New Exhibitions By Vanessa Arthur And Yasmin Dubrau Set To Inspire Audiences

Two up-and-coming Hastings artists – one with recent international exposure and another having her very first hometown exhibition – are about to show their latest work at the home of contemporary art in Hawke’s Bay.

Wonder Goggles: Vanessa Arthur and Tales of a New Moon: Yasmin Dubrau open this Saturday, June 14. Arthur is a contemporary jeweller, while Dubrau works between weaving, photography, watercolour, mobiles and origami.

Wonder Goggles explores connections between jewellery, paint and everyday surroundings. It includes wearable and painted objects crafted from offcuts, precious metals, stones and industrial materials. Arthur describes Wonder Goggles as an exhibition which grapples with a “deficit of wonder”.

"People today often have a question and they look on their phone or rely on Google to get the answer, rather than wondering about it or using their own imagination and ideas to find an answer. The aim when making this exhibition was to explore our everyday environments with wonder, thinking about these spaces through a fresh lens.

“This is the first time I've made something in a bigger scale – the height of the gallery has allowed me to create a metal structure. It’s arranged to be directly in your path of observation as you enter, with lots of details to focus on. The octagonal shape of the gallery is great for that kind of viewing.”

Arthur has recently spent time overseas, exhibiting at Munich Jewellery Week – one of the most influential events for international contemporary jewellery – as part of a group of New Zealanders and at Galerie Door in Nijmegen, the Netherlands.

“It's great to see what's happening over there and talk to a different audience,” Arthur says.

“But I think it's really great to build strong connections with audiences in Aotearoa first. It’s important to have a solid foundation here to take overseas.”

Tales of a New Moon is Yasmin Dubrau’s first solo exhibition at a public gallery. She creates abstract landscapes in her work, drawing patterns and shapes from the environment and architecture. Dubrau’s watercolours reference Japanese ink painting and calligraphy, as she lived there for several years.

Dubrau has been a practising artist for about two decades. She has exhibited internationally – for instance in Japan and France – and nationally in cities like Auckland and Invercargill. Originally from Motueka, she lived in Auckland and Japan before moving to Hawke’s Bay nine years ago.

Although she has recently exhibited at The Rabbit Room in Napier, Tales of a New Moon marks the first time she has exhibited in her current hometown.

“It’s quite rare to have an opportunity like this,” Dubrau says.

“I feel like I know a lot of people who had no idea that I made art or what kind of art I make. A lot of people know me through my previous job, as manager and teacher at the Hōhepa Rose Weavery, and art doesn’t necessarily always come up, let alone the opportunity to see it in action.”

Gallery Director Sophie Davis says it’s a treat to have such talented Hastings artists exhibiting at the gallery.

“We’re excited to open these exhibitions alongside each other, and for audiences to enjoy the conversation between them. Vanessa and Yasmin share an interest in hands-on processes and experimentation with traditional craft forms – they tap into local, national, and international conversations.”

The exhibitions will both run until 11 October. The gallery will be holding a programme of events alongside the exhibitions – check hastingsartgallery.co.nz for the latest details.

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