Don't Shoot the Messenger - Solander Gallery

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Kia ora koutou kia ora koutou katoa

On behalf of Solander Gallery and Artists we warmly invite you to the opening of ‘Don’t shoot the messenger’ at 5.30pm - 7.00pmWednesday 19 June.

This exhibition brings together a selection of artists for whom birds play an important part in their work. "Birds seem to have a bad rep these days, as potentially being bad omens and in Maori culture they are seen as messengers usually associated with death but they are simply the messengers." Don't shoot the messenger" looks at dispelling some of these ideas and replacing them with new perspectives from artists whom love and respect birds of Aotearoa and beyond."

The artist’s works harbour layers. You can love the texture, the detail and the delicate crafting, or find the poetry and contemplate the mysteries. There is humour and playfulness executed in the rendering and handling of a variety of materials significant to the artist’s signature. Birds are the characters in this narrative that inhabit our shared natural environment. You will hear the scared voices of the Manu talking to the visual works, bringing the outdoors indoors.

Alexis Neal's new series of works 'Nga Manu' is inspired by early 1900s portrait photography in the form of Carte de Visite, so tongue in cheek these small works are Manu calling cards. There is an element of humour in this work where some birds are represented in an oval portrait format and some named with important chief titles. “In putting this show together I felt it was important to create a series of prints that could be stored as a box set in a ‘Solander’ box, making reference to the gallery but also to print traditions.”

Charlotte Graham's new work draws on her tribal heritage in order to explore critical issues affecting New Zealand society such as racism, indignity and land rights. Her most recent works explore notions of well being and healing, using Te Reo to create conversations between the Manu as orators of knowledge. The exploration of personal history and social history has now been created into new contemporary stories.

Emily Valentine paints with feathers. Over the last fifteen years Emily has developed her own unique style using feathers and brings a great sense of sympathy with the use of feathers, respecting their previous life in the creation of new life forms. “I am now enjoying making feathered aeroplanes. With this work, I wish to discuss how we as humans now colonise the skies.”

Vanessa Edward's new series explores the simple beauty and value that these birds have in our past, present and future. Ngā aitanga kapakapa a Tane - The wing flapping children of Tane refers to the native birds of Aotearoa being direct descendants of Tane mahuta the god of the forest, he who separated Ranginui (Sky father) and Papatuanuku (Earth mother) and created te Ao marama (the world of light). The many Native birds of New Zealand are the original kaitiaki (caretakers) of this land and play vital roles in the many myths and legends originating here.

John Pusateri produces exquisite stone lithographs that tap into the artistic tradition of memento mori, a practice dating back to antiquity where imagery is designed to remind the viewer of their mortality and of the transience and fragility of human life. In many of John’s bird series there are striking ironies of preservation being discussed, questioning whether preserving the specimen does nothing to protect it. Strong references to extinction of the past have a wistfulness and sorrow in his rendering of specific birds as protecting them from extinction in the future.

ENDS

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