Created in world that sometimes feels on the brink of apocalypse, two new exhibitions at The Wallace Arts Centre, Pah Homestead question and explore the oft overwhelming moment of time we find ourselves in.
Multi-media exhibition Fluid Borders: Far Nearer brings together artists from physical and online communities in Auckland to explore processes of connection, the role of mindfulness and intent within community building, and the enduring human desire to connect. The series, which includes photography, ceramics, textiles, painting and sculpture, is the first installment in the Fluid Borders 2020 programme, which provides "a space for the collision of creative minds".
As the 2018 recipient of the James Wallace & Jan Warburton Graduate Exhibition Scholarship, Dunedin artist Tori Clearwater presents What Future. Her exhibition look at the intersections of subjective and collective interactions with environmental issues. Clearwater, sees herself as "just one in the face of a global problem", and creates sculptures from plastic waste and discarded mass produced items. Each of the works in the exhibition address the entanglement of climate, mental and emotional health, and aim to demonstrate that this "collective problem can only be solved with collective effort".
Self Portrait, a kneeling figure made from Clearwater’s own accumulated household waste, considers the artist’s consumerism and its lasting mark on the environment. "She is blistered and suffocated by the plastic that encases and swallows her body. The zero-waste movement is very feminized, as the woman is the homemaker, shopper and caretaker," says Clearwater. "The obligation to consume in line with your values while also maintaining the household is another unrealistic expectation weighing on women."
Both exhibitions are at The Wallace Arts Centre, Pah Homestead until 20 September 2020 – Covid Alert Levels allowing.
By Lucy Wormald