19 March–22 May 2011
Opening:
Friday, 18 March, 6pm
Points of Contact joins a number of recent surveys that challenge the European and North American art historical paradigm, proposing and examining parallel and specific art historical trajectories outside these centres.
Central to the exhibition is the reconstruction of Allen’s pivotal 1969 Small Worlds exhibition at Barry Lett Galleries in Auckland, one of the earliest instances of environmental sculpture to be presented in New Zealand. The curators have worked closely with the artist to present another iteration of these works within the Adam Art Gallery’s unique and challenging architectural spaces.
These installations are joined by other works by all three artists that are variously originals, reconstructions and photographic documentation. This re-staging enables viewers to dwell on the challenges and possibilities posed by the re-presentation of ephemeral or conceptual works of art, and therefore to explore the complex legacy of the ‘post-object’.
This exhibition presents Hélio Oiticica’s work for the first time in New Zealand. The organisers are very grateful for assistance from Projeto Hélio Oiticica in Rio de Janeiro, especially as it struggles to deal with the tragic fire in 2009 that destroyed so much of Oiticica’s oeuvre, and Guy Brett, the London-based curator and writer who was instrumental in bringing Lye and Oiticica’s work to Allen’s attention in 1968.
Points of Contact will be presented at the Adam Art Gallery 19 March–22 May 2011. A public programme of artist talks, workshop discussions and ‘live feed’ performances has been designed to provide a platform for critical discussion and to enhance engagement with the exhibition. Check www.adamartgallery.org.nz/calendar.
Adam Art Gallery Victoria University of Wellington Gate 3, Kelburn Parade PO Box 600 Wellington 6140 New Zealand + 64 4 463 5229 [email protected]
Tuesday–Sunday, 11am–5pm