Wellington artist Simon Morris new solo exhibition

Wellington artist Simon Morris has a new solo exhibition

Wall of Edges, Somewhere to Sit, Accumulation and The Time

22 October 22 - 9 November 2002 Bartley Nees Gallery 147 Cuba Street Wellington Tel: (04) 8019797 http://www.bartleyneesgallery.co.nz

Our latest exhibition is an installation of the work of Wellington painter Simon Morris who is one of New Zealand's leading exponents of geometric abstraction. The installation combines various aspects of the artist¹s practice and, in particular, highlights his site-responsive wall painting. A concern of his approach to painting is the relationship of the artwork to the space in which it is found, the architecture. Since 1996, in installations at the Waikato Museum, City Gallery Wellington, Adam Art Gallery Wellington, and Anna Bibby Gallery Auckland, Morris has produced wall works which are informed by the space of the gallery. The tradition of wall paintings dates back to the Renaissance with the most famous being Michaelangelo's painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome. Morris gives the tradition a contemporary twist.

This exhibition shows how Morris¹s gallery practice is closely intertwined with his commission-based practice. He has produced several wall works and window works for both residential and commercial situations and his art is ideally suited to architectural commissions. Buyers of wall works from this exhibition will have the artist paint the work in a situation of their choosing. If the buyer moves, the artist will move the painting for them.

Morris¹s work is currently featured in the Art and Industry Urban Arts Biennial 2002 exhibition in Christchurch, with a work at Jade Stadium created by repeated mowing and rolling by the groundsmen. This will be seen on national television during a match to be played there on December 4th.

Success at the Melbourne Art Fair

Our recent trip to the Melbourne Art Fair, the largest in the southern hemisphere, was an exciting foray in to the larger art world. The 21,000 visitors to the fair seemed to find the New Zealand art in general very conceptually strong and thought-provoking. We were delighted to find our gallery singled out in the Melbourne Age newspaper: "New Zealand has a strong presence, the most interesting part being Bartley Nees Gallery, Wellington." The Age, October 3, 2002. Art fairs such as this represent an exciting opportunity for New Zealand artists to have their work seen by a much larger audience. Our thanks go to the artists who produced work for us to take to Melbourne: Christopher Braddock, Brett Graham, Niki Hastings-McFall, Moana Nepia and Anne Noble; and to Creative New Zealand without whose support our participation at the Fair would not have been possible.

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