Monday, February 12, 2007

Garden party


There were a lot of artists in Wellington this weekend and they all seemed to turn up to Gang Green presented in a garden by Clubfoot. From the front gate right to the back of the property there was work installed in unlikely places, including: a delicately reflective piece in the goldfish pond (Sriwhana Spong) that was nudged across the water by a goldfish as we looked at it – “Animatronic goldfish’ we heard someone mutter; some sharp punctuation on weight hanging from that icon the rotary clothesline (Kate Newby); at least one excellent painting by Simon Denny lurking in the bushes (there may have been more); snaps of Monterey balanced on a shrub vibrated as people brushed past. (Nick Austin); a blank canvas waiting to become purple when it was rained on later in the evening (Julian Dashper). In Wellington at least, it is unusual to see work shown with such smooth and studied casualness. No labels, no interpretation. Some of the works we couldn't attached names to, like the green spray-painted nook; the geometric black painting on the weather-boards of the house and the little ladder leaning against a tree.
Images: Top. Left Kate Newby, right Simon Denny. Bottom Daniel du Bern with artists we will get identified during the day. Later - here you go: the vinyl piece on the window behind Daniel is by Ry Haskings and on the wall to his right Paintings on the Subject of Green by Bryan Spier. The ladder was made by Anton Berndt, the geometric black vinyl piece on the weatherboards by Ben Buchanan and the green spray painted hole by Daniel du Bern.