Putiputi: The Flower in Contemporary New Zealand Art

10 July 2010 - 26 September 2010

PUTI PUTI : The Flower in Contemporary New Zealand Art

Hastings City Art Gallery 10 July – 26 September

Since 1950, Hastings has celebrated the richness of the land with a Spring festival. Attracting over 50,000 people in its heyday, the Blossom Parade has now been revitalised to become a multi-cultural celebration, following a week long carnival of events. The September festival draws the community together and attracts visitor from around the country.
In 2010 the Hastings City Art Gallery will host a national art exhibition with the ‘flower’ as motivation or content in honour of the Hastings Blossom Festival. Curator Director Maree Mills says: PUTIPUTI: The Flower in Contemporary New Zealand Art will showcase current practise across all mediums: painting, sculpture, printmaking, design, photography, glass, jewellery, ceramic, applied art, design and installation.

Participants confirmed to date (in alphabetical order) are:

Mary Ama, Renee Bevan, Linda Bruce, Christine Butler, Madeleine Child & Philip Jarvis, Adam Clarke, Evelyn Dunstan, Niki Hastings-McFall, Robert Yahnke, Gaye Jurisich, Andrea Gardner, Sally Lush, Sylvia Marsters, Kim Meek, Koji Miyazaki, Nick Moon, Richard Orjis, Neal Palmer, Reuben Paterson, Tania Patterson, Terrie Reddish, Sally Tagg, David Trubridge, Patrick Tyman, Francis Van Dammen, Layla Walter, Pamela Wolfe.
Many of the artists and designers selected are mid career practitioners, professionals in their field with extensive exhibition records, proving that the flower will always remain inspiration for creative practice.
The exhibition will be accompanied by an extensive public programme, over the period and will lead us out of the Winter into a joyous Spring.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“Curator Maree Mills says many artists selected for Putiputi: The Flower in Contemporary New Zealand Art have made work specifically for the exhibition. She recently
Visited the studio of Napier artist Patrick Tyman, photographed here with his work ‘in progress’ SPRING.

This was her response:

If there was one work in this exhibition that truly explores all the flower has to offer, it is Patrick Tymans fascinating oil painting ‘Spring’. This is an elaborate piece of visual storytelling made especially for the exhibition. Like a rich novel, the viewer hungrily identifies characters of art history: Georgia O Keefe’s Lily unfolding next to Claes Oldenberg’s erect lipstick. Hallucinogenic mushrooms and euphoric opium poppies feed Duchamp and Dali. Daytura and wormwood inspire writers. Slowly the plot unfolds; oozing pomegranates and proud sunflowers fight for dominance with native ferns in a contemporary colonization quest. This is like falling into a hyperbolic Henri Rousseau (1844-1910), and never wanting to climb out. The form and beauty of each exotic bloom, each succulent and erotic pod simply resonate with the fecundity of life itself while holding us longer to examine each symbolic relationship. The pollinating Kiss, the Greek tragedy, sex and death, the rebirth of Gaia…it’s all here, making this painting the visual equivalent of an “un-put-down-able read!”

Patrick Tyman pictured with his work in progress, entitled 'Spring'

Image taken in the Main gallery on Opening night!

Art gallery director, Maree Mills presents artists with a lei on Opening night.