NEWS RELEASE
4 December 2007

Latest rooftop art arrives in Cuba Street

Many Wellingtonians will have seen a green monster painted on top of Toi Pōneke, Wellington Arts Centre on Abel Smith Street over the last few months, and now the next chapter, Victor Berezovsky’s Junction, is here in the form of playful, black and white shapes.

Victor has taken over from the initial artist Andrew Shaw for the next leg of the Toi Pōneke Stack project, commissioned by the Council’s Public Art Panel.

The images for Junction are sourced from Bobble, Victor’s last exhibition at Mary Newton Gallery, which featured little works on linen and wall. The rooftop artwork is an extension of his interest in wall works and public art.

“One of the inspirations for the series was images from the Russian constructive movement of the 1920s, in particular work that adorned public spaces. These public art forms were designed for a new political and philosophical age and were to be uplifting and alleviating for the spirit of the people,” Victor says.

In developing the series, Victor used playful and positive shapes such as stars, balloons and kites. This is reflected in the immediacy and openness of the forms.

He painted the Toi Pōneke rooftop stack in black and white to purposefully stand out from the immediate surroundings. He wonders how the work will be received on the streets as opposed to his last exhibition.

“It is one thing to do it in the gallery, another to produce work like this in public space,” he says.

Similar works by Victor can be seen in various public spaces at Dresden and Seiffen, Germany. For more information, or to see images of this work, go to www.victorberezovsky.co.nz

Victor graduated from Cantebury University in 1995 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, majoring in painting.

“Berezovsky is an outstanding Wellington artist with an interest in using public spaces, making him a great fit for this project,” says Public Art Panel member, Mark Amery. “His new artwork could be read as a tribute to the history of public art in all its forms.”

Junction will be launched at 5pm this Friday 7 December at Toi Pōneke, Wellington Arts Centre, 61 Abel Smith Street.

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