Shapeshifter outdoor sculpture exhibition

shapeshifter
Essential New Zealand Sculpture
26th February to 21st March 2010
Civic Gardens, Lower Hutt

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MEDIA RELEASE 25 February 2010

TheNewDowse and Civic Gardens, Laings Road, Lower Hutt
26 February – 21 March 2010 * Daily 10am – 5pm & Thursdays 10am – 8pm
$5 with proceeds to charity, accompanied children free

shapeshifter (-shiftr) noun
FOLKLORE: a creature or thing that can change shape at will or that does so under certain conditions

Senses will again be challenged and perspectives shifted at Banks Shoes shapeshifter, one of New Zealand’s premier sculpture exhibitions.

Featuring sculptures from nearly 60 leading and emerging New Zealand artists, Banks Shoes shapeshifter is a key visual arts feature of the New Zealand International Arts Festival and an important charitable event. In 2008, it attracted more than 7,500 visitors from around the country and overseas.

“shapeshifter is a large and exciting fusion of contemporary sculpture, indoor and out,” says shapeshifter artistic director and director of TheNewDowse art museum, Cam McCracken.

“The standard of the fourth biannual shapeshifter is excellent. It features some of New Zealand’s top sculptors including Para Matchitt, Don Driver, Graham Bennett, Peter Nicholls and Jenny Smith, as well as talented newcomers to the show like Greg Blomfield whose work has captivated me,” he says.

“What makes this show truly unique is its venue. The works are spread between TheNewDowse and the adjacent Civic Gardens, which provide a striking natural complement to the exhibition. The variety of beautiful settings gives us freedom to take our viewers by surprise.”

Works will be hung in trees, mounted in the stream and displayed in flowerbeds and the renovated orchid house. Many of the artists have considered the show’s location in designing their sculptures. Waikato based artist Gaye Jurisch has created a large silver fern to be installed on the grass. Once removed after the show’s three-week period, an imprint of the country’s national symbol will remain.

Picnickers are welcome, and music events, guided tours and evening openings are planned. The exhibition is organised by the Rotary Club of Hutt City Inc, with the assistance of TheNewDowse and Hutt City Council.

“Lower Hutt is again proud to welcome Festival visitors from Wellington, New Zealand and the world to shapeshifter,” Hutt City Mayor David Ogden says. “This magnificent outdoor gallery is a showcase of the very best of which our beautiful city has to offer.”

All artworks included in Banks Shoes shapeshifter are for sale, and proceeds will go to local charities Te Omanga Hospice, the Dowse Foundation and Hutt Valley youth programmes.

www.shapeshifter.org.nz

www.nzfestival.nzpost.co.nz

ENDS

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