Preview of NZ Art Show's coming attractions

NZ Art Show Launch provices preview of Show's coming attractions

The Hon Maggie Barry, Minister of Arts, Culture and Heritage will launch this year’s NZ Art Show at the Museum Art Hotel on Monday, 13 April. The launch will provide the Show’s sponsors and friends with a preview of what will be on offer when the 2015 three day Show opens on the Wellington waterfront 19 – 21 June.

Twenty six outstanding artworks from 11 hand-picked artists will be exhibited exclusively at the launch – a mix of well established artists who have exhibited at previous NZ Art Shows and emerging talent. The media represented is equally diverse including painting, mixed media and photography. All the artworks exhibited at the launch are for sale on the night.

NZ Art Show Executive Director Carla Russell said, “The NZ Art Show’s launch event is now an institution in itself. This will be our 12th Show – we’ve come a long way since 2004, the show has become New Zealand’s largest curated art sale of its kind but more importantly, it has won widespread support to become self sustaining. In doing so, the show has enabled talented New Zealanders to forge a career as full-time artists and thereby create a more dynamic arts community.”

The eleven artists who have been invited to exhibit at the launch are:
§ Taranaki artist Jordan Barnes. Jordan has exhibited at the NZ Art Show since 2007; his career as a fulltime professional artist blossomed when, at 24, he won the inaugural NZ Art Show $15,000 Artist Grant ahead of 500 applicants.
§ Wellington artist Catherine Roberts has had an association with the Show since 2009 and won the NZ Art Show’s 2014 Signature Piece Art Award. Catherine’s work is held in a number of private collections and she enjoys a large following for her semi-abstract landscape works.
§ Plimmerton artist Zoe Knighton was a finalist in the NZ Art Show’s Emerging Artist Award last year. She first began painting 18 months ago, is a former Diploma Honours student at Lower Hutt’s Learning Connexion and creates large works that unsettle and intrigue.
§ Adam James is a talented emerging artist from Taranaki who exhibited at both last year’s launch and Show for the first time. His large geometrical works provide an elegant contrast between painted surfaces and natural wood grain and have proved to be very popular.
§ The NZ Art Show has been the main venue for Wellington artist Joe McMenamin to exhibit and sell his art for the past six years. His drawings featuring art and film icons on plywood have critical acclaim; Joe was a Signature Piece Art Award finalist at last year’s NZ Art Show.
§ John Shewry is an established Taranaki artist with a national following. His artworks are often satirical, topical and convey strong political messages invoking controversial conversation. His works are included in a number of high profile private collections.
§ Janine Whitelaw is a Northland-based full time artist working predominantly in mixed media on canvas. She has had numerous sellout exhibitions throughout New Zealand and is a regular exhibitor at the NZ Art Show.
§ Caroline Kennedy is a Wellington artist whose photography has won many awards. This year is the first time she will exhibit a body of work at the NZ Art Show. Caroline is a graduate of the Otago Polytechnic School of Art majoring in photography and subsequently at Natcoll where she gained a Diploma in Graphic Design and a Diploma in Multimedia.
§ Douglas Reid is a Taranaki artist who has painted fulltime for nine years and has a gallery in New Plymouth. His detailed and realistic landscape paintings show his love of the great outdoors. His body of work sold out last year at the NZ Art Show.
§ Wellington artist Jane Blackmore has been painting since 1996 and graduated in Nelson with a Bachelor of Visual Arts in 2002. She has exhibited in over 20 individual and group shows alongside renowned artists such as Rita Angus, Ralph Hotere and Toss Woollaston. She was awarded first prize in the New Zealand National Women’s Art Exhibition in 2007 and continues to gain critical acclaim for her artwork. She sells her work in major galleries throughout New Zealand and has international clients in Australia, Asia, UK and Europe. She works from her studio and gallery in Shelly Bay - Blackmore & Best Gallery.

§ Nelson based Lisa Grennell is an emerging artist with a Bachelor of Visual Arts and Design from the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology. Her printmaking and screen-printing artworks are inspired by motherhood.

“We believe that the artists invited to exhibit at this year’s Show exemplify what the NZ Art Show is all about: established artists who have won awards and have a following for their work and new emerging artists whose work is beginning to attract attention. While Janine Whitelaw is from Whangarei; four artists are from Taranaki. Taranaki artists and art lovers have provided strong support for the Show over the years, with many making the trip to Wellington to attend the Show each year.

“Last year just over 11,000 people visited the three-day Show with around 25% visiting from outside the greater Wellington region, providing a huge benefit to the Capital, its retail and hospitality sectors, as well as to artists and the arts community. We appreciate the support the Show has received over the years and look forward to putting on another fabulous Show this year that’ll again hopefully exceed expectations,” Carla Russell said.

The 2015 NZ Art Show takes place from June 19-21 in the Events Centre, Queens Wharf on the Wellington waterfront, with the Show’s opening Gala Evening being held on Thursday, 18 June.

ENDS

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