Barbara Anderson 1926-2013

As tributes flow in for Barbara Anderson as an important New Zealand novelist, a fascinating aspect of her life has been forgotten. Barbara was also a much admired Cubist. 

In the 1990s she was one of the founding residents of both Cubewell House and later the National Mutual Building and was around during the development and presentation of most of the exhibitions shown in those two spaces. Cubism (be there or be square). 

Barbara was insanely curious, stylish and magnificently sure that younger people had as much to offer her as she had to offer in return. And so she did. She was admired and appreciated in equal parts by all her fellow Cubists. With her husband Neil they were for that moment an enlivening presence in the contemporary art world.  A big loss, but big memories too.

Image: Barbara and Neil Anderson on Willis Street just down from the Hamish McKay Gallery, 2003

Strippers Part 2

An invitation a while back to the launch of Testrip: a history of an artist-run space (1992-1997). Fittingly this book is being launched in the post-Vulcan Lane Teststrip gallery in K Road which is now occupied by another artist run gallery Gambia Castle. The photo above was taken when the Testrippers were in Wellington for the exhibition Teststrip on tour at Cubewell House in March 1993. If you want to catch the launch go to Gambia Castle at 454 K Road at 6pm tonight. Wish we were there.
Image: Denise Kum at Cubwell House. She melted beeswax in her trusty electric fry pan to make a shelf of wax books and other waxy works on the spot.