Hotere comes to town
A free exhibition of one of New Zealand’s most important artists is showing at Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū. Ralph Hotere: Ātete (to resist) is co-curated by Christchurch Art Gallery and Dunedin Public Art Gallery and brings together works from collections across the country.
Photo: Ralph Hotere in The Artist’s Studio, Port Chalmers 1979, by Marti Friedlander. From the collection of Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, purchased 1998. Courtesy of the Gerrard and Marti Friedlander Charitable Trust.
Christchurch Art Gallery Director Blair Jackson says the exhibition has been a huge project to bring together.
“Hotere’s art is enormously significant in Aotearoa – particularly now in these politically charged days,” he says.
“It’s been more than 20 years since the last survey of his work, and we’re pleased to be able to show so many of these important and deeply meaningful works to a new generation.
“The show charts Hotere’s journeys throughout Aotearoa and the world, and is a reflection of his experiences, identity, concerns and politics. It includes formative abstraction, strident works of protest and landmark works such as Black Phoenix and Godwit/Kuaka.”
The exhibition has already been on display in Dunedin – where Hotere lived for many years. Blair says the exhibition has sparked many visitors to share their own memories of the places, moments and issues that feature in his work.
“I’m sure it will have the same effect on those that visit here in Ōtautahi,” he says.
It runs until July 25, and is free to attend.
