Reviewed by John Daly-Peoples
The Art Paper
Issue 01 TOUCH
Reviewed by John Daly-Peoples
A new art quarterly, The Art Paper has just hit the shelves bringing another set of voices to local arts writing. A number of the articles are about international shows which provide something of a context for contemporary New Zealand practice.
This first edition features twenty articles, interviews and art pieces about local and international artists some of them senior, others newly emerging.
In an article and interview by Bronwyn Lloyd with Marte Szirmay the artist discusses her involvement with Medal Art New Zealand (MANZ) whose members produce a range of cast, objects which can be one sided, two sided or three dimensional. Szirmay talks about the personal, political and aesthetic influences on her own work. The article also serves as a review of the MANZ annual exhibition earlier this year.
There are two stimulating articles related to the recent Walters Prize. One by Victoria Wynne-Jones on Sonya Lacey’s “Weekend” and Natasha Conland’s on Sriwhana Spong’s “The Painter-Tailor.” These two works both have complex backgrounds which are explored in the two articles.
Rea Burton is examined by Millie Dow with work which includes self-portraits as well as her take on other artists such as her reworking of Manet’s “Bar at the Folies Bergère”. Also in the publication are a set of fashion photographs of the artist by Meg Porteous (including the cover image).
There are articles which focus on fabric arts including a piece about Pip Culbert’s final exhibition at Artspace by Christina Barton and an extensive interview with fabric artist Ron Te Kawa about his tapestry / quilts as well as one on Te Maari’s “Manu Figures.
There are several reviews from abroad with Vivian Lee discussing Lillian Paige Walton’s “Six Drawings” at the Kings Leap space in New York. Talia Smith’s reviews “The entrance to Paradise lies at your mother’s hand” by Lara Chamas at Melbourne’s Gertrude Contemporary and Khadim Ali’s show “Invisible Borders at the Institute of Modern Art in Brisbane. Chamas in Lebanese and Ali from Afghanistan and there works have a strong political aspect to them.
Editor Becky Hemus and Art director Felix Henning-Tapley have integrated a few inventive aspects into the publication. As well as the traditional articles and images there are text works, handwritten notes, drawings, poetry and advertisements which function as artworks.
Copies of The Art Paper are available from a number of locations nationally
New Zealand Arts Review 