Playing with Conventions of Contemporary Art

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g.bridle
M.L.L, 2007,
Courtesy of the artist

Press Release. For immediate release, August 28 2007

Local Artist Plays with Conventions of Contemporary Art

When Wellington artist g.bridle’s new show, Segregated Enlightenment: A Critique of the Retreat opens at City Gallery Wellington’s Michael Hirschfeld Gallery this Saturday, visitors can expect an intriguing experience. g.bridle’s work questions our perceptions of how and where art is made, in particular his idea of “The Retreat” versus the traditional studio environment.

“The objects and the art I’m making make no excuses for not letting someone engage; I think they’re very sure of what they’re doing and they’re not necessarily trying to explain themselves too much”, says g.bridle.

Playful and irreverent, g.bridle’s multi-disciplinary work is often secretive and mysterious, teasing out the links between the process of art making, the location and the tools of the trade. His idea of “The Retreat”, a physical as well as metaphorical place, taps into masculine cultural stereotypes of the male genius artist secluded within his studio. “The Retreat”, explained as a peaceful place or state of mind where inspiration can come more naturally, also follows in the stereotypical idea of the ‘man alone’.

g.bridle also continues to investigate his ongoing interests in mythology, mysterious practices and the role that the artist plays in drawing out meaning from objects and environments. He questions processes of art making, proposing an alternative to a studio-based practice. Images of nature abound in this exhibition. His photographs of a pool of water and a rocky reef represent both a haven from the world and the hidden dangers present within the wilderness. bridle’s owl candle work, M.L.L., is made in a dated, folksy style. Candle-making is perhaps an activity which would take place on a retreat. In earlier works, such as Brotherly love (2005) where bridle constructed a bird house in the form of a Masonic lodge, he looked into the closeted world of freemasonry, a subject which encompasses many of his interests. Freemasons, known as an exclusively male organisation with secretive practices is perhaps similar to the idea of ‘the Retreat’ as somewhere to withdraw to.

g.bridle was born in Hawkes Bay in 1982. He graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Massey University Wellington in 2005, majoring in painting. His first solo exhibition Calling the Mirrorical: Deep Dive into the Deepest Depths, was held at Enjoy Public Art Gallery, Wellington, 2006. g.bridle has also appeared in group exhibitions: Playing Favourites, Enjoy Public Art Gallery, Wellington; Clubmeet, High Street Project, Christchurch and One take, The Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, New Plymouth, in 2005 and as far as I know, High Street Project, Christchurch, 2007. He has written an article, ‘Contemporary Art: What is it?’ which appeared in New Zealand Freemason, Issue 1 (Vol. 34), 2006. g.bridle lives in Breaker Bay.

g.bridle: Segregated Enlightenment: A Critique of the Retreat
1-30 September, 2007
Michael Hirschfeld Gallery
City Gallery Wellington
Civic Square, Wellington
Admission: FREE. www.citygallery.org.nz

City Gallery Wellington is managed by the Wellington Museums Trust with major funding support from Wellington City Council. Michael Hirschfeld Gallery is proudly sponsored by DesignWorks Enterprise IG. Thanks also to Publication and Design, Wellington City Council and Courtenay Photographics.

ENDS

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