Press Release: For immediate release 15 May 2008

The Revolution continues at City Gallery Wellington:

The Russians and Reboot on YouTube
Gallery Season extended until June 22

Due to unwavering public interest, City Gallery Wellington is extending its Festival season of exhibitions until June 22. The Gallery also now has its own channel on YouTube, offering increased access to two of its extraordinary exhibitions, the powerful Russian video work Last Riot and Reboot: the Jim Barr and Mary Barr Collection http://www.youtube.com/citygallerywgtn

“We are thrilled to announce that almost 60,000 people have already visited our current exhibitions, AES+F: Last Riot, Aniwaniwa and Reboot:, exceeding expectations for the entire season,” says Gallery Director Paula Savage, “It’s wonderful to see visitors in the Gallery experiencing these incredible shows and YouTube is a new way to share some of these works with even more people.”

On YouTube, Paula Savage offers insights into the Russian luminaries AES+F’s video Last Riot, which she saw at last year’s Venice Biennale and was determined to negotiate it for Wellington. Three Russian Jewish artists and a fashion photographer, Tatiana Arzamasova, Lev Evzovich, Evgeny Svyatsky and Vladimir Fridkes, make up AES+F, and collaboratively have created a highly stylized fantasy land, reminiscent of computer gaming, in which war looks like an enticing game to play. Last Riot explores the dehumanising effect of a constant media bombardment of images of violence and war. Influenced by the computer simulation game “America’s Army”, a recruitment tool produced by the US military that shows doll-like militia men entering bloodless combat, it mimics this blend of the real and the surreal/virtual worlds where it’s not clear where the selling of ideas ends and the game begins.

“Last Riot is utterly compelling.” Fran Dibble, Manawatu Standard, March 2008

Joining City Gallery’s YouTube catalogue, Wellington collector and art commentator Jim Barr delves into Reboot, an astounding exhibition of works by over 40 artists from the collection he and his partner Mary Barr have built over the last thirty years. Artists like Colin McCahon, Richard Killeen, Ronnie von Hout, Michael Stevenson and Francis Upritchard are featured in Reboot which provides a rare opportunity to see such a variety of powerful contemporary works.

Watch out for more City Gallery videos on its new YouTube channel including aspects of the upcoming exhibition Fiona Hall: Force Field.
AES+F: Last Riot / Aniwaniwa / Reboot: The Jim Barr and Mary Barr Collection
Until 22 June, 2008.

City Gallery Wellington, Civic Square, Wellington
Admission: FREE
citygallery@wmt.org.nz, www.citygallery.org.nz
Check out the videos on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/citygallerywgtn

ends

© Scoop Media