Well covered

In an inspired act of patronage, two anonymous Australian collectors offered to pay for the 28-page Ronnie van Hout puzzle book Who Goes There that accompanies his exhibition at the Christchurch Art Gallery. Of course the inspired patronage also extends to Ronnie van Hout who took time out to conceptualise and draw up what must be the most entertaining art publication ever produced in New Zealand. At the opening it was offered free to everyone who turned up and it should be available throughout the show. If you can’t make it to Christchurch, you could send a begging letter to the gallery. Each page of the book is based on a work in the exhibition treated as a puzzle. All the old favourites are there from join-the-dots, pick-a-path and colouring-in pages to spot-the-difference and quiz questions. At the opening Ronnie had a tail of people waiting to have their book signed which he did with good cheer, occasionally adding a drawing to go along with the sig.