Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Drive by shooting


Having spent a couple of posts on how artists can shape the landscape, we came across a head-turner in Auckland. Group theme shows are always risky. They tend to corral artists into neighbourhoods they don’t really want to settle in and/or narrow the range of interpretive space for the audience, but Te Tuhi’s current exhibition in Manukau From the depths of suburbia escaped both. Instead it’s engaging, affectionate and respectful. No patronising here, and that’s probably why we found ourselves winding through Panmure and Howick afterwards taking our own snaps of houses and gardens.

We live in the central city and usually leave the outskirts alone. Big mistake. People are creative by instinct and they really let loose when they are presenting around their homes. So thanks to curator Serena Bentley and the artists Edith Amituanai, Steve Carr, Conor Clarke, Sam Hartnett, Geoffrey Heath, Ava Seymour and Yvonne Todd for driving us out into the suburbs.
Image taken in Panmure