Hundreds of photographs to see at Toi Pōneke Gallery

Hundreds of photographs to see at Toi Pōneke Gallery

‘Neither One Thing Nor The Other’, a collaborative exhibition by Andy Palmer and John Williams, opens at Toi Pōneke Gallery from Wednesday 31 August.

The show purports to be about nothing, but is in fact about many things, including the nature of art and photography. The gallery walls will be lined with more than 500 images depicting scenes in locations from as far as Cape Reinga to Campbell Island. While the works aren’t attributed to a specific photographer, the majority of the images were created by Palmer or Williams, though a significant number were produced by Wellington-based friends and colleagues.

The idea for the show originated from a conversation between the two friends who found that they had, unbeknownst to each other, been working on a similar theme for a number of years.

“Once we laid down some images the similarity was really quite surprising” says Williams. “The project developed from there and a few local photographers were asked to contribute images to the show.”

“We’re taking a philosophical approach from the likes of influential photographers William Eggleston and Paul Graham,” says Palmer. “By reclaiming ‘straight’ photography, we’re making a stand for the Art of photography without dressing it up with unnecessary baggage and pretence.”

Both curators have extensive photographic and exhibition experience. Palmer has been a regular exhibitor in both public and private galleries over the last 10 years and has curated a number of exhibitions, most notably the inaugural exhibition in the Courtenay Place Park light boxes in 2008, as well as the works currently on display there.

Williams is a documentary photographer and photographic educator. His most recent exhibition was a selection of photographs of the Ardh Mela religious festival in Triveni Sangram, Allahabad, India, shown at Pataka Museum of Arts and Culture earlier this year. ‘Neither One Thing Nor The Other’ is his first curatorial project.

‘Neither One Thing Nor The Other’ opens at Toi Pōneke Gallery from Wednesday 31 August, with a celebration at 5.30pm on Thursday 1 September. The gallery is at 61 Abel Smith Street – just at the top of Cuba Street.

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