Old Gates New Journeys - Five Photographers

City Gallery Wellington
7 MAY 2001
www.city-gallery.org.nz
Press Release
Old Gates New Journeys
Five Photographers
Friday 11 May - Sunday 10 June 2001
360-Michael Hirschfeld Gallery

Whether it is a trip through the paddocks of Somes Island, or up the Wanganui River to Jerusalem, journeys through our physical and cultural landscape are uniting themes in a show of five Wellington photographers opening this week.

Like the current Telecom Prospect 2001 - New Art New Zealand show, Old Gates New Journeys brings together both emerging and established artists. Ben Cauchi is a recent graduate of Massey University and Alexandra Simms is currently studying there. Along with Andrew Ross, their work features aspects of the Wellington landscape. Wayne Barrar and Janet Bayly are lecturers at Massey University who have been exhibiting since the 1970s and 80s.

Cauchi's photographs show an intimate knowledge of his childhood stomping grounds on Tinakori Hill and in Ngaio Gorge. Simms leads us through weather-beaten gates and along sheep tracks to the old Somes Island quarantine station. Andrew Ross documents often dark and forgotten urban spaces in Cuba St and Newtown.

Reviving the 19th century 'cyanotype' process, Barrar's work suggests journeys made without ever leaving home. He photographs black coral trapped in resin on board a boat in Fiordland, and scraps of fern held within the leaves of a book destined for Europe.

Bayly's work featured in the Group Sex exhibition at Paekakariki's One Eye Gallery recently. Here, she continues her interest in the use of 'language' in the landscape in the form of road signs, hoardings and signwriting.

Old Gates New Journeys is presented within the programme 360 - a full perspective on Wellington Art, which is generously sponsored by Designworks.

Contact: Anne Irving T: (04) 801 3959 F: (04) 801 3950 anne.irving@wcc.govt.nz

Anne Irving Publicist T: 04 801 3959 F: 04 801 3950 Telecom Prospect 2001 - New Art New Zealand 12 April - 1 July 2001 www.newartnz.org.nz Admission free Check out: http://www.city-gallery.org.nz

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