NZ Galleries star at Sydney Show

Tue, 10 Aug 2004

NZ Galleries star at Sydney Show

Quality over quantity was the consensus of opinion for the six Auckland dealer galleries that exhibited at the 2nd Sydney Affordable Art Show in July, with one of the Kiwi stands, Artis Gallery of Parnell, being judged best in show by the organisers. On display was a broad spectrum of NZ artists' works ­ from Don Binney to Rozi Demant to Fatu Fe'u. The Project Manager for the venture, Denis Robinson comments It was a brave move by the art dealers to take it to the Australian art buying public at Sydney¹s biggest annual art event, opening just days after the All Blacks rugby defeat of Australia.

The strong interest by Australian art dealers and buyers alike was proof of the future potential, with many of the NZ contingent forging ongoing relationships on behalf of the artists they represent'. NZ Trade & Enterprise supported the initiative and members of their Sydney office attended the VIP opening.

A bonus was having the NZ stands receive national TV coverage on Australia's Channel 9, with a segment of the Today breakfast show being shot live from our stands.

The Kiwi group made a quality presence, attracting both learned interest and good sales from the some of the nearly 15,000 who visited the show. We have established a beachhead in the Sydney art scene which can be built upon both individually and at future similar events, and there have been good follow-up sales to customers met at the show says Robinson, The next big project is to hold a major Art Fair at home in New Zealand to really show-off the talent that is here². Galleries that made up the group were: Artis, Whitespace, Warwick Henderson, Art by the Sea, Art of this World and Hoglund Art Glass.

Strangely, of the thousands of Australians that checked out the Kiwi galleries, not one mentioned rugby?

ENDS

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