What's new at The Dowse

MEDIA UPDATE: What's new at The Dowse

Events…

Matariki with the star of Matariki Sun June 24 2012 | From 11:30am: Sausage sizzle with Alix Bushnell, 1pm: screening of Matariki (RP13) | FREE
Join the stars under the stars. Meet Alix Bushnell, Britta in TV2's Go Girls and star of the movie Matariki. Alix will be signing autographs, for a gold coin donation to raise money for the Tumeke Taita Touch Rugby team to attend the New Zealand Maori Nationals in December.

Alix and the team will be holding a barbeque from 11.30am in front of The Dowse, so join them for lunch. At 1pm, the movie Matariki will screen inside The Dowse, it's the story of new beginnings, when the lives of eight people are affected by one random act of violence.

PLEASE NOTE: Matariki is classified as RP13: Contains violence, drug use and offensive language

Late Lounge with The Troubles Thurs 5 July 2012, 7pm | Koha

Sit back and enjoy the best of New Zealand contemporary jazz at Late Lounge. All galleries, cafe and cash bar open until 9pm. The Troubles are led by Lower Hutt-based John Rae, one of Scotland’s best known and loved jazz musicians and composers. Hailing from Edinburgh, John has been living in New Zealand for six years. John has a well established career playing drums and composing alongside some of the world’s best, as well as leading his own groups of Celtic inspired jazz.. The Troubles also feature Lucien Johnson, the rising star of Pacific jazz, recently returned from living in France. As well as playing sax in The Troubles, Lucien is the co-composer, with John, of the group's music

Opening Exhibitions…

Ronnie van Hout: I’ve Seen Things 7 July – 11 November 2012

Melbourne-based New Zealand artist Ronnie van Hout is known for creating endless, intriguing versions of himself in his exhibitions and in I’ve Seen Things, from 7 July, he takes on the role of cult leader, inserting himself into the larger story of Canterbury religious cult, The Full Gospel Mission. Media release: http://www.dowse.org.nz/en/News/Latest-News/Ronnie-van-Hout-takes-on-cult-status-at-The-Dowse/

Image attached: Ronnie van Hout photographed by Birgit Krippner.

Judy Darragh: Stainless 7 July – 11 November 2012

Auckland artist Judy Darragh has long held a concern for the flagrant waste of the consumer society, and a passion for reusing and restoring unwanted materials in surprising ways. In Stainless, she strips colanders, bowls and measuring cups of their domestic role to form a mysterious metal cluster. Stainless will be exhibited in the annex off the Silbery Longrun Gallery.

Image attached: Judy Darragh, detail of Stainless, 2010-2011, found stainless steel domestic ware and steel rod stands,Two Rooms. Photographer Jennifer French.

Ongoing Exhibitions…

Parting Darkness 19 May – 5 August 2012 | FREE

Explores the dramatic use of black and white, and light and darkness, in works from The Dowse Collection.

Ranging from glass to ceramics, textiles to sculpture, this small but stunning exhibition presents works that have contrast at their core, and play with shading, shadows and silhouettes. Work includes Home Light by Raewyn Atkinson, Bolton 18 March 1842 by Lyndsay Patterson, ceramics by Richard Parker and more.

Solo: Four Wellington Artists 12 May – 19 August 2012 | FREE

The diverse works, and worlds, of four Wellington artists are on show at The Dowse. Matt Hunt, Cat Auburn, Ann Shelton and Ben Buchanan each present exhibitions as part of a winter season of Wellington artists’ projects. Solo features colourful and intriguing photography, sculpture, painting and installation. Image attached: Cat Auburn, Training Aids, 2012 at The Dowse. Photo: John Lake

Enter our Solo competition and win a year’s subscription to FishHead, Wellington’s magazine. Strike a pose in front of Ben Buchanan’s wall work Forever, send it in to museums@huttcity.govt.nz and you’ll go in the draw.

Media Release: http://www.dowse.org.nz/en/Exhibitions/Current-Exhibitions/Solo-4-Wellington-Artists/

Len Castle: A Tribute 12 May – 19 August 2012 | FREE

The Dowse is celebrating the life and work of pioneer potter Len Castle (CBE, DCNZM) in a new exhibition that features his stunning volcanic and geological-inspired forms. Castle, who died last year, created unique works unlike any seen elsewhere in the world. He was arguably New Zealand's most significant potter, credited with forging a path for indigenous New Zealand ceramics. Wellington collector and ceramics historian, Simon Manchester describes his body of work from 1948 to 2011 as 'one of the most dramatic ceramic practices in the country and indeed anywhere’. The pots in the show are from The Dowse Collection with additional works loaned by Manchester. Media Release: http://www.dowse.org.nz/en/News/Latest-News/Len-Castle-A-Tribute/

A View From Where I was Sleeping 10 March – 22 July 2012 | FREE

Collaborative art and design projects dating from the 1950s to the present day, often forged through friendships between the artists. Artists include Raewyn Atkinson, Catherine Griffiths, Kate Woods, Jenny Bornholdt, Lucie Rie, Karl Fritsch, Francis Upritchard and many more.

Media Release: www.dowse.org.nz/en/Exhibitions/Future-Exhibitions/A-View-From-Where-I-Was-Sleeping/

Can You See What I See Until 8 July 2012 | FREE

An exhibition for the whole family that invites children to get up really close to the art works and describe what they can see. Features works from The Dowse collection by Richard Killeen, Jeffrey Harris, Robin White, Philip Trusttrum, Seung Yul Oh and more. The show includes 'I Spy activities' and introduces ways of looking at pictures, encouraging young viewers to search for hidden objects, discover their secret stories and awaken their imagination.

Media Release: www.dowse.org.nz/en/Exhibitions/Future-Exhibitions/Can-You-See-What-I-See/

Closing Exhibitions…

Critical Mass Until 17 June 2012 | FREE

What do bright red snakeskin, an iconic Pink Floyd album, dolls heads, Elastoplast bandages and an axe all have in common? They're all part of Critical Mass, a new exhibition from The Dowse Collection. Critical Mass showcases some of the works from a recent loan by Wellington art collectors and commentators, Jim Barr and Mary Barr and includes stunning photography and sculpture by contemporary New Zealand artists Lillian Budd, Simon Denny, Don Driver, Mikala Dwyer, Richard Killeen, Jae Hoon Lee, Lauren Lysaght and Rohan Wealleans.
Media Release: http://www.dowse.org.nz/en/News/Latest-News/Accrual-Over-Time-Critical-Mass-Opens-25-Feb/

Lifting My Mother For As I Long As I Can 19 April – 17 June 2012 | FREE
Auckland artist Campbell Patterson's ongoing video series, Lifting my Mother for as Long as I Can (2006–2011), literally records the artist holding his mother in his arms, at the same place and time each year. Read more: http://www.dowse.org.nz/en/Exhibitions/Current-Exhibitions/Campbell-Patterson-Lifting-My-Mother-For-as-Long-As-I-Can/

ENDS

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