December’s 10 must-see Christchurch exhibitions
In his run-down of the exhibitions to look out for next month, Warren Feeney is particularly excited about the opening of a new exhibition space for emerging and unrepresented local artists, and group exhibitions which occupy centre stage throughout the city and make up seven out of the 10 shows he regards as must-sees for the month.
1. Extraordinary, works from the collection of the Alexander Turnbull Library, Tu¯ ranga, 60 Cathedral Square.
From Wellington’s Alexander Turnbull Library comes an exhibition of selected works for and about the people of O¯ tautahi Christchurch. Extraordinary lives up to its claims. A magnificent panoramic 1923 photograph of High, Lichfield and Manchester streets, Leo Bensemann’s portrait of poet Denis Glover, John Pascoe’s photographs of Rakaia from the 50s and 60s and so much more. Prepare to be surprised. Until January 27.
2. Chaos Theory, Fiksate, 165 Gloucester St.
A large-scale group exhibition from artists represented by, and exhibiting with, Fiksate since it opened in 2016. Described by the gallery as ‘‘diving deep into their stock room’’, expect to see numerous canvasses, prints, works on wood, paintings on glass, stencils, portraits, abstractions, graffiti and stencils. Artists include: Porta, Beksi, Joel Hart, Dove and Dr Suits. December 6 to January 31.
3. Olivia Chamberlain,
Adjustments, City Art Depot, 6 Disraeli St, Sydenham.
Adjustments sees a newborn confidence and intimacy in Olivia Chamberlain’s paintings, an artist whose work has swayed between abstraction and the figurative over the past four years. On first encounter these new works appear as abstract images in which line and colour converse, sharing and contesting space with one another. Look again and indeterminate objects and forms momentarily seem to materialise, players in a marvellous game of visual conundrums. Until December 16.
4. Ben Reid, The Weight of Feathers, Chambers Gallery,
241 Moorhouse Ave.
Printmaker and environmentalist Ben Reid describes his new works as ‘‘bolder, brighter and more confident in colour’’. Certainly, these woodblock prints of Aotearoa’s native wildlife and plants have never seemed so confronting. In works like You
Almost Tricked Me, the detail of Reid’s image acknowledges a particular creature from the natural world, yet his division of his subject into two halves simultaneously redefines it as a specimen for human study. Until December 21.