%3Fti=ia
The Black Sheep Animal Sanctuary is owned by the Animal Protection Society, Inc., and is dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of abandoned and abused animals. We work predominantly with ex-farm animals and have over 180 animals on site. Our kaupapa is intersectional: pro-feminist and anti-racist; opposing sexism, inequality and environmental destruction, and we acknowledge local iwi and hapū as tangata whenua. We are queer and queer-friendly. The sanctuary is run mostly by volunteers, and financially supported by donations and our independent Opportunity for Animals opshops in Newtown, Miramar and Ōtaki. On site in Ōtaki we value empowerment through learning and sharing practical skills, especially with people of minority backgrounds, and we seek to support both human and animal rights against all forms of oppression.
Kaori Izumiya and Masako K Styles, two Japanese artists living in Wellington, are having their first exhibition in Wellington. The exhibition title【Fluidity】was named to represent the adoptability to the new environment and the freeness of their artistic expression. The artists grew up in Japan but have been influenced by different cultures and people outside the country. They’ve got a lot of inspiration from Wellington/New Zealand - its culture, beautiful nature, and people since they moved here. They are excited to share their artwork and humbly hope to give back some inspiration to people in Wellington.
Kaori Izumiya loves to draw women and uses mainly acrylics and ink to create her art. After studying oil painting and graduating from the Tokyo University of Arts, she had multiple solo and group exhibitions in Tokyo. She is also a regular seller at Art markets. Kaori has also been painting backgrounds for Japanese animation.
Masako K Styles has lived and graduated from college in California where she learned traditional and digital art. She’s worked as a 2D animator, illustrator, and manga artist/author since then. She loves making up fictional characters based off things you see in everyday life. She enjoys using various media to create her art.
Dark City is a masterful collaboration between Melissa McDougall’s oil paintings and Kiran X’s multi-media paintings featuring iconic Wellington scenes juxtaposed with cinema vixens, neon abstraction and city lights.
KIRAN-X uses aerosol and reconstituted paints with existing weathered surfaces found in the city. Drawn to dark urbanized icons, abstraction of advertising and tech noir, his characters have become bound together by an otherworldly beat of street fonts and altered facades.
Melissa McDougall’s oil paintings are detailed nocturnal city scenes. Her paintings feature iconic Wellington street scenes. Each one is reminiscent of evocative Film Noir movies featuring city lights, shadows and femme fatales.
Where it is the purpose of science to find answers, it is a purpose of art to pose questions.
In codaMorphology, the questions that arise are about artistic choices. Just why is an artwork beautiful to us - or not? Are accepted mathematical ideals such as the golden ratio self-fulfilling? Just where does the idea of ‘beauty’ lie?
Part of my practice is to create computer programs which in turn make compositions. These designs are then brought into the ‘real’ world through printmaking. CodaMorphology is the result of these investigations.
I am an artist based in my home studio in Northland, Wellington. My practice now is both as a printmaker and codemaker. The hills surrounding Wellington were the inspiration to create programs creating fields of shapes, which I use to make most of my works today.