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  Exhibitions
 
   

BAMIYAN – in the Heart of Afghanistan. 6 February - 23 May 2010   Exploring the history and culture of this strife-ridden region through local crafts, photographic images and audio visuals, this exhibition brings life to the stories and experiences of the people living in Bamiyan, Afghanistan. The exhibition is presented is through the eyes of the locals together with interviews and images of New Zealanders working with the New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team in Bamiyan provence.   Celebrating the Friendly City relationship between Bamiyan and Porirua City with

   

    

PETER ADSETT   MATAWHERO: BULLET HOLES AND BANDAGES   28 November 2009 - 14 March 2010 Peter Adsett has exhibited widely throughout Australia, Japan, the US and New Zealand. He has built a considerable career as an accomplished  and distinctive abstract artist. Peter Adsett has taken one of the most arresting events in Tairawhiti history and declined to talk about it. Instead, through his decades-long experimentation with abstraction, the Melbourne-based artist invites the viewer to “seek out the edges”, to try to make their own sense out of the 1868 Matawhero Massacre. Not that his exhibition, Matawhero: Bullet Holes & Bandages, is about the massacre per se. What it’s about, he says, is the process of painting – about the language of abstraction, the responses of Western artists to “spaces” in indigenous art and, most importantly, how black and white are never actually black and white. In the past Adsett has, in exploring his craft, dealt with issues from decay (in the 2005 exhibition More Rot) to the potential vitriol of colour (Polychrome Poison, 2002). Fittingly, though, there is a sense of violence in the Matawhero series. Or rather, as the artist puts it, there is “violation” in the damaged surfaces of the 25 canvases. The thick bristles that are torn from his brush as he paints are incorporated into the works. As are other pock-like contaminants that, to a wondering eye, might be interpreted as bullet holes. “What first occurs to me when I think about Matawhero is that it was a violation,” the Gisborne-born artist said. “These paintings, too, have in a way been violated. Their surfaces have been destroyed.” He says his relationship with Matawhero, and with people who live there, was the reason why it took him 30 years to offer his visual response to its history. NOTE: The 'Matawhero Massacre' refers to the 1868 incident when Maori prophet Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki and his followers killed around 60 people - roughly equal numbers of Maori and Pakeha. The attack was said to be vengeance for Te Kooti’s treatment after his capture at Waerenga-a-hika three years earlier (SOURCE: NZ History).          Click below for Peter Adsett's talk about his exhibition Matawhero: Bullet Holes and Bandages        NOTE: PCC staff and some organisations may not be able to view this video if their organisations do not allow video streaming.

BOTTLE CREEK GALLERY

   EMERGING ARTISTS, LOCAL INTEREST GROUPS AND MORE, THIS IS OUR GALLERY FOR THE COMMUNITY:

All above photographs by Evan McBride

ETHIOPIA An exhibition of photographs and a multimedia presentation of  3 of our Wellington region's residents time spent working for 'Habitat for Humanity' in Ethiopia  21 January 2010 - 16 February 2010 Kate MacPherson - photographs taken by children of Ethiopia, with Evan McBride's photographs taken in Ethiopia while working for 'Habitat for Humanity' and a multi media presentation from Ethiopia by Peter Van Der Burg. Kate MacPherson  In November 2008, sixteen children from Mercy Home in Addis Ababa were introduced to photography. All had come either directly from living on the streets or from extremely poor and underprivileged backgrounds. Their enthusiasm and delight in photography have culminated in some incredibly unique and inspired imagery that will be showcased in this exhibition as well as on the website www.eyesfromethiopia.com. All profits from the sale of prints are donated back to the children’s home to fund their education and living expenses. Peter van der Burg Peter van der Burg travelled to Ethiopia in 2007 and 2008 with  teams of New Zealanders for Habitat for Humanity as part of their Global Village program. While there, the teams worked alongside locals to build their houses using the "chika method" building style. Spending four weeks at a time there, Peter shares his impressions of this very important time in his life as he experienced the country, it's people, the culture, work and religions.   The documentary "Chucking Chika" follows the method of this cost effective building technique, while the video wall (a matrix of 4 by 6 computer screens) becomes a dynamic photo display of images that capture the essence of the Ethiopian life as witnessed by the teams.   Peter is a Porirua resident of seven years (otherwise a Mainlander hailing from Nelson), and works in Information Technology for the Porirua City Council. Evan McBride Evan McBride - Faces of Ethiopia - a collection of photographic images  of the people of Ethiopia. Taken whilst in Ethiopia for a Habitat for  Humanity project.

BLUE PACIFIC GALLERY

   ARTWORK FOR SALE BY LEADING CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS FROM AROUND NEW ZEALAND
 

PORT NICHOLSON HANDWEAVERS    16 January - 14 February 2010