This show is essentially about searching for authentic images in the midst of the noise and glamour that distracts us every day.
1980, filmmaker Werner Herzog lamented the lack of quality images in our lives. In particular, he railed against the “ridiculous and destructive” images in commercials and on TV, which he said we should declare “holy war” against, and argued that civilization was doomed to die out like dinosaurs if we didn’t develop “adequate images.”1 45 years later is the situation any different? Are the huge number of images we’re bombarded with daily any good for us? Who better to shake us out of the torpor of rubbish, cliché images than our artists?
15 local artists who responded to our challenge present deeply personal stories – of the inbetween, the hard work behind the scenes or the way the tussle for our attention online can leave us vulnerable, frustrated or substanceless. There are responses to the Government’s treatment of Te Tiriti, of the migrant experience, and the potential of finding different kinds of beauty in contemplating the ordinary, the messy and the imperfect. Artists: Catherine Brougham, Virginia Fersuson, Jeremy McDonald, Nicola May, Steve Lowndes, Rebecca McNab, Bartholomew Gibbs, Yai Potharam, The Samantha Room, Briar Cook, Ryn Rutherford, Marieah Rosenby, Jane Barry, George Bassett-Smith, Jo Banham.
1Quotes from the short film, “Werner Herzog Eats his Shoe,” (Les Blank, 1980)
