3 May 2007

Artists' perspectives on Auckland real estate

Real estate is the subject of a new free art exhibition at Artstation from 16 to 30 May.

Called First Home Buyers, the exhibition explores issues and anxieties related to escalating house prices throughout New Zealand.

Exhibitors Joanna Auld, Katherine Claypole and Paulus McKinnon describe the idea of buying a home as an impossible dream and ask whether the gap between average income and average house price has expanded too much. Land division, ownership and desire also come under scrutiny.

"Owning your own home was in the past a rite of passage that defined our journey from childhood to adulthood. It is how we created our home for our children and made that all important investment for our future retirement," says exhibitor Katherine Claypole.

"But as house prices have now hit an all time high, young New Zealanders, especially those wanting to live in the main centres, are now being faced with the prospect of never owning their own home."

Ms Claypole utilises the graphic nature of stitching and the delicacy of chalk lines to produce a series of drawings that explore her personal notions of home, based on her experience of living in 28 different flatting situations since "leaving home" 25 years ago.

Joanna Auld works with the idea of "keeping up with the Joneses" which she describes as societal trophy collecting.

"Generation X and Y in New Zealand are trapped in a financial climate that is defined more by what they owe than what they own," says Ms Auld.

Ms Auld combines her skills as a glass blower and jeweller to create opulent objects, both wearable and collectable, that blur the line between what you want and what you need.

Paulus McKinnon examines ideas of ownership, land division and mapping in his paintings. He considers both human and environmental relationships to land, encompassing notions of discovery, loss and preservation.

For more information about First Home Buyers and other upcoming exhibitions please contact Artstation on 09 376 3221 or visit www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/artstation

ENDS

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